Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Jul 20: Poornima Hegde (35), wife of well-known Yakshagana artiste, Kondadakuli Ramachandra Hegde, committed suicide by hanging herself by using a sari at her home in Kumbhasi in the taluk on Monday July 19.

Ramachandra Hegde, who had shot to fame after donning leading roles in Saligrama Mela for several years, had set up his own ‘Poornachandra Yakshagana Kalamandali’, which organizes Yakshagana shows and trains interested persons in the art. When the incident occurred, Hegde was away at Bangalore to participate in shows there. The family, basically from Uttarara Kannada, had made Kumbhasi their home since the last ten years.

On Monday afternoon, Poornima’s children, Ashwini and Akshata, came home for lunch from school, and found from the window that their mother had hanged herself. In a death note left behind, Poornima said she loves her husband and children. Some sources in the family guess that Poornima, who actively was involved with her husband’s activities, decided to end life because of nagging health problems.

Local circle inspector of police, Madan Gaonkar, sub-inspector, Satish Kumar etc., visited the spot on Monday evening, broke open the front door of the house and conducted inquest.