Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (SP)
Bangalore, Apr 28: Unparalleled Chende and Maddale player Chippar Krishnaiah Ballal (81), who mesmerized the audience with his magical rendering of both these instruments like no other could, for over five decades, breathed his last at Koramangala area in the city on Monday April 27.
He was offering his services to the field of Yakshagana art till his last breath. He had taken part in a Yakshagana show organized at Yedaneer Mutt branch in the city, and collapsed to the ground when the initial 'Chowki Puja' was on before the start of the show and breathed his last due to cardiac arrest, after being admitted into a hospital thereafter. He was to participate in the 'Shambhavi Vilasa' Yakshagana episode.
He is survived by wife, three sons including Mariaiah Ballal who is a Chende player of Kateel Yashagana troupe and five daughters.
Ballal had suffered from indisposition on Sunday and was treated in a private hospital here. On Sunday night, he was his usual self, enthusiastically playing Chende in the company of his fellow artistes.
Ballal had served Dharmasthala Sri Manjunatheshwara Yakshagana Mandali for over 35 years. He was born on April 2, 1928 at Sunnadamane, Bayarpadav. Kadatoka Manjunath Bhagawat and Ballal made an excellent pair that was reverred and loved all over the twin districts and other parts of the state. Ballal had the capacity to extract maximum efforts from the artistes through the rhythmatic beats of his Chende. Almost all the top names since the last five decades have danced to Krishnaiah’s Chende beats.
He had won several awards including Karnataka Kala Academy, Kerala Kala Academy, Karnataka State Award, Kuriya Vithal Shastry award, Keelar Gopalakrishnaiah Award and several others in addition to many felicitations.
Yedaneer Sri Keshavananda Bharati Swamiji, Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Dr Veerendra Heggade, Harshendra Kumar, Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board managing director Sham Bhatt, Kateel Mela convener Deviprasad Shetty, Dakshina Kannada Kannada Sahitya Parishat president Pradip Kumar Kalkura etc have condoled the death of this great artiste.