Folk theatre artist Basavalingayya Hiremath passes away

Renowned folk artist and theatre personality Basavalingayya Hiremath (63) passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru, in the early hours of Sunday.

He is survived by wife Vishweshwari and a son.

Basavalingayya was undergoing treatment at Manipal Hospital for some time. His body was kept at his Saptapur residence in Dharwad for public viewing on Sunday. The last rites of Hiremath will be held at his native Bailur village in Kittur taluk at 10 am on
Monday.

Basavalingayya had passion for folklore since his childhood. He had preserved over 500 songs by travelling extensively in north Karnataka. After graduating from Neelakanteshwara Natya Sangh (Neenaasam), he took folk theatre as his profession.

Basavalingayya had made a name for himself with his performance in three-hour-long play Sri Krishna Parijata. It was enacted in Doddata folk theatre style. The play has seen over 1,000 performances Karnataka and beyond.

In a bid to conserve the rich folk culture and tradition of the region, he had established the ‘Dharwad Janapada Samshidhana Samsthe’.

He also holds the credit of conserving Santa Shishunal Sharief songs and popularising them to the present generation.

Basavalingayya was honoured with a Karnataka Rajyotsava award for his lifetime achievement in folk theatre