President of Karnataka Yakshagana Academy M.A. Hegde said here on Tuesday that the government should reserve budget for Karnataka Yakshagana Academy and Karnataka Bayalata Academy bifurcated from Karnataka Yakshagana Bayalata Academy sometime ago.
The two academies should get funds as do the other independent academies. It is not proper to divide a given fund equally among the Bayalata and Yakshagana academies, he said.
Speaking at a function organised by Mangalore University’s P. Dayananda Pai and P. Satish Pai Yakshagana Adhyayana Kendra to present its Yakshamangala Award and Yakshamangala Book Award for 2017-18, he said that the government should allocate enough funds to the academies to promote and sustain art and culture.
He said that art and culture contributed in creating healthy minds. Yakshagana and talamaddale had their identities. They should be nurtured.
Yakshagana artistes Patala Venkatramana Bhat, Matyadi Narasimha Shetty and Peruvodi Narayana Bhat were presented with Yakshamangala Award. N. Narayana Shetty Shimanthru was given the Yakshamangala Book Award for his work Yakshagana Chandombudhi .
Yakshamangala Award comprised ₹ 25,000 in cash, a certificate and a memento. The book award included ₹ 10,000 in cash, a certificate and a memento. A committee of the Kendra selected them.
Mr. Narasimha Shetty from Hallady near Kundapur was a Bhagavatha of the Badagu Thittu school of Yakshagana. He was a Bhagavatha for six decades before retiring from active Yakshagana in 1992. He sang in Perdoor, Kodavur, Maranakatte, Amrutheshwari and Mandrathi Yakshagana melas.
Mr. Narayana from the Tenku Thittu school of Yakshagana, known as hasyagara, performed comedy roles. He performed in Dharmasthala, Mulky, Surathkal, Kutyala, Kadri Yakshagana melas. His roles such as Papanna, Bahuka, Makaranda and Vibhakara brought him name.
Mr. Bhat donned woman’s role. He performed in Soukuru, Mulky, Dharmasthala melas. He was known for donning roles of Draupadi, Urvashi, Menaka, Dakshayini and Sri Devi.
