Mangaluru: Yakshadruva Patla Foundation Trust has set its sights firmly on helping ailing and infirm needy yakshagana artists. The trust is all set to use the Yakshadruva Patla Sambrama 2017 as a launch pad for a series of welfare measures aimed at this section of artists in an effort to recognize their contribution to this popular folk art. The Sambrama incidentally will be held at Adyar Garden at Adyar in May 2017.

Brainchild of eminent Yakshagana bhagavatha and founder president of the trust Satish Shetty Patla, the May event will see the foundation hold a free medical check-up camp for Yakshagana artists, their family members and dependents in association with K S Hegde Medical Academy, Deralakatte and also distribute medicines to them. Members of the trust and other yakshagana aficionados will simultaneously donate blood at the Sambrama.

The highlight of the Sambrama will be conferring of ’Yakshadruva Patla’ award on Balipa Narayana Bhagavatha. The award carries a purse of Rs 1 lakh. In addition, the trust will confer pratibha puraskar on children of Yakshagana artists, scholarships to children of invalid Yakshagana artists, gold coins on children of artists who have scored more than 90% marks in SSLC, and second PU examinations.

About the more ambitious project, Satish Shetty, said it is the aim of the trust to construct 100 houses for artists who do not have houses of their own. "We aim to complete this task over the next three years," he said. Senior artists, who have put in at least 15 years of service and are now above 60-years, will be presented with a monthly honorarium of Rs 1000 each. The trust will also publish the various ’prasangas’ penned by Balipa Narayana Bhagavatha in the future, he noted.