The Karnataka Yakshagana Academy on Friday announced its annual awards, 2019, including the Parthi Subba Award to eminent Yakshagana playwright and Talamaddale interpreter Ambathanaya Mudradi (Keshava Shettigar).
Chairman M.A. Hegde announced the list at Bengaluru and said though the general meeting had selected the awardees in its meeting on March 5, the same could not be announced due to COVID-19. Subsequently, the general meeting ratified the list on August 25, he said.
Born on June 4, 1935, Mr. Mudradi, a resident of Mudradi village in Hebri taluk of Udupi district, started his career as a primary school teacher. He has been office-bearer of teacher’ organisations, editor of magazines and member of text book committees.
Mr. Mudradi participated in Talamaddale programmes as Arthadhari (interpreter) along with doyens, namely, Malpe Shankaranarayana Samaga, Sheni Gopalakrishna Bhat, Perla Krishna Bhat, Polya Dejappa Shetty, Kumble Sundar Rao and others. He also had written many Yakshagana Prasangas (episodes), including Pandu Charithre, Hanumadvilasa, Barkur Vaibhava, Nachiketha, Bhaktha Pralhada etc. He had been a recipient of Karnataka Rajyotsava Award in 2008.
The Parthi Subba Award carries a ₹1 lakh purse.
The academy has chosen five personalities for its Honourary Award. They are Chandrashekhar Damle, Anandarama Upadhya, Ramakrishna Gundi, K.C. Narayana and Chandru Kalenahalli.
Mr. Damle, a resident of Sullia in Dakshina Kannada, was a doctorate degree holder from Pune University in Sociology. He has been active in many areas of Yakshagana, including amateur artist, playwright, director, publisher etc. Mr. Upadhya, a native of Chitrapadi in Udupi district and resident of Bengaluru, has been a researcher in Yakshagana and has the credit of writing a doctoral thesis for the first time on Yakshagana. Mr. Gundi, who too is doctorate holder, began his career as a lecturer at the Gokhale Centenary College, Ankola in Uttara Kannada in 1975. An avid artist, he was famous for the Kaurava role in Gadayuddha prasanga, which he performed 150 times. Mr. Narayana from Doddaballapura has been a Moodalapalya Yakshagana artist and organiser. Mr. Kalenahalli, a doctorate holder on Soliga tribe, had been the Secretary and Principal of Adichunchanagiri Institutions, Channarayapatna. He too is an eminent interpreter of Moodalapaya Yakshagana. The award carries ₹50,000 purse.
The Yakshasiri annual award was announced for Nellur Janardhana Acharya, Ubaradka Umesh Shetty, Kuriya Ganapathi Shastri, Argod Mohandas Shenoy, Mohammed Ghouse, Ramachandra Hegde, M.N. Hegde, Haradi Sarvottama Ganiga, Mukhaveene Rajanna and A.G. Ashwathanarayana. The award carries ₹25,000 purse.
Hosthota Manjunath Bhagavat, Krishnaprakash Ulithaya and Chikkanna Yannekatte were chosen for the book award that carries a ₹25,000 purse.
