Divvy Kant Upadhyay, Manipal
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (GA)
 
Udupi, May 7: Starting from Sunday May 10, a week-long yakshagana festival will be organized at the Sri Krishna Mutt premises with Dr Bhaskaranand Kumar as the leading artiste. Dr Bhaskaranand Kumar is by profession a senior orthopaedic surgeon and professor at the Kasturba Medical College in Manipal near here. Over the years he has successfully created a niche for himself in this folk art. He will be felicitated at the conclusion of the yakshagana festival which will be organized at the temple.
 
Honorary president of the Yakshagana Sapthothsava Committee, Dr HS Ballal informed that the festival will be inaugurated on Sunday by Sri Sugunendrateertha Swamiji of Paryaya Sri Puthige Mutt along with Kumble Sunder Rao, Harikrishna Punaroor and Kabyadi Jayarama Acharya.

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Dr Bhaskaranand’s wife, paediatrician Dr Nalini Bhaskaranand will also be honoured along with him in the presence of the Swamijees of Paryaya Sri Puthige Mutt, Sri Pejavar Mutt and Sri Edneer Mutt with Sri Laxminarayana Asranna, Dr M Mohan Alva and Dr H S Mohan as guests of honour. 
 
Dr Bhaskaranand Kumar as the leading artiste will feature in yakshagana plays ‘Sharasethu Bandhana,’ ‘Ravana Vadhe (Tenku),’ ‘Bhishma Parva (Tenku),’  ‘Vidhuraathithya,’ ‘Vaalivadhe’ and ‘Jambavathi Kalyana’ which will be staged under the direction of Sri Bannanje Sanjiva Suvarna.  Besides artistes of the Yakshagana Kendra other leading artistes will also participate in these plays.
 
Organized by the yakshagana sapthothsava committee with the patronage of Paryaya Sri Puthige Mutt, the festival is also being supported by Yakshagana Kendra, Yakshagana Kalaranga and Tulu Koota.