The team members of ‘Yakshamitraru Germany’ of Frankfurt in Germany. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The team members of ‘Yakshamitraru Germany’ of Frankfurt in Germany. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
With roots in the land of Yakshagana, a team of professionals in Germany who are amateur Yakshagana artistes, have begun performing charity shows in Germany to help artistes who are economically not sound and also to support the education of poor students through scholarships, back in their motherland.
Based in Frankfurt, the team members come together under the banner ‘Yakshamitraru Germany.’ They presented the first charity show in Frankfurt on March 31, 2023, and the second show is scheduled to be in Munich on June 25, 2023.
The proceeds of the first show went to a Yakshagana artiste with health issues in Karnataka’s coastal belt. The proceeds of the second show will be split into two portions and a portion will be handed over to an artiste with health problems and another portion will be used as a scholarship amount.
The first charity show featured the ‘Bhasmasura Mohini’ episode for two hours. The team will perform the ‘Lava-Kusha’ episode at Munich, also for about two hours, as the second charity show. It will be held in co-ordination with the Sirigannada Sangha at Munich, Ajeet Prabhu Tallur, one of the team members told The Hindu.
While presenting the shows, the team used recorded music for ‘himmela’ (background music team) owing to the lack of availability of ‘himmela’ artistes.
Mr. Tallur said that the team has been presenting shows in different parts of Germany on different occasions for seven years now. All shows are not charity shows. “We have been presenting four to five shows annually for past two years. Earlier, we presented at least one programme a year. The shows have kindled the interests of Germans and others in Yakshagana,” he said.
The team began presenting some charity shows to raise funds for deserving artistes and students from this year. The shows are in Kannada. Its promo videos in German are circulated for others to understand. The gist of the Yakshagana scripts or ‘prasangas’ are presented to the audience before the performances.
The team members include Apoorva Beleyur, Narendra Shenoy, Shashidhar Nayari, H.R. Srihari and Sushma. Two children Khushi Shenoy and Aadi Shesha are also with the team.
“Our performances have received standing ovations,” Mr. Tallur said, adding that the team members have preserved the sanctity of Yakshagana without using it in any fusion form.
“We never compromise with the art form though there are demands to present it in fusion form and showcase only the ‘veshas’ during events,” he said. At present, make-up and costume, ‘veshas’ and total Yakshagana performances are being diluted in the motherland.
