Agari Raghurama, noted Yakshagana ‘bhagawatha’ (singer-cum-director), died here on Sunday. He was 83.
He is survived by three sons and a daughter.
Mr. Raghurama, from Surathkal, died in a private hospital in the city, his family sources said. Mr. Raghurama hailed from a family that was into Yakshagana. His father, Agari Srinivasa, was also a well-known bhagawatha.
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He had quit his job as a clerk in the Education Department after working for nine years to become a professional artiste. He worked as the bhagawatha in the erstwhile Mahammayi Krupaposhita Yakshagana Mandali, Surathkal, for 35 years.
‘Agari shaili’
Mr. Raghurama had a typical style of singing which became popular as ‘Agari shaili’. Some of the contemporary bhagawathas in the Tenku Thittu school of Yakshagana now sing in the same style.
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He was the contemporary of doyens of Yakshagana such as late Sheni Gopalakrishna Bhat, late Malpe Shankaranarayana Samaga, late Tekkatte Ananda Master, and late Puttur Narayana Hegde.
Mr. Raghurama had won a number of awards.