Come Wednesday and Friday, it will be the last days for Yakshagana buffs in the coastal belt to watch regular all-night Yakshagana shows as a majority of professional melas (troupes) will wound up their season’s tirugata (tour).
More than 35 professional melas begin their seasonal tour in November-December and end the tirugata on Pattanaje day, which falls on May 25 this year.
The popular Durgaparameshwari Prasaditha Dashavatara Yakshagana Mandali, Kateel, would wound up the tour of its six melas on Wednesday by performing all-night shows at Kateel.
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According to a temple source, its regular shows have been booked for at least the next one decade.
This season’s tirugata witnessed a remarkable change in the history of Yakshagana as more than a century old Dharmasthala Manjunatheswara Krupaposhitha Yakshagana Mandali cut the duration of its all-night performances and started performing short duration shows— from 7 p.m. to 12.15 a.m. According to Girish Hegde, manager of the Dharmasthala mela, it presented about 180 shows during this season’s tirugata of which 90 shows were Dharmasthala Kshetra Mahatme. Mr. Hegde said that the performance of the mela would end on May 27 when the three-day Pattanaje jatre (fair) would conclude.
As the rainy season begins, some of the artistes of different melas come together and go on a tour of cities like Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Nashik, Delhi presenting short duration Yakshagana shows.
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They would be invited by Yakshagana lovers having their roots in the coastal belt and working in such cities.
As the Town Hall in Mangaluru had been closed for renovation during the last rainy season (2015) many Yakshagana lovers missed all-night and short duration Yakshagana shows during the monsoon.
As the hall is now ready, Yakshagana lovers can enjoy the shows during this rainy season.