Daijiworld Media Network – Karkala (SP)
Karkala, Oct 9: National award-winning Yakshagana artiste, Dr Kolyur Ramachandra Rao, who has carved out a niche for himself in depicting female lead roles in Yakshagana performances with finesse and elegance, was felicitated on behalf of the people of the region, at the dais erected on the occasion of Navaratri festivities at Goddess Durgaparameshwari Temple in Bantakal near Shirva on Friday October 8.
Speaking on the occasion, founder convenor of Kaup Sri Vidyaniketan Group of Educational Institutions, K P Acharya, noted that our elders had got education about mythology, history, and other issues which provided them a basis for, and guided them, to lead an enriched life full of ideas about future, through Yakshagana. “It need not come as a surprise, if our future generations question us about the meanings and concepts of festivals like Srikrishna Janmashtami and Deepavali,” he quipped. He hailed Rao, 78, for selflessly serving Yakshagana art since the last 65 years, and succeeding in preserving his charisma as the unforgettable heroine of Yakshagana stage. “It is an honour for us that we have got an opportunity to felicitate him,” he felt.
Prof B Padmanabha Gowda, principal of Karkala Sri Bhuvanendra College, and president of Karkala taluk Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Bantakal temple governing council president, Shashidhar Wagle, senior priest of the temple, Vedavyasaraya Bhat, and well-known Bhagawat, Madakatte Eshwar Bhat, who participated as chief guests, appreciated Ramachandra Rao on the occasion for his rich contributions to the field of Yakshagana.
B Pundalika Marathe, who sponsored the programme, in his welcome address, gave a brief introduction to the services and achievements rendered by Kolyur to the field of Yakshagana.
In reciprocation for the felicitation, Kolyur said that he considers the honour showered on him by the connoisseurs of art and his fans as above even the national level honour he had won. He expressed the feeling that the blessings of his well-wishers had inspired him to serve Yakshagana art with added devotion, and have always worked as a protective shield for him.
Usha Marathe was present at the dais. Head of the department of Engloish, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Prof G J V Prasad, Prof Maya Pandit of English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, head of the department of economics, Sri Bhuvanendra College, Prof Y Pandurang Nayak, and several other dignitaries were present.
K R Patkar presented the programme. Rajapur Saraswat Yuva Vrinda president, Umesh Patkar, extended cooperation in holding the programme. Later, a Yakshagana episode, ‘Naladamayanti’ was staged by Madakatte Eshwar Bhat and his troupe of artistes.