Yakshagana veteran Chittani Ramachandra Hegde is no more

Managluru, Oct 3: Veteran Yakshagana artiste Chittani Ramachandra Hegde passed away at a private hospital in Manipal on Tuesday night, due to pneumonia. He was 84.

He was the first among Yakshagana artistes to receive Padma Shri award. A school dropout who studied up to Class 2, Ramachandra Hegde performed Yakshagana for nearly seven decades and won a national award.

He is survived by his wife, three sons and a daughter. The last rites will be conducted at his village Guddekeri, 19 km from Honnavar, in Uttara Kannada on Wednesday.

Ramachandra Hegde became unconscious after performing the role of Shantanu in “Bheeshmotpatti” prasanga (episode) in Bangaramakki on September 26. Later, he was admitted to a hospital in Honnavar from where he was shifted to Kasturba Medical College Hospital in Manipal on September 29.

His illustrious performance became the subject matter for research works. Keshava Hegde, the author of Yaksha Sinchana, said that Ka. Vem. Shree and Vasudha Hegde obtained their Ph. D by writing on the performance of Ramachandra Hegde.

Ramachandra Hegde’s greatest strength was memorising the “prasangas” as he was not well versed in reading and writing. Many artistes of the present generation have been following the Chittani style of dance, Mr. Keshava Hegde said.

A recipient of many awards, including the Rajyotsava award, Mr. Hegde was known for performing the roles of Bhasmasura, Kaurava, Keechaka, Rudrakopa, Kamsa, Magadha and many other villain roles.

His son Subrahmanya Chittani, also a Yakshagana performer, said that Yakshagana was his father’s life.

Mr. Hegde had described Yakshagana as a “collective form” that came alive with everybody, from the veshadhari (artiste) and bhagavata (background singer) to the chande and maddale (percussion) players.