3 artistes to receive Yakshamangala awards

Mangaluru: Mangalore University's Dr P Dayananda Pai-P Satish Pai Yakshagana Adhyana Kendra announced the recipients of the Yakshamangala Awards for 2025-26, selecting veteran Yakshagana artiste Kappekere Subraya Bhagavata, Yakshagana teacher Mambadi Subrahmanya Bhat, and senior performer Jabbar Samo for the honour. The Yakshamangala Literary Award will be conferred on percussion artiste and author Krishna Prakash Ulithaya for his books ‘Balipa Marga' and ‘Agari Marga'.The Yakshamangala Award and Yakshamangala Literary Award will carry a cash prize along with a certificate, memento, and formal honours, stated a release.
Kappekere Subraya Bhagavata, or Kappekere Subraya Hegde, is a prominent figure in the Badaguthittu Yakshagana. He was born in 1947 at Hadinabala in Honnavar taluk of Uttara Kannada. He began his Yakshagana training at the age of 16, and is known as an all-round artiste and leading Bhagavata. Over a career spanning more than five decades, he served with several troupes, including Gundubala, Idagunji, Amruteshwari, Kamalashile, Saligrama, and Bachhagaaru.Mambadi Subrahmanya Bhat contributed to Yakshagana both as a performer and as a teacher, continuing the legacy of his father, Mambadi Narayana Bhagavata. He toured with troupes such as Kateel and Kadri, and trained hundreds of students in Yakshagana percussion across Kasaragod and Dakshina Kannada.Jabbar Samo, born in 1963 to Mohiuddin Kunhi and Bipathumma, developed an early interest in Yakshagana and studied pre-university at St Philomena College, Puttur. Trained initially by Valakunja Kumar Subramanya Bhat, he portrayed a wide range of characters, including Drona, Jabali, Ishwara, Sanjaya, Akrura, and Brahma, and since 1990 he was noted for performances in roles such as Vali, Karna, Arjuna, Bhishma, Sugriva, Shumbha, Dharmangada, Bharata, Hanuman, Balarama, Jambavanta, and Shukracharya. The university cited his dialogue delivery, expressions, and emotional acting as key strengths.Krishna Prakash Ulithaya's ‘Balipa Marga' chronicles the lives and musical journeys of senior Yakshagana artistes Ajja Balipa Narayana Bhagavata and the younger Balipa Narayana Bhagavata, while ‘Agari Marga' documents the life, singing style, compositions, and literary distinctiveness of Thenkuthittu legend Agari Srinivas Bhagavata.The selection committee was chaired by folklore scholar K Chinnappa Gowda, with Padekallu Vishnubhat, Yakshagana organiser Murali Kadekar, and centre director Dhananjaya Kumble as members, and the recommendations were unanimous.The awards will be presented at a ceremony in March. Vice-chancellor PL Dharma stated that that Bengaluru-based businessman and philanthropist P Dayananda Pai announced a special grant of Rs 1 crore to expand Yakshagana-related research at the centre, and is expected to hand over the amount during the award ceremony.