Trust offers scholarships for Yakshagana students | Mangaluru News
Mangaluru: With Yakshadhruva Yakshashikshana Scheme, an initiative of the Yakshadhruva Patla Foundation Trust, entering its third year, the latter has decided to offer scholarships to yakshagana students excelling in SSLC.Trust’s founder-president Patla Satish Shetty told reporters here on Saturday that the trust has implemented a plan to recognise students who score more than 600 marks in the SSLC exam while practising Yakshagana. A student from Govt High School in Mullakadu, originally from north Karnataka, received Yakshagana training under the scheme. She excelled in performances and also scored 603 marks in the 2024-25 SSLC exam, bringing honour to both the school and the Yakshadhruva Yakshashikshana programme. The foundation will honour students who receive Yakshagana training for at least three years under this scheme and score more than 600 marks in SSLC exams with substantial incentives. The initiative will support students’ learning and artistic skills, said Shetty.Launched in 2023 with an aim of introducing Yakshagana art form within an educational framework, the scheme initially started in 38 schools in Dakshina Kannada district. Later, the project was extended to include 87 schools across four districts in the last academic year. This year, around 6,000 students are receiving Yakshagana education in 90 schools — 58 in Dakshina Kannada, 14 in Udupi, 16 in Shivamogga, and two in Chikkamagaluru district.With permission from the education department, Yakshagana classes are held during school hours for students from class 6 to 10. In the current academic year, 49 teachers are dedicated to conducting Yakshagana classes, with Badaguthittu style taught in 19 schools and the Thenkuthittu style in 71 schools. These classes run from June to Dec, with a minimum of 34 and a maximum of 64 classes per academic year, scheduled as two one-hour sessions per week. During its 10th anniversary celebration, the trust released a textbook, and Yakshagana teachers conduct classes based on that. Meanwhile, practical lessons can be understood online by scanning QR codes, he explained.
