Yakshagana ballet will soon come alive in the Udupi. The Karnataka Kala Darshini Trust, Bengaluru, in association with the Kota Shivaram Karanth Research and Study Centre, Saligrama, would be organizing a Yakshagana ballet titled “Abhimanyu Vadhe” at Rajangana here on March 28.
Speaking to presspersons here on Thursday, Sudheer Rao Kodavoor, Director of the ballet, said that the Yakshagana ballet was the brainchild of the Jnanpith awardee late Kota Shivaram Karanth, who had rich knowledge in Yakshagana. In order to reach non-Kannadigas and foreigners, he reduced the time duration and brought in changes in certain elements of Yakshagana and started the Yakshagana ballet.
The duration of the episode “Abhimanyu Kalaga” which would be staged here on Saturday is 140 minutes. Vidyavallabha Tirtha Swami of Paryaya Kaniyur Mutt would inaugurate the programme. M.L. Samaga, former Chairman of Karnataka Yakshagana Bayalata Academy would deliver a special lecture on the occasion, Mr. Kodavoor said.
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In the ballet, Karanth replaced oration, improved acting and dance, and included violin and saxophone with Yakshagana music to make it more powerful and melodious. Karanth had directed many mythological episodes in Yakshagana ballets such as “Abhimanyu Vadhe,” “Panchavati,” “Nalacharitre,” “Kanakangi Kalyana,” “Dhurva Charitre,” “Bheeshma Vijaya” and others.
After Karanth passed away in 1997, there was no one to propagate the Yakshagana ballet. After a gap of about 15 years, the Karantaka Kala Darshini Trust along with the Kota Shivaram Karanth Research and Study Centre had decided to popularize it again by staging the Yakshagana ballets in different places including Bengaluru and Mysuru.
Srinivas Sasthan, Secretary of the Trust, Satish Upadhya and Lata V., artistes, were present.
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