M'lore: A Bright Yakshagana Star Sets: Keremane Shambhu Hegde Breathes His Last

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Feb 3: The sparkling star of Yakshagana,  one of the finest Yakshagana artiste, administrator and organizer and ex-president of Karnataka Janapada Yakshagana Academy, Keremane Shambhu Hegde (70) breathed his last suddenly on Monday February 2, creating a void in the Yakshagana arena that is hard to fill.

Hegde, a highly gifted artiste who honed his skills further under the guidance of a family full of Yakshagana artistes,  had taken part in the Idagunji temple festival in Honnavar taluk of Uttara Kannada district on Monday and died of cardiac arrest when a Yakshagana programme was in progress there.

Keremane Shambhu Hegde, son of another crowning jewel of Yakshagana, Shivaram Hegde, guided Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Troupe founded by his illustrious father, to new heights. Shambhu Hegde, who was known for both excellent skills at dancing and dialogue delivery, was famous for his roles as Krishna, Jarasandha, Rama, Karna, Rituparna, Dushtabuddi, Ambe in Bheeshma Vijaya, Salva and Bheeshma. Every role he played had at least  some contributions from this great artiste, making them unique. By undergoing Bharatnatyam training under Maya Rao, he was able to add a special touch of flair and elegance to his performances.

Hegde, who toured several countries along with his troupe, attracted new audience towards Yakshagana with his perfect and precious performances. He was decorated with national, state, Rajyotsava and several other awards. He also won state award for his character role in the movie, 'Parva' directed by Sunil Kumar Desai. He gets credit for introducing time-bound Yakshagana performances for catering to the needs of the modern-day audience, thereby attracting new audience. He is survived by wife Gowramma, son Shivanand Hegde, a daughter, elder brother Mahabal Hegde and a large fan-following.

Scholar Dr M Prabhakar Joshi, expressing his grief over Hegde's demise, commented that Yakshagana has lot one of its precious assets. "Hegde served Yakshgana as an artiste, art critic, organizer etc.,” he noted.