Veteran Yakshagana, Talamaddale artiste K Govinda Bhat passes away
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Theerthahalli: Veteran Yakshagana and Talamaddale artiste Surikumeru K Govinda Bhat, known for his versatility on stage, passed away at his son’s residence here late Friday night. He was 88.
He is survived by his three sons, while his wife Savithri, predeceased him during the Covid outbreak.
Bhat was born to Shankaranarayana Bhat and Lakshmamma in Kanila, Vitla, of Dakshina Kannada district. He is said to have joined Yakshagana at the age of 12 as a means of livelihood but later trained under senior artistes like Kuriya Vithala Shastri, Paramashivan, Madhava Menon and Rajan Aiyar.
Bhat, who was in the field of Yakshagana for seven decades, worked in various traveling troupes like Dharmasthala, Mulki, Koodlu, Surathkal and Ira Somanatheshwara melas. While his performance in the roles of Kaurava, Rakthabeeja, Bheeshma, Jarasandha, Narakasura, Tamraksha, Devendra, Arjuna, Hanuman, Vishwamitra, Bahubali and Indrajitu were highly popular, he is known to have presented almost all roles in Yakshagana prasangas (episodes) on stage. He was a professional artist of Tenku Thittu school of Yakshagana.
He was highly respected for his clarity in dialogue delivery, discipline in dancing technique and expressive performance. His variety and ability to present every role he played with panache is known to have earned him the title of ‘Dashavathari’.
The senior artiste also penned several episodes for Yakshagana, like Manimekhale, Kanakarekhe, Mooruvare Vajragalu, Kaveri Mahatma, Rajashekhara Vilasa, Mahaveera, Samrat Ashoka and Nahushendra.
He has received the Kendra Sangeeta Nataka Akademi Award, Karnataka Rajyotsava Award, Kannada Sahitya Parishad Award and Karnataka Janapada Academy Sadhana Award, among others.
He has shared his 70-year experience and work in Yakshagana and Talamaddale in the book ‘Yeppattu Thirugatagalu’, which was released in Mangaluru in 2021.
Post-retirement, he was living with his sons Prasanna Kumar and Shyam Prasad in Theerthahalli, while his youngest son Surya Bhat lived in Surikumeru near Kalladka.
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Five, including three children, found dead in Kochi house
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Kochi (PTI): Five persons, including three children, were found dead at a rented house at Vaduthala here on Saturday, police said.
The deceased have been identified as Sreekumari (58), her daughter Aswathi Nair (36), two grandsons aged 14 and 4, and a two-year-old granddaughter.
They were natives of Vilappilsala in Thiruvananthapuram and had been staying in a rented house on Karsaka Road in Vaduthala.
Police suspect that the children were poisoned before Sreekumari and Aswathi hanged themselves.
According to police, the family had been living in the house since February for the treatment of the elder son at a nearby private hospital and were about to vacate the premises.
The incident came to light when a cable TV operator, who had come for work, noticed the two women hanging inside the room through a window and alerted others, police said.
The house owner and police soon reached the spot and initiated an investigation.
Police said Aswathi’s husband had died about eight months ago after the couple had separated.
He was allegedly suffering from liver disease due to alcoholism.
Following his death, neighbours and people close to the family had allegedly blamed Aswathi and her mother, officials said.
A police officer said the family was financially sound, as they were paying a monthly rent of Rs 35,000 and owned property and a house in Thiruvananthapuram.
Police said that a suicide note was recovered from the house.
The bodies were later shifted to Kalamassery Medical College, where postmortem examinations will be conducted on Sunday.
Ernakulam North Police have registered a case and begun an investigation.
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