Guruvappa Bayar (58), a Yakshagana artiste attached to Kateel Mela collapsed while performing and passed away on the Yakshagana rangasthala (stage) on Thursday night.
A Yakshagana play titled Thrijanma Moksha by the fourth Kateel Mela was being staged at Saraswathi Sadana in Kateel Temple when the incident occurred. Bayar was playing the role of ‘Shishupalana.’
When the last prasanga of Yakshagana was being played, Bayar who was standing on Rangasthala collapsed on the stage. He was rushed to the hospital where the doctors declared him dead.
He had written Ashtamangala Yakshagana prasanga and had staged it at Town Hall in Mangaluru a few months ago. After having served in several Yakshagana mela, he had joined Kateel Mela in 2013.
Published 23 December 2022, 05:45 IST