Mangaluru: Mangaluru-based Yakshadhruva Patla Foundation Trust has been invited by the Chandigarh administration to present ‘Sri Devi Mahatme’ in Hindi at a special cultural event at Tagore Theatre in Chandigarh on Oct 8.The performance will be held in the presence of Punjab governor and UT Chandigarh administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, Haryana governor Prof Ashim Kumar Ghosh, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, said Patla Sathish Shetty, founder president of the trust.“This Yakshagana cultural programme is being organised for the first time directly by the government. The occasion reflects the expanding national appreciation for Yakshagana. An invitation came to us through Chandigarh administration chief secretary H Rajesh Prasad, who is also a huge admirer of Yakshagana. He wanted to showcase Yakshagana to the people there. For that reason, he selected us,” Shetty told TOI.A team of around 15 artists will present the one-and-a-half-hour episode.“The songs and script for the Yakshagana were written in Hindi, and special training was conducted to stage it. Sarpangala Ishwara Bhat wrote the poems. We trained and practised the dialogue delivery and interpretations ourselves, and we are performing it,” Shetty said.The Chandigarh administration will cover all expenses for the show. The troupe will also perform at Karnataka Sangha in New Delhi after the Chandigarh show.Shetty said the foundation has consistently worked to preserve Yakshagana, support veteran artists, and take the art form to new horizons.
