Daijiworld Media Network – Karwar (SP)

Karwar, Dec 7: Honnappa Gokarna, veteran Yakshagana artiste, who had excelled in several kinds of roles, breathed his last on the night of Sunday December 5 after a brief illness.

Gokarna, who joined Yakshagana field at a very young age and served this art form for four decades, had been successful in carving out a style of his own, in spite of being in the shadow of several other great artistes. He had been a part of Kolagi, Gundabala, Idagunji, Perdoor, Amruteshwari, Saligrama, Perdoor and some other Yakshagana troupes.

Besides being adept at donning female and comic roles in Yakghagana episodes, he was a popular Haridasa too. After he recently fell sick, some donors had come forward to help him. ‘Kalagangotri’ in Kumta had extended him some financial assistance last year, and he was felicitated by Yaji Mitra Mandali recently. He had won Palli Somanath Hegde award.

S V Bhat and Murali Kadekar of Udupi Yakshgana Kalaranga, manager of Saligrama Mela, Kishan Hegde, Perdoor Mela manager, Y Karunakar Shetty, and various other Yakshagana artistes and lovers of Yakshagana have expressed sorrow at the death of this artiste.