Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Apr 14: The action of the Yakshagana Academy in conferring of an award to Vandse Narayana Ganiga, a gifted Yakshagana artiste, for the second time, has raised many eyebrows. Ganiga had already received the Academy award in the year 2006.

It is learnt, that Ganiga was given the award when Shambhu Hegde was the president of the then ‘Janapada (folklore) and Yakshagana Academy’. This academy was split some time back. After the Yakshagana Academy was newly formed, Kumble Sundar Rao was made its president.

It is learnt that the Yakshagana Academy had called for a list of awardees from the Janapada Academy, as it did not have any records about the awards previously given, having been a new entity. In the list, arguably by oversight, the name of Narayan Ganiga was missing. The Yakshagana Academy has not only announced the list of awardees, but also has already handed over the awards.

While the fact that Vandse Narayan Ganiga richly deserves the award is undeniable, the second award for the same artiste has definitely given rise to a sense of heartburn among the senior and deserving Yakshagana artistes, who have been waiting in the wings, expecting an award, since long.