Mangaluru : Yakshagana Kalaranga, an organisation devoted to the promotion of Yakshagana, has announced its annual awards.

Addressing presspersons here on Wednesday, Murali Kadekar, secretary of Yakshagana Kalaranga, said 16 artistes have been chosen for individual Yakshagana awards. Each award includes a cash prize and a citation and will be presented at Rajangana here at 5 p.m. on November 19.

The B.B. Shetty Memorial Award will be given to Yakshagana artiste Kadatoka Lakshminarayana Shambhu Bhagawat; B.V. Acharya Award to Yellampalli Jagannath Acharya; Nittur Sundar Shetty – Mahesh Shetty Award to Mohan Baipadithaya; K. Vishwajna Shetty Award to Kairangala Krishna Mulya; B. Jagjeevandas Shetty Award to Peruvai Krishna Bhat; Kuthpady Ananda Ganiga Award to Jannady Basava Balegara; Bhagavatha Naranappa Uppoor Award to Subrahmanya Dhareshwar; Dashavatari Marvi Ramakrishna Hebbar – Bhagavata Vadiraja Hebbar Award to Satyanarayana Varada Hasyagara Karki; Shiriyar Manju Naik Award to Narayana Devadiga Chittur; Kota Vaikunta Award to Krishna Nayak Halladi; Airody Rama Ganiga Padaru Narasimha Shastri Award to Mundaje Sadashiva Shetty; and Kadiyali Subraya Upadhyaya Award to Krishnayya Manjayya Shetty.

The Malpe Shankarnarayana Samaga Memorial Award will be given to artiste Padyana Ganapati Bhat; Airody Rama Ganiga Award to Madhukumar Nisarga; Kolyur Ramachandra Rao Award to Belalu Lakshman Gowda; and Prabhavati Shenoy – Vishwanath Shenoy Award to S. Satyanarayana Bhat.

The Vishwesha Tirtha Award will be given to the Ajapura Yaskshagana Sangha, Brahmavar, for its contribution to promoting Yakshagana. This award would carry Rs 50,000 and a citation. The Yaksha Chetana Award will be given to the senior worker of Kalaranga, Tallur Shivaram Shetty.

Vishwesha Tirtha Swami of Paryaya Pejawar Mutt will give away the awards. A souvenir “Kalataranga – 2017” will be released by Vishukumar, Director, Department of Kannada and Culture.

The award presentation function will be preceded by a Yakshagana performance “Rukmini Swayamvara” at 2 p.m. Another Yakashagana performance ‘Vishwamitra Menake’ by eminent artistes of Tenku thittu school of Yaskhagana will be held after the award presentation ceremony from 6.30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the same venue, Mr. Kadekar added.

K. Ganesh Rao, Narayana Hegde, H.N. Sringeshwara, Gangadhar, office-bearers of Kalaranga, were present on the occasion.