Yakshagana entering formal academic sphere a welcome move: Patla Satish Shetty

Eminent Yakshagana Bhagavata Patla Satish Shetty has said curriculum for Yakshagana will not affect the freedom or style of the traditional art; but it is just a framework.

One should welcome the fact that Yakshagana, that has a history of centuries, is now entering the academic sphere, he said after inaugurating the Yakshagana Textualisation Workshop held on August 3 at the S.V.P. Kannada Studies Institute. The event was organised by the Dr. P. Dayananda Pai and P. Satish Pai Yakshagana Study Centre of Mangalore University in Mangaluru.

“Yakshagana, which is recognised as a rich and devotional art form of our land, will be able to expand across the world if it gains academic recognition through the university. It is the responsibility of all of us to pass on this art form to the next generation in a traditional manner. Let us all strive for the upliftment of Yakshagana,” he said.

University Vice-Chancellor P.L. Dharma said, “Whatever new experiments are made in Yakshagana, they should not harm its fundamental values. We need to understand that values are what constitute the life of our tradition. It is a very significant development that Yakshagana is gaining an academic dimension at Mangalore University through a special course.”

Yakshagana Study Centre Director Dhananjaya Kumble said, “Yakshagana, which came from the ‘open-air university’ tradition, is now gaining an academic dimension through Mangalore University. A new curriculum will be designed after studying the nuances of various Yakshagana teaching models.”

Yakshagana Bayalata Academy former president M.L. Samaga, Yakshagana experts Padmanabha Upadhyaya, Gundmi Sadananda Aithal, A.P. Pathak, Prakash Moodithaya, Panambur Vasudeva Aithal, Sujayindra Hande, N.G. Hegde, Subrahmanya Prasad Mudradi, Rajaram Holla Kairangala, Krishna Prakash Ulithaya, Kaushik Rao Putthige, Mayura Naiga, Shailesh Teerthahalli and others were present.

Yakshagana guru Deevith Kotyan introduced the topic while Yakshagana Centre Research Officer Satish Konaje concluded the programme.