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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Online fraud: Hotel chef from Udupi cheated of over Rs 1 lakh by WhatsApp contact
Udupi: Udupi City Police have registered a case of online fraud after a 62-year-old hotel chef was allegedly cheated of Rs 1.13 lakh by a woman who befriended him on WhatsApp, claiming to be based in London.
The victim, identified as Pandu Kariappa Poojary, a resident of Kuthpadi in Udupi, was working at a hotel in Mangaluru.
He reportedly came into contact with a woman identifying herself as Emilda William on WhatsApp. During their interactions, she told Poojary that she planned to start a cosmetics and hotel business in India and would meet him during a visit to Mangaluru.
On April 7, Emilda sent Poojary a flight ticket from London to Delhi via WhatsApp. The following day, Poojary received a phone call from a woman who informed him that Emilda had arrived at Delhi airport carrying a demand draft worth Rs 5 crore along with other items. The caller allegedly asked him to pay Rs 70,000.
Subsequently, Poojary also received a call from Emilda, who was reportedly crying and spoke about the situation. Believing the claims, he transferred a total of Rs 1,13,300 in phases using a scanner. He later realised that he had been cheated.
