Mangalore University will bring out a book containing six Yakshagana ‘prasangas’ (chapters) written on Jain philosophy during 2013-14. In addition, it will publish two more books relating to Yakshagana in the academic year.
The books would be published through its P. Dayanand Pai and P. Satish Pai Yakshagana Adhyayana Kendra.
The review committee of the Kendra, headed by Vice-Chancellor T. C. Shivashankara Murthy, in its meeting last month approved a proposal of publishing books, director of the Kendra K. Chinnappa Gowda told The Hindu.
Mr. Gowda, formerly Registrar (administration) of the university, said the six Yakshagana ‘prasangas’ on Jain philosophy had been written by M. Sridhara Pandi of Sanur, an agriculturist-cum-Yakshagana artiste near Karkala, who died two years ago. Mr. Pandi wrote 22 Yakshagana ‘prasangas’, of which only four had been brought out as a book by Anekantha Prakashana of Kulashekara, Mangalore. The other ‘prasangas’ were still in manuscript form. The university would publish six among them.
Udaya Kumar Irvathur of Anekantha Prakashana, who published the first four ‘prasagnas’, said that there were not many Yakshagana ‘prasangas’ on Jain philosophy.
Probably Mr. Pandi was the only author who wrote as many Yakshagana ‘prasangas’ on Jain philosophy.
As his work did not come to the limelight, the Anekantha Prakashana published his four ‘prasangas’ – Sri Neminatha Charithe, Jinabhakthe Agnile, Chavundaraya Charithe and Chakravarthi Hoysaleshwara – in a book titled ‘Sri Kushmandini Devi Mahatme’ in 2012.
With the university’s move, some more works of the late author would come to the limelight, he said.
Mr. Gowda said that the six ‘prasangas’ to be published would include Kamatopasarga, Chakreshwara Vajranatha, Sri Theerthankara Udhbhawa (all based on Parshwanatha Charithe), Jwalamalini Devi Udhbhawa, Acharya Samantha Bhadra and Ashaneesha Vijaya (all based on Jwalamalini Mahatme). All these ‘prasangas’ have been collected and would be edited by K. M. Raghava Nambiyar, yakshagana scriptwriter and an expert on Yakshagana.
