Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Aug 11: Speaking at the inaugural of the Kathakali performance, ‘Dushshasana Vadhe’ organized at the Town Hall here on Tuesday August 10 by the artistes of Kerala Kalamandalam, renowned folklore scholar, A V Navada, expressed the view that none of the art forms should be viewed as inferior as compared to others. The Kathakali performance was organized under the aegis of the state Kannada and culture department, Dakshina Kannada district administration, and Kalkura Foundation. He also urged the concerned to try to adopt novel qualities found in other art forms and enrich their own art forms through grafting these qualities into them.

Dr Leelavati Upadhyaya, principal of Sharada Vidyalaya, who inaugurated the programme, said that Kathakali remains a unique art form, where emotions can be seen to be interacting and tackling each other. She termed Kathakali to be a sublime art form, where skills of the artistes to convey the stories through the movement of their hands and fingers, as well as their body language.

State Yakshagana Bayalata Academy president, Kumble Sundar Rao, presided. He hailed Kathakali to be one of the finest art forms of India, which has crossed Kerala borders and enlightened the minds of the people everywhere. “We should learn to respect this art form. It is not easy, as a Kathakali artiste has to put in a minimum of three years of efforts to master it. A person becomes a Kathakali artiste, only after he is well-versed with all its aspects,” he noted.

On this occasion, Kavungal Divakar Panikker, a senior artiste of Kerala Kalamandalam, was conferred the ‘Kalkura Award’. Advocate, A S N Hebbar, Pradip Kumar Kalkura etc., were present.