Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Jan 21: Renowned female Yakshagana Bhagavatha Kavyashree Ajeru has been selected for the prestigious Kundeshwara Samman, while noted theatre and film actor Umesh Mijar will be honoured with the Kundeshwara Kalabhushana award, instituted by the Karkala Hirgana Shri Kundeshwara Temple.
The awards are presented in memory of Late Raghavendra Bhat, former Dharmadarshi of the temple and a well-known Yakshagana organiser, artist and orator. Announcing the selections at a press conference, selection committee convener Jitendra Kundeshwara said the awards will be conferred on January 23.
The annual fair (Varshavadhi Jathre) of Shri Kundeshwara Temple will be held from January 21 to 23. On the concluding day, January 23, cultural programmes will begin at 7 pm, followed by the award ceremony. The events include a female Yakshagana performance by Kadri Mahila Yakshakuta, directed by Ramachandra Bhat Ellur, and a Tulu drama by the ‘Namma Bedra’ team.
Previous recipients of the Kundeshwara Samman include Kishan Hegde, Ramesh Bhandari, Patla Sathish Shetty, Shashikanth Shetty Karkala, Raghavendra Mayya, Shrihari Narayandasa Asranna of Kateel, and Lokesh Machar.
About the awardees
Kavyashree Ajeru began her Yakshagana journey at the age of nine under the guidance of stalwarts including Mambady Subrahmanya Bhat. With over two decades of experience, she has emerged as one of the foremost female Bhagavathas in the Tenkutittu style. A ‘B’ grade artiste of Akashvani, Mangaluru, she has performed on Doordarshan and Chandana channels and is adept in both Tenkutittu and Badagutittu styles. She has appeared as a guest artiste with leading melas such as Kateel, Bappanadu and Hosanagara, staging thousands of performances across the country. Born in 1994 to Shripathi Nayak and Uma of Ajeru, Puttur, she holds an MSc in Chemistry, a BEd, and has junior-grade training in classical music.
Umesh Mijar, born to a Yakshagana artiste couple from Mijar, rose through sheer perseverance. Forced to discontinue his studies after Class 9 due to poverty, he moved to Mumbai, where he worked in hotels before finding his calling in theatre. He made his stage debut in a female role and went on to found the ‘Namma Kalavider Bedra’ troupe in 1996. Over a career spanning 35 years, he has written and directed several Tulu plays and acted in about 80 Tulu films, six Kannada films, and six television serials.
The award ceremony will be followed by the staging of the Tulu play ‘Viral Vaishali’ by the Namma Bedra artistes.