There was a festive mood at the Guttu Mane (a traditional manor house) at Dr. Shivaram Karanth Pilikula Nisargadhama as people came together to celebrate ‘Aati Koota’ on Saturday.
Artistes of ‘chikka mela’ presented Yakshagana in the house, both in Tulu and Kannada.
It was a short-duration Yakshagana lasting for 10 to 15 minutes. It is a performing arts tradition still being followed in the coastal belt.
When it was not possible to erect tents and perform Yakshagana during rainy season, some Yakshagana artistes, not more than five in a group, set on a tour performing on the verandah of houses.
They took to this also because they needed an income during the rainy season.
Some such ‘chikka mela’ groups continue to go on tour even now.
But now, Yakshagana is performed though out the year as town halls and auditoria are available.
Young visitors to the Guttina Mane were seen taking selfies with two Yakshagana artistes at the house.
Visitors to the ‘mane’ savoured traditional vegetarian food of coastal belt on the occasion.
It included patrode, gendedadye, akki unde, tekkeredadye, guriyappa, halasina gatti, jeegujje podi, halasina garige, genasina tindi and the like.
People participated in ‘chenne mane’ and singing competition. Scholar B.A. Vivek Rai, Executive Director of the nisargadhama H. Jayaprakash Bhandary and others participated in the festival.
