Udupi: Yakshagana icon Balipa Narayana Bhagavata passes away at 85
Moodbidri: Balipa Narayana Bhagavata, legendary artiste of the Thenkuthittu (southern) style of Yakshagana, died at his residence in Nooyi near Maroor here on Thursday evening.
The artiste, who was aged 85 years, is survived by his three sons. The family has said that the funeral rites will be conducted at his residence at 1:30 am, late Thursday night.
Bhagavata was born on March 13, 1938 in Padre village of Kasaragod district as the son of Balipa Madhava Bhat and Saraswathi. He dropped out of school at the age of 13 years to become a Yakshagana artiste.
Having been active in the field of Yakshagana as a singer (bhagavata) for more than 60 years, Bhagavata worked with the troupe Kateel Durgaparameshwari Yakshagana Mela for about four and a half decades.
Equally famous as a playwright, he wrote several episodes (prasangas) and songs of Yakshagana. He had also penned the mega episode 'Devi Mahatme', the show of which continues for five days. He has written as many as 30 episodes that were published as well as 15 unpublished episodes.
His achievement and stature in Yakshagana earned Bhagavata the title of 'Bheeshma of Thenkuthittu' of Yakshagana, the 'grand old man' of the southern school. He was also popular in the stature of a grandfather, with the people calling him 'Balipajja', who was down-to-earth, approachable, polite and 'innocent as a child'.
Bhagavata was awarded the 'Karnataka Rajyotsava Prashasti', the 'Samaga Prashasti', 'Jnana Prashasti' of the Karnataka Folklore and Yakshagana Academy, the 'Doddamane Lingegowda Prashasti' of the Karnataka Janapada Parishat, the 'Karnatakashri Prashasti' at the 71st All India Kannada Literary Festival and the 'Agari Prashasti' among other awards, during the span of his long career.
On the occasion of Bhagavata's 75th birthday, Yakshagana fans got an 'Amruta Bhavana' constructed near his residence in his honour.
One of his sons, Prasad Balipa, who was a renowned bhagavata of Yakshagana, predeceased his father. Another son Shivashankar Balipa is also a famous bhagavata while a third son Madhava Balipa is a Yakshagana background artiste. Bhagavata's fourth son Shashidhar Balipa is an agriculturist.
With the passing away of Bhagavata, however, followers of Yakshagana are grieving the loss of a singer of the highest order, an artiste from the old school of the art form and a treasure house of knowledge.
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Anura Dissanayake wins Sri Lanka's presidential election
Colombo (PTI): Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday was declared winner of the Sri Lankan presidential election by the country's Election Commission after an unprecedented second round of counting of votes.
Dissanayake, 56, the leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party's broader front National People’s Power (NPP), defeated his closest rival Sajith Premadasa of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).
Incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe was eliminated in the first round after he failed to become within the top two in the vote list.
NPP said Dissanayake will take oath on Monday.
Earlier, the Election Commission ordered a second round of counting after no candidate secured over 50 per cent votes needed to be declared the winner of Saturday's election.
Dissanayake will be the country's 9th president.
No election in Sri Lanka has ever progressed to the second round of counting, as single candidates have always emerged as clear winners based on first-preference votes.
