All night Yakshagana shows of century-old Kateel Mela set to become history

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Aug 25, 2022: The all-night Yakshagana performances by more than a century-old Yakshagana theatre troupe Kateel Durgaparameshwari Prasadita Yakshagana Mandali will soon be history as the group has decided to switch over to short duration shows from November.

 

The managing committee of the temple took the decision on Tuesday in view of the government circular issued in May, 2022, which does not allow use of loudspeakers between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. except on closed premises for communication within, like auditoria, conference rooms, community halls, or during a public emergency.

With this decision, the mandali founded in the mid-19th century and popularly called Kateel Mela will become the second Yakshagana theatre troupe with the record of over a century to break away from its tradition to adapt to changing times. Now, it has decided to perform from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Over a century-old Dharmasthala Yakshagana Mela (Dharmasthala Manjunatheswara Krupaposhita Yakshagana Mandali) has been performing in the truncated form from 2015-16 touring season.

The Kateel Mela, having six performing troupes, is attached to the Muzrai Department which managed Durgaparameshwari Temple at Kateel in Dakshina Kannada.

Harinarayanadasa Asranna, a hereditary archak at the temple who is closely associated with the management of the mela, told The Hindu that since the troupes performed in grounds or other open places, it will not be possible to adhere to the guidelines of the circular. Loudspeakers have become an integral part of Yakshagana performance without which the present generation audience cannot be reached. In addition, the police have issued notices to all temples to adhere to the guidelines of the government. Hence, the managing committee took the decision. The modalities of presenting the performances under the changed circumstances will be worked out before the troupes commence their tour for 2022-23 for six months from November 24, he said.

As the decision of the committee spread, thousands of Yakshagana fans took to social media stating that the quality of shows will be comprised. When a script of a show is trimmed to perform from eight hours (for all night shows) to five hours Yakshagana will definitely further lose many of its features, they said.

Courtesy: The Hindu