A slice of Yakshagana history in VK

In his weekly column 'Suddimane Kathe' on February 28, Vijaya Karnataka editor Vishweshwara Bhat makes a mention of a team of Yakshagana artistes from Uttara Kannada District meeting with the first President India, Dr Babu Rajendra Prasad, on April 28, 1954.

The article which discusses the value of old newspaper reports also has a rare picture of the visiting artistes with the President, and a one-para description (see picture)

Yakshakala(w) Battle

Today"s Deccan Herald (page 4) has a report on the Supreme Court judgment on a legal battle over the copy rights of the Late Dr K. Shivarama Karanth's version of Yakshagana. Since other newspapers have not carried the report, I reproduce it below for those interested.

SC Okays free show of Yaksharanga
DH News Service
New Delhi, Feb. 21

The Supreme Court has said that Jnanapith awardee Dr Kota Shivarama Karanth's dance drama Yaksharanga can be performed for non-paying audience without any hurdle.

'If such performance is conducted before a non-paying audience by the appellant, which is an institution that comes within the purview of an amateur club or society, the same would not constitute any violation of the said order of injunction (copy right)' said a three-judge bench headed by Justice S B Sinha upholding the submission of Manipal-based Academy of General Education.

The apex court dismissed the contention of B Malini Mallya, who had dragged the academy to the court saying that the noted writer had willed the dance-form to her in his will, before his demise on December 9, 1997.

Mallya had filed a case against the academy in a district court in Karnataka for the performance of Yaksha Ranga at New Delhi on Sepember 18, 2001.

Both, the district court and the Karnataka High Court had vested the copyright with her in terms of the will of the great Kannada author. She claimed that Dr Karanth had composed the special dance form having seven verses or prasangas for staging Yaksharanga ballet apart from bringing in changes in the traditional form thereof on its relevant aspects namely - Raga, Tala, scenic arrangement, costumes etc.

Mallya had filed a suit for injunction and damages alleging violation of the copy right in respect of the dance drama vested in her in terms of the will stating that dr Karanth developed the new distinct style which is separate from traditional Yakshagana.

The academy had submitted that the copyright of the dance could not with Mallya as Dr Karanth had composed the dance drama with the assistance, staff and finance by the organisation of Mahathma Gandhi Memorial College Trust while he was the director of the academy at Manipal.

Receding Poorvaranga

I have always enjoyed watching poorvaranga but it is rare these days.

Some melas present an abridged version of it and slowly the artistes good at performing poorvaranga dances are disappearing from the professional troupes. Of the existing melas, I think Kateel mela has retained this tradition relatively in a better way. So they have kodangi, balagopala, streevesha (picture above) and ardhanaree vesha (picture below).

The prictures here are of poorvaranga performance of Kateel troupe-IV

Years ago Tenkutittu Hitarakshana Vedike, Sullia, documented the audio (himmela) of tenkutittu poorvaranga in cassettes which may be still available in the market. Budding documentary and film maker Abhaya Simha has done a video documentary of Badagu poorvaranga. I have read in Ashok Vardhan's blog that Soorikumeri Govinda Bhat did a video documentary of tenku poorvaranga but I have not been able to find it in shops.

Here is (pp 1-2; 3-4; 5-6; 7-8; 9) a detailed article about poorvaranga written by Balipa Narayana Bhagavatha, who seems to be the only Bhagavatha with an authoritative knowledge about it....

Also read Subrahmanya Bhat's post on the topic in his blog Ballirenayya

Gods' love for Yakshagana

Gods love Yakshagana. Or, that is what at least the people of Karnataka's Yakshagana belt believe.

Many people love and sponsor Yakshagana because the art is dear to God. So you have all the four troupes of Kateel temple booked for the next 25 years. Yet, the role of this 'derived love' for the art in sustaining its popularity defies any simple conclusion. Noted artiste Surikumeri Govinda Bhat says in his autobiography that it will not take Yakshagana too far. Anyway, that is a separate topic.

A related issue is that Yakshagana is also part of temple rituals. In some temples Yakshagana dance is performed as part of the rituals related to annual temple festival. One can see it in Kumble Gopala Krishna temple on the second day of the annual festival. As the deity' s image is carried along the circumambluation of the temple, Yakshagana dance is performed (in picture) by the artistes of Kateel troupe for one round of the circular procession. They perform facing the deity's image on the priest's head and hence move backwards as they dance.

In Kasaragod district, a similar ritual is followed in Kudlu Gopalakrishna temple. Both temples had professional troupes operating in their names years ago.

Details on Yakshagana as a form of worship can be found in Kukkila Krishna Bhat's book 'Parthisubbana Yakshaganagalu' (1975, Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, Mysore)

Tributes in words and pictures to Shambhu Hegde

The Sunday magazines of all the major Kannada newspapers this week paid glowing tributes Keremane Shambhu Hegde.

Udayavani devoted almost the entire supplement to carry articles by Shambhu Hegde's close fellow artistes including Nebbur Narayana Bhagavatha and Gode Narayana Hegde. Vijaya Karnataka had writer Bhuvaneshwari Hegde and journalist-cum-yakshagana artiste Sudhanwa Dheraje's personal tributes. Yakshagana scholar M Prabhakar Joshi wrote in Kannada Prabha. Prajavani published writer Vishnu Naik's article.

If you have missed them, click the links below

Udayavani: page 1; page 2
Vijaya Karnataka: page 1; page 1a; page 2
Kannada Prabha: page 1; page 2

Shambhu Hegde as Shri Rama moments before his death

Shambhu Hegde no more

Rangasthala regrets to announce the death of Keremane Shambhu Hegde, one of the all-time great Yakshagana personalities, in the early hours of today. He was playing the role of Shri Rama in the episode Kusha-Lava when death came calling.

Like the Late Shiriyara Manju Naik and the Late Damodara Mandechcha, Shambhu Hegde goes down in the history of Yakshagana as an artiste who breathed his last while performing on the stage.

Read a tribute by Dr Purushothama Bilimale, director, American Institute of Indian Studies, New Delhi

Read an obituary by Rajashekhara Hegde