Yakshagana, the enchanting folk art of Karnataka
Namaskara everyone! The curious Aai (आई), mama as they call in English and Thayee (ತಾಯಿ) in Kannada, is back with a story about a different experience that she had recently! This time it's not about a place but a traditional folk art from the coastal part of Karnataka, the Yakshagana (ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ/यक्षगान). Recently I watched a Yakshagana performance as a part of women's day celebration program organized by Swakruta and Maharashtra Mandal Bangalore . My visit to Janapadaloka , which hosts compelling statues of various folk forms of Karnataka, introduced me to the same, but I had never witnessed a performance. Yakshagana statues at Janapadaloka Being accompanied by my five-year-old, I was a little doubtful about attending the 1.5 hour long show. But, as Mr. Phatak, Bhagawatar (the orchestrator of the act) started singing Naandi (नांदी/ನಾಂದಿ; an invocation of gods seeking successful completion of the act) in his orotund voice, accompanied by a dancer depicting Ganapati, we were deeply