Prakash Rao Payyar Dubai Among Karnataka Nataka Academy Awardees
by Shodhan Prasad
Daijiworld Media Network - UAE
Dubai, Apr 11: Prakash Rao Payyar, president of Dhwani Prathishthaana, UAE has been awarded the prestigious Karnataka State Nataka Academy Award for the year 2009-2010. The Karnataka Nataka Academy has conferred this award in recognition of his contributions to Kannada Theatre activities on foreign soil. The Academy has announced annual awards for 15 artistes. The awards will be presented at a function to be held at Jaganmohan Palace in Mysore on April 17.
The announcement of this award at a time when Prakash Rao Payyar is busy with yet another major milestone in the Kannada literature field – a Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in Dubai, first of its kind in entire Middle East, to be held on the 23rd of April 2010. This has brought joy among his friends, fans and well wishers.
Prakash Payyar a postgraduate in Kannada literature started writing and directing plays at his teenage. When he was a student of Shri Mahaveera college Moodabidri he directed his first play titled "Akka Thangiyare, Anna Tammandire" for college day and it was appreciated by all. The same play was staged elsewhere several times. His short stories, poems and other articles are published in all leading Kannada newspapers and magazines of Karnataka and Maharashtra. He is the founder of "Dhwani Prathishtana", which was established in the year 1985 in Mumbai. Under his leadership Dhwani organized several literary and theatre workshops, seminars, contests and staged different experimental plays.
Prakash Rao Payyar has directed number of plays in Mumbai and Pune including plays of noted Kannada playwrights Sriranga, Kailasam, Girish Karnad, Poornaprajna Tejasvi, and Chandrakanta Koosanor etc. Under his leadership Dhwani staged Girish Karnad's play "Nagamandala", “Hayavadana”, “Vodakallu Bimba” in Dubai, all performances were grand success. His first collection of poems titled "Viparyasa" was published in the year 1985 in Mumbai. Thereafter his second collection of poems "Koogu" was published in the year 1987. "Rangadhwani" a collection of critical essays on Kannada theatre edited by him containing articles of well-known critics and theatre activists such as Prof Kirthinath Kurthukooti, Dr Sinduvalli Anathmurti, Dr H K Ranganath, Dr Aravind Malagatti, Dr N Damodar Shetty and others was published in the year 1990. He started honouring theater activist with the award titled Sriranga Prashasthi in the name of playwright late Adya Rangacharya (Sriranga).
He wrote "Indira Priyadarshini" a full-length play based on the life of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi which was published in the year 1999. His "Suryanigondu Savalu" Kannada full-length play was published on the year 2000. "Thare Enisi Motta Heli", a collection of poems of non-resident Kannadigas and "Kannada Nadunudi Rakshane," critical essays on Kannada language and culture from different authors are his other two edited books published in the year 2004 and 2005 respectively.
Prakash Rao Payyar was also honored with "Karnataka Chetana" award from Ranga Samaja Cultural Association, Bangalore in 2004 and "Jnana Saraswati Award" from Jnana Mandara Academy, Bangalore in 2005. He was honoured with "Nobel Man" award in All India Kannada Cultural Convention held in Goa in May 2007. Rashtra Kavi Dr.Shivarudrappa honoured him on the occasion of World Kannada Culture Convention held in Kuwait in the year 2007. 2009 Mayura Award presented to him from Karnataka Sangha Sharjah.
Other awardees
Other Academy awardees: Y M Puttannaiah, Mysore; H Pandurangappa, Bellary; Lingaraju Palled, Koppal; Hanumanthu, Hassan; Manjunath Belakere, Mysore; N Ravindra, Bangalore; Jayamma Kallur, Bijapur; Jayaprakash Mavinakuli, Udupi; Shanthabayi Diggi, Gulbarga; Rangashree R Rangaswamy, Bangalore; Prakash, Mandya; Husenappa Pulameshwara Dinni, Raichur; T V Kabadi, Haveri; and S M Nagarajachar, Tumkur.