<p class="bodytext">Kumble Sundar Rao, senior artiste of the Tenkutittu school of Yakshagana, said that, unlike in the past, Yakshagana is now receiving greater patronage.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“The standard of living of the Yakshagana artistes has, therefore, improved,” he pointed out.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He was speaking after accepting the Yakshamangala Award 2018-19, instituted by P Dayananda Pai and Satish Pai Yakshagana Adhyayana Kendra at the Mangalore University.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">‘Support artistes’</p>.<p class="bodytext">He said that, in the past, artistes had to work in farmlands to earn their livelihood. People should support artistes, he urged.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Gode Narayana Hegde, another awardee, said that the creativity of artistes will be curbed if they participate in two to three Yakshagana shows in a day. “The artistes will have no time to think of their performance aspects. Glorifying only a few aspects in Yakshagana is also not a good trend,” said Hegde.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Further, the artiste said, “I had my Rangapravesha in Yakshagana at the age of 14 years. Now, I am 80 years old. I have served in the field of Yakshagana for 65 years. In our initial days, an artiste did not have a good income. In spite of poverty, the interest in Yakshagana has not declined.”</p>.<p class="CrossHead">Yakshagana exams</p>.<p class="bodytext">Prof M L Samaga, former chairperson of the Karnataka Yakshagana Bayalata Academy, said that, when Kumble Sundar Rao was the first chairperson of the Academy, he had initiated a proposal to introduce junior, senior and vidwat examinations in Yakshagana. His proposal is yet to be materialised, Samaga reminded.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He added that Rao’s Yakshagana characters of Bheeshma, Bharata, Rama and Karna are well-known. Hegde too had created a niche for himself in Yakshagana.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Yakshagana expert Chandrashekar Damle stressed on the need for the university to develop a wing for research in visual arts.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Yakshamangala Award carried a cash prize of Rs 25,000, a memento and a citation.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">Award for work</p>.<p class="bodytext">Expert Prof G S Bhat Sagar’s work ‘Yakshagana Angopanga Samatholana Vichara’ was given the Yakshamangala Krithi Award, with a cash prize of Rs 10,000, a memento and a citation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Mangalore University in-charge VC Prof Kishori Nayak presided. Kendra coordinator Dr Dhananjay Kumble spoke.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Kumble Sundar Rao, senior artiste of the Tenkutittu school of Yakshagana, said that, unlike in the past, Yakshagana is now receiving greater patronage.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“The standard of living of the Yakshagana artistes has, therefore, improved,” he pointed out.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He was speaking after accepting the Yakshamangala Award 2018-19, instituted by P Dayananda Pai and Satish Pai Yakshagana Adhyayana Kendra at the Mangalore University.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">‘Support artistes’</p>.<p class="bodytext">He said that, in the past, artistes had to work in farmlands to earn their livelihood. People should support artistes, he urged.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Gode Narayana Hegde, another awardee, said that the creativity of artistes will be curbed if they participate in two to three Yakshagana shows in a day. “The artistes will have no time to think of their performance aspects. Glorifying only a few aspects in Yakshagana is also not a good trend,” said Hegde.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Further, the artiste said, “I had my Rangapravesha in Yakshagana at the age of 14 years. Now, I am 80 years old. I have served in the field of Yakshagana for 65 years. In our initial days, an artiste did not have a good income. In spite of poverty, the interest in Yakshagana has not declined.”</p>.<p class="CrossHead">Yakshagana exams</p>.<p class="bodytext">Prof M L Samaga, former chairperson of the Karnataka Yakshagana Bayalata Academy, said that, when Kumble Sundar Rao was the first chairperson of the Academy, he had initiated a proposal to introduce junior, senior and vidwat examinations in Yakshagana. His proposal is yet to be materialised, Samaga reminded.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He added that Rao’s Yakshagana characters of Bheeshma, Bharata, Rama and Karna are well-known. Hegde too had created a niche for himself in Yakshagana.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Yakshagana expert Chandrashekar Damle stressed on the need for the university to develop a wing for research in visual arts.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Yakshamangala Award carried a cash prize of Rs 25,000, a memento and a citation.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">Award for work</p>.<p class="bodytext">Expert Prof G S Bhat Sagar’s work ‘Yakshagana Angopanga Samatholana Vichara’ was given the Yakshamangala Krithi Award, with a cash prize of Rs 10,000, a memento and a citation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Mangalore University in-charge VC Prof Kishori Nayak presided. Kendra coordinator Dr Dhananjay Kumble spoke.</p>
