Yakshagana bhagavatha (singer-cum-director) Prasad Bhat Balipa passed away at a hospital in the city on Monday. He was 46 and is survived by his wife, three daughters. and his father Balipa Narayana bhagavatha, a doyen of Yakshagana.
Mr. Prasad, hailing from Maruru near Moodbidri, was ailing for sometime. He was one of the leading bhagavathas of the Tenku Thittu school of Yakshagana and had his own fans.
He was the main bhagavatha in one of the six Yakshagana troupes of the more-than-a-century-old Kateel Sri Durgaparameshwari Dashavatara Yakshagana Mandali.
Mr. Prasad had begun his career as a bhagavatha when he was 16 years old. He learnt bhagavathike from his father. He who hailed from a family of Yakshagana had carried forward the legacy of the Balipa style of singing.
