Mangalore: Seventh All India Yakshagana Convention Begins
 
Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (PS)
 
Mangalore, Jan 27: “The audience should help Yakshagana artistes become creative by motivating them to inculcate a continued learning approach and the artistes must humbly incorporate artistic values. An artiste should not complain about failure to receive monthly pension or public felicitation if the performance is lauded by genuine artistes. This is worth more than felicitation or any award,” said senior Yakshagana artiste K Govinda Bhat.

He was giving the presidential address at the 7th All India Yakshagana Convention organized by Karnataka Samskruthika Kala Prathistana, Bangalore, and Kalkura Prathistana, Mangalore, at Town Hall on Friday January 27.

The 74-year-old Yakshagana artiste asserted that when such conventions take place, artistes must participate and through this their ‘learning approach’ will resume. He also said that the call for ‘time limit’ in Yakshagana where some people assert that the show should be limited to 3 to 4 hours, is acceptable to make the art more attractive.
 
Artificial vivid lights and reverberating sound systems have dampened the real glory of Yakshagana. “In this art, the audience should be perceptive enough to imagine one single stage to be different venues like a garden, the sea, or a battlefield,” he said.
 
Yet another Yakshagana exponent Dr M Prabhakar Joshi said that the art is the biggest theatre form, and a Rs 40 lac grant for the Yakshagana Academy is meager. He added that a minimum Rs 10 cr grant is what the Academy deserves. Dr Joshi pointed out that in the presence of more than 100 TV channels and crimes news occupying the front page in newspapers the art still gets support from the people which is noteworthy.
 
“The level of celebration on Chittani being confered with the Padmashree Award is not enough. Yakshagana never got oxygen from the government, but genuine artists have made it possible. Everything needs to be renovated for betterment of the art and the artistes,” he said.
 
Various sessions, demonstrations, and performances in different types of Yakshagana like ‘Tenku Tittu’, ‘Badagu Tittu’, ‘Doddata’ and ‘Sannata’ will be presented during the Sammelan.
 
Karnataka Yakshagana Bayalata Academy president Prof M L Samaga, deputy speaker N Yogish Bhat, MLC Ganesh Karnik, District Kannada Sahithya Parishat president Pradeep Kumar Kalukra, Harikrishna Punaroor, S N Panjaje, and Janardana Hande were also present.
 
Earlier, Sri Gurudevananda Swami of Sri Gurudevadatta Samsthanam, Odiyoor, Bantwal, and Sri Keshavananda Bharathi Swami of Shree Edaneer Mutt delivered the blessing speech.