Bantwal: Veteran Talamaddale and Yakshagana artiste Bare Keshava Bhat died of age-related health issues at his residence in Sannayabail, Ira village, on Saturday. He was 84 and is survived by his wife and two sons.

Bhat, who was born into a family of agriculturists in Bare of Kairangala village, Bantwal taluk, in 1941, received his schooling in Kairangala and Vitla before getting teacher’s training at a centre in Mangaluru. He worked as a teacher in Kairangala, Shirankallu and Adyanadka.

While he was popular as a teacher, Bhat is known to have contributed greatly to art and culture as he was also a writer, art event coordinator and critic. In addition, he was an amateur Yakshagana artiste, earning respect for his knowledge of the tales presented in the shows and the roles he performed. Bhat also presented several roles in the conversational art form of Talamaddale, with his contemporaries, juniors and the audience finding his slow style of developing a character unique and informative.

Post-superannuation as a teacher, Bhat worked with senior artiste Vasudeva Samaga’s team ‘Samyamam’ for several years, participating in the shows held in various places. He had also contributed greatly to the week-long Talamaddale show held by Udupi Yakshagana Kalaranga in multiple ways.

Bhat was honoured with the Perla Krishna Bhat Award by Yakshagana Kalaranga a decade ago.

President of Yakshagana Kalaranga M Gangadhara Rao and Secretary Murali Kadekar have expressed grief at the passing away of Keshav Bhat and offered condolences to the bereaved family.

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Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.

Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.

Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.

An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.

The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.

A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.

Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."

"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.

"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.

A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.