Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (ANK)

Mangaluru, Oct 17: Veteran Yakshagana Bhagawath Patla Sathish Shetty will head a new Yakshagana Mela, Pavanje Mela under Pavanje Sri Jnanashakti Subrahmanya temple and the first seasonal tour will begin from November 27, informed Shashindra Kumar, administrator of Pavanje temple.

Addressing media here on Saturday October 17, Shashindra Kumar said, "The new mela will be inaugurated with a muhurat and a Yakshagana performance during Vijayadashami on October 27. Already, there are over 100 bookings for Pavanje Mela Yakshagana performance. The new mela will be headed by Patla Sathish Shetty and the complete responsibility has given to him over the selection of the artistes and the Yakshagana performance.”

Patla Sathish Shetty said, "Yakshagana will be performed from 6 pm to 11 pm with all Covid guidelines in place. It is a challenge to start a new mela during this tough time of Covid pandemic. I will take forward this new mela with the coordination of temple and the artistes. Several artistes have joined the mela and we are expecting more to join this mela in the coming days. The Yakshagana play pertaining to Pavanje Kshetra titled 'Pavanje Kshetra Mahatme' is ready which is a 12-hour Yakshagana play.”

Along with Patla Sathish Shetty, Prafulla Chandra Nelyadi, background singers Padmanabha Upadhyay, Guruprasad Bolinjadka, Prashant Wagenadu and Purnesh Acharya, artistes Ujire Narayana, Sandesh Mandara, Akshay Kumar, Rajesh Nitte, Yogesh Kadaba, Vishwas Kavoor, Radhakrishna Nawada, Diwana Sivashankar Bhatt, Santosh Manya, Rakesh Rai, Satish Nainadu, Madhava Koltamajulu, Mohan Vellippadi, Manish Patali, Lokesha Mudur, Hariraj Kinnigoli, Rohit, Diwakara, Lakshana, Madhuraj, Bhuvan and others will be part of the mela.