A university should be set up exclusively for Yakshagana, veteran Yakshagana artiste and president of the Karnataka Yakshagana Byalata Academy Kumble Sundar Rao said here on Sunday.
Felicitation
Speaking at a function organised to felicitate him by the Honnavar-based Shri Idagunji Mahaganapathy Yakshagana Mandali Keremane, Mr. Rao said Yakshagana had dance, dialogue, costume, make-up, and music, making it unique.
Plea
This made it eligible for a separate university for itself, and hence, he urged Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly N. Yogish Bhat to take steps in this regard.
He said that Yakshagana was one art that was representative of Karnataka and urged Kannadigas to recognise it as a representative art of the State.
Meeting
Mr. Rao said that a committee would soon meet to prepare a Yakshagana syllabus so that it could be taught to children.
If Yakshagana was taught in schools it would create a place for the art in the hearts of children, he said.
Outstanding
Kaje Ishwar Bhat, organiser of cultural events, said that Mr. Rao had become a Yakshagana artiste at the age of 19 and that his performance was outstanding.
Mr. Rao was the only Yakshagana artiste to get elected to the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Bhat said, adding that his victory was solely because he was a Yakshagana artiste. Mr. Rao too attributed his winning the election from the erstwhile Surathkal constituency to Yakshagana.
