The city-based Yaksha Manjusha which is the performing troupe of Delhi-based Academy of Thenku Thittu Yakshagana (ATTY), is touring performing Hindi yakshagana in different parts of the country for the sixth consecutive year.
Its new contribution for the year is “Bhasmasura Mohini” prasanga in Hindi.
The team will be here on October 16 for a performance. “We have yet to decide whether to stage a Hindi or Kannada show at the Town Hall,’’ said founder and director of Yaksha Manjusha Vidya Kolyur.
The director of ATTY Saravu Krishna Bhat said that this year’s Yaksha Kalanidhi award instituted by ATTY will be presented to senior yakshagana artistes Surikumeru Govinda Bhat and Kumble Sundar Rao at the Town Hall on October 16. Each of them will be given away Rs. 12,000 in purse, a citation and a memento.
Mr. Bhat said that so far Yaksha Manjusha has staged 159 yakshagana shows in Hindi in different states. It has named its annual tour as Rashtriya Tenkana Yakshotsava which was started in 2005.
It has been staging a new prasanga in Hindi since 2005. They are Panchavati, Bheeshma Pratijne, Shambhavi Vijaya, Narakasura Moksha and Ma Mahishamardini.
“We have been receiving overwhelming response from people from non-traditional yakshagana belt of North India. This year we will be presenting 50 shows. We have already staged 18 shows this year since September 16,’’ said Mr. Bhat.
Ms. Kolyur added that the shows went up gradually from 18 shows in 2005. She is the only woman performer in the troupe.
In Hindi yakshagana both songs and dialogues will be in Hindi. Some artistes in Yaksha Manjusha troupe are professionals from yakshagana melas. Such artistes like Jagadhabhirama Padubidri, Chandrashekara Dharmasthala, Radhakrishna Navada and Laxamana Kumar who were not fluent in Hindi has now mastered the language.
In addition to Puttige Raghurama Holla, well known bhagawatha, who has been with the troupe since 2005 others bhagawathas like Dinesh Ammannaya and Girish Rai also now sing in Hindi with the troupe, said Mr. Bhat.
According to him the troupe has maintained its own stage discipline and traditions of yakshagana during performances.
“Earlier our performances in North India were restricted inside auditoria. Now we have been performing at open places as bayalata,’’ Mr. Bhat said.
This year the troupe is set to perform in Kolkatta, Faridabad, Delhi, Kashi, Solan and Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Bhatinda. It has already staged performances at Baroda, Mumbai, Indoor, Agra, Bhopal, Haridwar, Valsad and Surat this year, he said. (EOM)
