Udyavara Madhava Acharya

Udyavara Madhava Acharya (25 March 1941 – 7 December 2020) was an Indian orator,

Acharya started his career as a professor of economics at Bhandarkar's college in Kundapur between 1965 and 1969, and later at the Poornaprajna college in Udupi, between 1969 and 1996.^[6] He would go onto retire as a Principal from the BB College in Kundapur.^[5]

He rose to prominence as an author of short stories and dramas in the 1970s when he started Samuha (transl. commonplace) as a theatre group that specialised in dramas and Kannada and Tulu language ballets.^[6] The group was noted for staging classical literary works with a combination of folk arts including Yakshagana, Bharatanatyam, and classical music.^[7] Along with his theatre groups Sahana and Saketa Kalavidaru, he is credited with modernisation of the South-Indian dance drama form Yakshagana.^[8] Some of his experimental and acclaimed theatre works included Shabari (based on Shabari from the Indian epic Ramayana) and Matte Raman Kathe (transl. The story of Rama again). He had directed the dance dramas Urvashi (based on the Apsara Urvashi) and Nenapadalu Shakunthale (transl. I remembered Shakunthala).^[6] Specifically, he was noted for his contemporary approach to Yakshagana, drawing the focus to a group formation rather than a solo performance.^[5] Though not trained in classical dances, he was noted to have incorporated free style dance forms into his choreography.^[9] In addition to performing in India, his theatre group had also performed in the United States.^[9]

As a poet he had also written anthologies, with Rangasthalada Kanavarikegalu (transl. Theater dreams), Hu Midi Haadu (transl. Flower songs), and Radhe Emba Gathe (transl. A song called Radha) being popular.

Source(s):[6]^{[5][12][10][13][14][15][16]}

See also

• Kannada literature

References