Mangaluru: Modi fans celebrate victory with all-night Yakshagana

Fans of Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted an all-night Yakshagana show in Mangaluru on Friday for his second thumping victory in the Lok Sabha elections. It was sponsored by ‘TeaMModi’ group for fulfilling their ‘harake’ (wish) to get him re-elected. The show, with the ‘prasanga’ (episode) being the popular ‘Devi Mahatme’, was staged by the more than century-old Sri Durgaparameshwari Prasadita Dashavatara Yakshagana Mandali attached to Durgaparameshwari Temple at Kateel. It is popularly called Kateel mela. The venue of the show was Car Street outside Venkatramana Temple. Earlier, before the LS elections, the same fans had hosted the Yakshagana show by the same troupe at Mannagudda in the city, with a vow that Mr. Modi should get re-elected. The same ‘prasanga’ was performed then. ‘Harake’ Yakshaganas are sponsored by people in the coastal belt as an offering to god, seeking fulfilment of their wish. The Yakshagana shows by six troupes of the Kateel mela are in great demand in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and neighbouring Kasaragod (Kerala) districts. According to sources in the mela, all the troupes put together perform about 600 shows of ‘Devi Mahatme’ during the six-month tour. Each troupe stages between 160 and 180 shows in a season. The troupes will end this season’s tour in Kateel on May 26 ahead of the monsoon. Using Yakshagana for “political purposes” has come under severe criticism in social media, even by progressive thinkers. However, the hosts have justified it stating that they have the right to seek the fulfilment of their wish before god. Source: The Hindu