Awareness against cancer through Yakshagana: Come witness something different

June 6: Naguva Nagisuva Geleyaru (Nanage), a culturally inclined group of people has set out to create awareness against cancer, through Yakshagana with the prasanga ‘Arbudasara Garvabanga’. This prasanga will be held at Sri Nandaneshwara Temple, Panambur, on Sunday.
Nanage, is staging this Yakshagana in association with the Mangalore branch of Indian Medical Association, as part of its monthly programme at the temple.
Dr P Sathyamoorthy Aithala, vice-president, Nanage, said that there are previous instances where Yakshagana performance has helped raise awareness on diseases such as AIDS and malaria, at events including medical conferences of medical bodies. He stated that the use of Yakshagana has has proved to be a more effective of conveying a message on such health issues to the masses, including medical professionals.
In the upcoming prasanga ‘Arbudasara Garvabanga, the dialogues are in Kannada interspersed with Tulu, catering to local sentiments. The major characters are diseases – AIDSasura, Arbudasura (cancer) and Vishakanya, and other characters, themselves as victims of various social vices. There are also the ‘doctors’ who come in as the traditional ‘pandits’ and ‘medicine’ portrayed as a brother-sister Goddess duo.
Dr Sachchidanada Rai, president of Mangalore chapter of IMA said the reach of Yakshagana as a medium to send out socially powerful messages is well known, and the association has taken the assistance of Nanage to do so with this prasanga.