The first Parthi Subba Award for Yakshagana instituted by the State Government will be conferred on senior artiste and composer of Yakshagana prasangas Hosthota Manjunatha Bhagawathar for 2009 and senior composer of Yakshagana prasangas Amruth Someshwar for 2010, after a month at Kumble, Kasaragod district of Kerala.
Each of them will be given away Rs. 1 lakh cash prize and a citation, according to chairman of Karnataka Yakshagana Bayalata Academy Kumble Sundar Rao.
Parthi Subba from Kumble is considered father of Yakshagana as it is said that he composed Yakshagana prasangas for the first time. He is said to have lived in the 18th Century.
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Mr. Rao said that the award would be presented at a function either in the last week of November or first week of December. Its date is yet to be finalised.
The first award will be presented in the birthplace of late Parthi Subba, he said. It is for the first time any Yakshagana artiste will be receiving so much award money.
Mr. Rao said in a press release that the 73-year-old Mr. Bhagawathar had composed more than 300 Yakshagana prasangas. Of them, 51 were based on Mahabharatha, 19 on Ramayana and 23 on Sri Krishna.
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The 75-year-old Mr. Someshwar had composed more than 20 prasangas. He has written other books in Kannada and Tulu.