The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Yakshagana artistes looking for Government support

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 01, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Yakshagana artistes looking for Government support

Anil Kumar Sastry

A separate academy to promote the art form has been a long-pending demand of its exponents

BANGALORE: A separate academy to promote Yakshagana has been a long-pending demand of the exponents of this classical art form.

A recent protest by the Karnataka Samskrithika Kala Prathishthana in the city brought to the fore the need for government support for this art form.

Yakshagana exponents argue that every art is a folk art in the beginning.

However, Yakshagana, having over ten centuries of history, has graduated to become a classical art over the years.

Associating the art with other folk arts under the Janapada and Yakshagana Academy would not help in its growth, they say.

According to Yakshagana scholar Kabbinale Vasantha Bharadwaja, Yakshagana is the perfect art that has all the three segments of music — lyric, musical instruments and dance.

The art form finds mention in the oldest Kannada work, "Kaviraja Marga," of Sri Vijaya (during the priod of Rashtrakoota ruler Amoghavarsha Nrupathunga); Kaavyaavalokana of Nagavarma (AD 1040) and Mallinatha Purana of Nagachandra (AD 1105), Dr. Bharadwaja said.

Every art had its roots in folk arts. Whenever an art would undergo acculturation according to the set standards of a "sastra," it became a perfect classical art and Yakshagana was no exception, he said.

Even the music used in Yakshagana was based on classical music and several "ragas" which had disappeared from classical music still existed in Yakshagana. The "Kambodhi" raga used in Yakshagana was said to be the earliest version of version of the present Kambodhi, Dr. Bharadwaja said.

While Maravi raga was in existence only in Yakshagana, the four-century- old "Suruti" raga was still in its original form in Yakshagana.

Apart from the seven "taalas" of classical music, special "taalas" such as "Chowjampe," "Chowtala" and "Kore Tala" are in existence in Yakshagana.

The dance in Yakshagana was nothing but Bharatanatyam, Dr. Bharadwaja said pointing out that the costumes too were in accordance with the "sastras." On the practical front, over 3,000 artistes perform this unique art.

Over 40 "melas" (troupes) stage Yakshagana across the State as well outside throughout the year. Some of them are so popular that one has to wait for five years to book their performance.

While the art is known as Tenkathittu and Badaguthittu in coastal and Malnad districts, it is called Ghattadakore in old Mysore and Doddata, Sannata and Sri Krishna Parijatha in North Karnataka.

According to S.N. Panaji, president of the prathishthana, the art has in its treasure excellent literature, and much research needs to be done.

By equating Yakshagana with other folk arts, the growth of the traditional art was being hindered and artists not given recognition, he said.

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