Kalaakaar Puraskaar - 2010 for Konkani Harikatha Legend Bhadragiri Achyutdasji
Media Release
Mangalore, Nov 8: Konkani Harikatha legend Sant Bhadragiri Achyutdasji has been selected for the prestigious Kalaakaar Puraskaar - 2010, constituted jointly by Thomas Stephen Konkani Kendr - Goa, Kharvaal Gharane and Mandd Sobhann. The puraskaar will be presented to Achyutdasji on Sunday December 5 during the First World Konkani Cultural Convention.
The puraskaar is being given since last six years to a selected Konkani artistes for their valuable contributions to the field of
Konkani performing arts. Kalaakaar Puraskaar consists of Rs 25000 in cash, citation, memento and public honor.
About Bhadragiri Achyutdasji
One of the foremost exponents of art of Harikatha today is Sant Bhadragiri Achyutdasji of Karnataka. Achyutdasji's father Venkataramana was an accomplished Yakshagana artiste, belonging to the Badaguthittu school. Mother Rukminidevi was a melodious singer of the Padas and Devaranamas of the Haridasas. Young Achyutdas imbibed these rich cultural influences early in life. His innovative abilities were first seen when he adapted the Padas of the Haridasas to the Yakshagana mode and successfully performed them much to the delight of the predominantly rural audiences.
In 1951, on the Shivaratri he gave his first solo performance in the ancient temple of Kameshwara in Bhadragiri. He hasn’t looked back since then.
The depth of Achyutdasji's scholarship is apparent in his discourses where he extensively quotes from the Gita, the Dasa literature and the Bhakti Saints. His discourses are popular for his mellifluous rendering of the passages in classical ragas such as Tilang, Desh and Malkauns among others. In fact, it is he who coined the term Kathakirtan, a combination of text (Katha) and music (Kirtan).
Besides his mother tongue Konkani, he is also fluent in Marathi, Kannada, Tulu and Hindi and regularly gives discourses in these
languages.
Blessed with an ability to gauge the intellectual level of his audience Achyutdasji enthralls his listeners with his masterly
renditions, with a carefully planned presentation sprinkled with liberal doses of humour and anecdotes drawn from everyday life, he gradually leads his listeners towards higher philosophical levels without boring them with incomprehensible statements.
But for all his orthodoxy, he is surprisingly liberal in his outlook. He feels that today's generation is not averse to time honoured values and ethics. He says it is only a matter of putting it across properly without any undue bias or lofty preachings. An avid reader, this septuagenarian has a huge collection of books, some of them rare ones. He occasionally lends them out as reference.
With a zeal and zest belying his age, he's always engaged in writing or teaching, during his spare time. He regularly conducts interactive workshops at various places for aspiring as well as senior vidwans.
He has written more than twenty books, including the much acclaimed Geethartha Chintana, a treatise on the Bhagavad Gita and incorporates ideas of the Haridasa saints. He has also composed numerous kirtanas under the name of Moolanarayana, a name
conferred upon him by his Guru, Sudheendra Thirtha in recognition of his achievements.
To mention a few of the awards— Kanaka-Purandara Award from the state government and the Nadoja Prashasthi from the Hampi Kannada University, Keertanagresara, Keerthanacharya, Haridasa Kulabhushana and awards from the state and Central Sangeet Natak Academies.