Udupi: Veteran Yakshagana Artiste, Mahabala Ganiga, No More

Veteran Yakshagana artiste, Navunda Mahabala Ganiga (82), who associated with Yakshagana Kendra of Udupi  and who had been carrying on with the family’s legacy of presentation and portrayal style, breathed his last in Manipal Hospital on Wednesday October 27. He is survived by wife, three sons, and three daughters.
Ganiga, who showed his skills among towering artistes of his time like Haradi Rama Ganiga and Kushta Ganiga, had worked in Mandarti, Saligrama, Amruteshwari and Maranakatte Melas for six decades. The roles which required valour and those which demanded in-depth knowledge, vocabulary and magnificence, were donned by him with finesse. He was exemplary in portraying the roles demanding wearing of ‘Kore Mundasina Kirata’, a unique style only seen in Badagu Tittu. Through Dr Karant’s Yakshagana troupe, he also had earned a name for himself in foreign countries. Mahabala Ganiga had been bestowed with several awards including Yakshagana Kalaranga Silver Jubilee Award and Udupi district Rajyotsava Award.