Mangaluru :  ‘Yakshadhruva Patla Sambhrama 2019’ organised by Yakshadhruva Patla Foundation Trust was  held at Adyar Garden, Adyar, on Sunday May 2.

Yakshagana Bhagavath Patla Satish Shetty has led by example to show how the artistes can fulfil their social responsibilities, Nitte (Deemed to be) University Chancellor N Vinay Hegde said on Sunday.

He was presiding over the inaugural function of ‘Yakshadhruva Patla Sambhrama 2019’ .

Hegde said that artistes, being a part of society, should think of others who are less privileged. The Patla Satish Shetty Foundation has given necessary support to Yakshagana artistes who are ill and had retired from the profession.

Kateel Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple hereditary priest Lakshminarayana Asranna said Yakshagana encourages good thoughts and conduct. “Yakshagana artists are not mere artists, they are the teachers to the society,

“The folk art Yakshagana creates religious conscious among the people, thereby it upholds human values in society”.  Asranna said.

The Yakshagana Patla Foundation president Patla Satish Shetty said that they had units in Mudipu, Belthangady, Moodbidri, Karkala, Puttur, B C Road, Sullia, Polali, Odiyuru, Vittal, Ekkar – Kateel, Vamanjoor, Uppinangady, Mangaluru, Punjalkatte, Surathkal, Padubidri, Punjalkatte (women’s unit), Uppala and Kumble.

There are also units in Kalasa – Balehole, in Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Gujarat and New Delhi. The overseas units were located in Saudi – Bahrain, Qatar, Muscat and Dubai. The unit in the US will be inaugurated on June 29, Shetty added.

‘Yaksha Prabhakara’, a book on scholar and Yakshagana critic Dr M Prabhakara Joshi, was released. During the valedictory programme, Dr Joshi was honoured with the ‘Patla Prashasti 2019’, which includes Rs one lakh in cash and a citation.

The ‘Yakshadhruva Kala Gowrava 2019’ was handed to Peruvayi Narayana Bhat, Bantwala Jayarama Acharya, Kandavara Raghurama Shetty, Airodi Govindappa, Kairangala Narayana Holla, Venkappa Master Kinnigoli, Dayamani S Shetty Ekkar and Rathna K Bhat Talenjeri. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 10,000 with a citation each.

Meritorious students were felicitated and gold medals were presented to amateur artistes and children of Yakshagana artistes with highest marks in SSLC and PUC examinations. Scholarships to children of Yakshagana artistes, Rs 50,000 each to families of deceased Yakshagana artistes in 2018, Rs 25,000 to 10 artistes for construction of houses were disbursed.

A free medical check-up and a blood donation camps were held.

Sri Kshetra Maduru Managing Committee chairman U T Alva inaugurated the programme. Former MLA Shakuntala Shetty, Paediatrician Dr Sandeep Rai, Sri Kshetra Polali Managing Trustee Dr Manjaiah Shetty, senior chartered accountant S S Nayak, Shantivana Trust secretary Seetarama Tolpadittaya and Nitte (Deemed to be) University vice chancellor Dr Satish Kumar Bhandary were present.

Yakshadhruva Patla Foundation Trust has implemented projects worth Rs 4 crore in the past three-and-a-half years, including providing financial and medical aid to families of retired and ailing artistes, scholarships for children of artistes and houses for artistes who do not own houses. An 11-acre site was identified in Kinnigoli for 100 houses to such artistes under the ‘Patla Yakshashraya Yojane’.

During the day-long programme, different Yakshagana programmes like ‘ Yaksha Saptha Swara – Nruthya Varsha Darshana’, ‘Natya Vaibhava’, ‘Thalamaddale’ among others were staged, which received tremendous response from the audience.