The Hindu

Mangalore, Aug 3: Some Yakshagana artistes have decided to launch a forum that aims at helping the needy among them. To be led initially by Bhagavata Padyana Ganapati Bhat, it will be named as the Sri Yaksha Manasa Patisthana Mangalore, according to Sarapady Ashok Shetty, an artiste himself.

He said in a statement here that the chief convener of the ad-hoc committee of the Pratisthana D. Manohar Kumar had taken the initiative to set up the forum. It would attempt to provide insurance cover to all Yakshagana artistes free of cost. He recalled that a few artistes who met with an accident recently while travelling in a vehicle that was not covered by insurance, were still suffering.

The other aims of the new organisation are to keep professional artistes and promoters of Yakshagana performances in touch with one another so that they maintained a regular source of income; assisting children of artistes to continue their education and helping artistes conduct the marriages of their children.

Pointing out that artistes’ lives were severely hit owing to expenses on such heads, he said the pratisthana would conduct charity shows to create a fund besides approaching donors in this regard. He said the new forum was not being launched as an alternative to the Udupi-based Yaksha Kalaranga. Most of the promoters of the pratisthana were members of Yaksha Kalarnaga also, he added.

Artistes can become members of the pratisthana by paying an admission fee of Rs. 500. It would be inaugurated formally soon, he added. Other office-bearers of the ad-hoc committee of the pratisthana are Sanjay Kumar Shetty and Kadri Navaneeth Shetty.