Media release

Udupi, Jan 5: The closure ceremony of  Kishora Yakshagana Sambhrama-2023, organized by Yakshashikshana Trust (R) Udupi, a  largest children's performing art festival in Karnataka, was held  at Government Junior College, Kundapur  on January 5.

The performances were hosted at six different locations in Udupi district covering Udupi, Kaup, Shirva, Brahmavar, Kota, and Kundapur over the last one month, commencing on December 7.

The chief organizer of the festival, Murali Kadekar said, more than 2500 students from various schools in Udupi district actively participated in Kishora Yakshagana Sambhrama-2023 which helped to develop an appreciation for Yakshagana among the high school students and encouraged them to gain knowledge and awareness about Indian mythological stories. Thirty-one gurus who are experts in Yakshagana trained the students for over 4 months and a total of 69 school teams gave performance on 70 different Yakshagana episodes, he added.

The Yakshagana Kalaranga (R) an organization dedicated to promoting Yakshagana theatre and education, established the Yaksha Shikshana Trust in 2007 with the extensive support of then MLA, K Raghupathi Bhat. This major step is an indication to the organization's tireless commitment to the preservation and advancement of Yakshagana, as well as the development of an appreciation for the same among our younger generations. 

This year, Kishora Yakshagana Sambhrama received support from MLAs Yashpal Suvarna, Gurme Suresh Shetty, and Kiran Kumar Kodgi of Udupi, Kaup, and Kundapur constituencies respectively.

Since its establishment, the Yaksha Shikshana Trust (R) has trained over 25,000 students who are now actively contributing to the field of Yakshagana in various ways, such as performing, organizing, and appreciating this unique art form.