Yakshagana Academy to record and document skills of popular artistes
Academy headquarters to be located in Udupi
MANGALORE: Karnataka Yakshagana Academy has urged the State Government to recognise Yakshagana as the art form of the State on the lines of Kerala recognising kathakali dance. It has sought the status of “unique art” of the State for yakshagana.
It has demanded that junior, senior and vidwath examinations should be held in Yakshagana as was being done in the case with art forms such as classical music and dance by the Karnataka State Secondary Education Board.
Academy president Kumble Sundara Rao told presspersons here on Friday that those who passed vidwath would be able to teach yakshagana to others and promote it. He said a delegation of the academy and legislators from the region had met Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and Primary and Higher Education Minister Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri in this regard. He said the delegation even presented the draft syllabus which could form the basis for conducting the examinations and for preparation of study material.
The academy, he said, had demanded that an annual award — carrying Rs. 1 lakh — should be instituted in the name of legendary poet Parthisubba.
Mr. Rao said the Chief Minister had agreed to these suggestions and directed the Department of Kannada and Culture to implement them. Mr. Yeddyurappa had agreed to increase the number of annual awards — carrying Rs. 10,000 each — given to yakshagana artistes from the present three to 10.
Academy member Murali Kadekar said the academy had decided to record and document unique skills of the reputed artistes of yakshagana for the benefit of posterity. He said this would be done in one year’s time. The academy would compile a documentary of all the artistes engaged in yakshagana for over 10 years. It would have a brief note about them and a couple of their photographs, he added. He said the academy would give monthly pension to the needy artistes whose annual income was less than Rs. 12,000. Mr. Rao said a consensus had been reached on locating the academy headquarters at Udupi. The academy was yet to get full-fledged staff and office, he said. “Things are progressing at slow pace,” he said. It was temporarily functioning from Kannada Bhavan in Bangalore. The academy had given a grant of Rs. 10,000 to 30 organisations in order to promote yakshagana and as much amount to a few groups to purchase drums and other musical instruments.
The delegation which met the Chief Minister and the Minister consisted of Home Minister V.S. Acharya, legislators Raghupathi Bhat, Yogish Bhat, Ganesh Karnik, Lalji Mendon, Udupi Zill Panchayat President Jerald, Campco president S.R. Rangamurthy, academy members Sundar Kenaje, Chandrashekar Shetty, Krishamurthi Thunga, Srinivas Sasthan, Prabhakar Atikari in addition to Mr. Rao and Mr. Kadekar.
(As Reported in The Hindu dated 1 Aug 09)
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