Has there been a Yakshagana show as part of the ongoing Mysore Dasara festivities? Going by the cultural programmes listed in the official website of Dasara, two shows were staged. One for one hour and another for a shorter duration. I could not find more details.Although essentially a token representation, I think, Yakshagana has been part of Dasara festivities beginning 1955. That year for the first time after Independence select artistes of Dharmasthala troupe staged a two-hour show, followed the next day by a Talamaddale programme of which the inaugural was presided over by famous Kannada poet Gopalakrishna Adiga.
The man who took the coastal Yakshagana to Mysore Dasara was the Late Padyana Gopalakrishna (PaGo), a mercuric multi-faceted personality from Mangalore who later became the Times of India's Mangalore Correspondent. PaGo convinced the then Dharmadhikari, troupe manager Kuriya Vittala Shastry and a few well-known artistes for this off-season performance. The programme impressed the elite audience paving the way for a series of Yakshagana shows in Bangalore and New Delhi.
Peruvodi Narayana Hasyagara who was part of PaGo's team has recollected his experience in an article in a book on PaGo's life and achievements. Read it here.
However, according to historical records, Yakshagana was performed in the Mysore palace for the first time as early as 200 years before this event...
15 comments:
I am honured to say that I am Pa.Gopalakrishna's grand daughter. Coming to know that he had done something like this is a tribute to this great person. As a grandfather, he was strict and a very fun loving person. Being with him itself was an exciting adventure with a treasure of knowledge.
athmika bhat padyana
Ramakrishna Punjathody writes...
I was very much surprised by knowing the fact that it was "PAGO", who is my paternal "DODDAPPA", was the one who took "YAKSHAGANA", the "GANDUKALE" of Karavali to Dasara first. We remember "DODDAPPA" always and would never his lovingness and typical smile under his moustache.
Padyana families have contributed a lot to Yakshagana. Talent of present artists like Shankaranarayana Bhat, Ganapathi Bhat, Jayarama Bhat etc must have definitely come through blood.
Thanks for bringing out very good information
Badekila Chandra Shekara Bhat
Hyderabad
Blogs of this type, contaning information regarding information, not known to many is of great use. Many thanks to the writer.
It is so nice of reading some ones achievement in the field of Yakshagan ,slowly being forgotten by the new generation. First of all kudos to Mr.Narayana Gatty for his love and dedication in spreading our great Art globally through Electronic media. I have heard a lot about Padyan family's contribution to Yakshagana and PaGo is no exception .We are really proud of his achievement as a great journalist and his contribution to our art and culture in particular. We are also so happy that his son Sri P Ramachandra is in Qatar with us and he is also the life member of Tulu Koota Qatar. It was he who was responsible to spread the news around especially through Rangasthala.com when we first brought Yakshagana to Qatar by our company Advanced Technical services staff in Feb 2007.
Best regards
Ravi Shetty
President
Tulu Koota Qatar
Tel:00974-5569578
It is a fact theatrical events require complete dedication and total commitment all concerned persons beyond the concerned stage artists.
The success of theatrical event is gauged by the performance of on stage artists which is being spontaneously acknowledged by the interactive audience, wherein the involvement and efforts of other relevant persons remains in the memory of concerned stage artists only.
The forum Rangasthala BlogSpot deserves the credit of identifying the contribution of off stage personalities related to Yakshagana and disseminate them through wider horizons beyond the theatre stage the involvement and contributions of Late.Padyana.Gopalakrishna and Mohammed Sherule to Yakshagana, which otherwise would have been confined to the memories/memoirs of Hasyagara Peruvodi Narayana Bhat and Late Yaksha Bheeshma Sheni Gopalakrishna Bhat.
Hayub Abdul Khader,
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia/Camp: UAE.
It is nice knowing PaGo contributed something of this magnitude to our culture. Many thanks to the writer for shedding light on this fact.
Rathna Noojibail
California, USA
Thanks for publishing nice informative Article. He was a great man.
vasishta bhat
Camp : Beijing, China.
Many thanks to the writer and really i am proud of his achievements and his contribution to Yakshagana.
Suresh Bhat
Doha-Qatar
In spite of being son of Pa. Go, I was not aware of this fact till it was revealed through Memoir Pa Go Samsmarane, which was published in the year 1999 by his friends through P.Goplalakrishna Memorial Trust ® Mangalore.
I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. M. B. Marakini, renowned social worker and medico from Bangalore, close friend and well wisher of my father, who was associated with the event of Maiden Yakshagana performance at Dasara Festival deserve the credit for disclosing the facts, evoking memories of associated Yakshagana Stage Artist Hasyagara Peruvodi Narayana Bhat and compiling of documented information for publication of the memoir.
Thanks to Rangasthala BlogSpot – The Electronic Periodical of Yakshagana for bringing to light the reminiscence of Yakshagana Performance of 1955 at Mysore Dasra Festival by uncovering archives.
P.Ramachandra
Ras Laffan, Qatar.
If Yakshagana is alive today, it is because of the selfless service of people who have always remained in background far away from limelight.
GIRISH N.G, Advocate, Mangalore.
Mysore is the cultural capital of Karnataka. Mysore Dasara is a annual showcase event of culture and arts. What is more thoughtful than bringing Yakshagana show to Mysore Dasara!!!
I am grateful to Pa.Go for having this vision and selfless commitment in ensuring that South Canara tradition of Yakshagana is indeed part of the Dasara. A remarkable achievement...
- Murali
San Francisco, USA
Thanks to all of you for sparing your time to read the post and leave your comments. It only goes to show the lasting impression that PaGo had left with those who had come in contact with him. There were also those who wrote directly to Mr Ramachandra, PaGo's son, after reading this post. Noted Yakshagana scholar and arthadhaari, Dr M Prabhakara Joshi wrote to him:
'PaGo. has done a lot for so many fields and people. But he was not lucky to be recognised. It was also due to his attitude and style of working. He was a an avadhoota type of worker, a real detatched person.
Another thing to note is, in the history of Yakshagana, many people claim many things as started by them. They dont know , men like. PaGo and others have done those things long back. So a systematic record of happenings is needed
Articles of Pa Go in Kannada can be accessed at http://www.gulfkannadiga.com/news-19250.html. The same will be published on every Thursday for the next 24 weeks or so. Read them and comment on the articles so that the publishers are more and more encouraged to publish more and more of such type of articles.
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