Speakers at a function organised here on Monday to pay tributes to the doyen of Yakshagana, the late Sheni Gopalakrishna Bhat, said that none could fill the void left by him.
The Kalkura Foundation organised the function at the Town Hall.
President of the Karnataka Yakshagana Bayalata Academy Kumble Sundar Rao said that Sheni had such talent that he always kept his fellow artistes in ‘talamaddale' and Yakshagana bayalatas on their toes. He excelled in all the roles he played. G.K. Bhat Seraje, an artiste, said that Sheni had been a phenomenon in Yakshagana. President of the foundation Pradeep Kumar Kalkura said that Sheni would remain eternally relevant in Yakshagana. Yakshagana artistes Kokkada Ishwar Bhat and Tonse Jayanth Kumar, former manager of the Mahamayi Yakshagana Mandali of Surathkal Kasturi Varadaraya Pai, and Sanskrit scholar Bailoor Narayana Tantri were honoured with Sheni Puraskara by the foundation.R. Apoorva, a 10th standard student of Vidyadayini High School, Surathkal, who played the ‘chende' and her brother R. Amogha, a fifth standard student of Vidyadayini Primary School who played the ‘maddale' during the invocation by well known bhagawatha of Kateel Yakshagana Mela Prasad Balipa impressed everyone. Artistes of the Chittani group staged ‘Jarasandha Vadhe' .
