Durgaparameshwari Kukkila, S Ramakrishna Mayya selected for Yakshagana awards

Mangaluru: Durga parameshwariKukkila and S Ramakrishna Mayya have been selected for the Yakshasiri Award and the Yakshagana Janapada Award, respectively, instituted by the Karnataka Yakshagana Academy. The awards will be conferred on Monday, October 26.

Durgaparameshwari Kukkila, a traditional-style Yakshagana Bhagavatha from Kodapadavu in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, has dedicated nearly four decades to the art form. She is the granddaughter of renowned Bhagavatha Mambadi Narayana Bhagavatha and the wife of farmer Purandara Vittala Kukkila.

She made her debut as a Bhagavatha in a traditional open-air Yakshagana performance in 1987. Guided by her elder brother Narayana Bhat and inspired by her grandfather, she honed her skills within the family tradition. She became an Akashvani artiste in 1993 and has performed at programmes organised by cultural organisations and amateur Yakshagana troupes, including women’s and children’s groups. She has also participated in Talamaddale programmes and performed on Doordarshan in Bengaluru.S Ramakrishna Mayya, a native of Siddakatte, has spent more than three decades practising traditional Yakshagana Bhagavatike, the musical narration that forms an integral part of the performance. He served for three years with the Kateel Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple Yakshagana troupe and for 17 years with the Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara troupe.

Mayya has performed across Karnataka and Kerala and participated in more than 200 Talamaddale programmes, in addition to numerous stage performances. He has also contributed to Yakshagana literature by writing about the art form and composing new prasangas, or performance narratives.

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The Hans India