Siddakatte Chennappa Shetty Biography 
Siddakatte Chennappa Shetty was a Yakshagana artist from Siddakatte, Karnataka, best known for his oratory skills in Yakshagana and Tala-Maddale. He was identified as "Mathina Malla" in Yakshagana and Tala-Maddale world, also known for promoting Yakshagana in other countries. He was also a recipient of Karnataka Rajyothsava district award in 2009. He died on 22 March 2014 in Manipal, Mangalore aged 61 after a brief illness. He was a scholar of Ramayana, Mahabharatha, Bhagavatha and other Hindu mythology stories, which became a part of his performing arts. Initially began with Tenkutittu style, he later moved to badaguthittu, and was known for his oration in Yakshagana and Talamaddale.
Siddakatte Chennappa Shetty was born on 8 May 1952 at Rayee village, Siddakatte, Karnataka. Vasu Shetty and Lingamma were his parents. After marriage he settled in Mavinakatte Bantwal. He was married to Hemalatha and had 3 sons. He had studied only up to Class V but rose to be an artiste of international repute. He received training in Yakshagana from Yakshagana Kendra Dharmashala. He learnt under renowned gurus - Kuriya Vittal Shastri and Padre Chandu. He made his first public appearance as a Yakshagana artist at the age of 13 in the year 1965. For advanced studies he moved to Dharmastala, Kadri, Bappanadu, Kumble and Madhur Mela.
As an artist he focussed on oratory skills, which earned him a good fan base in south India, especially in Karnataka. He also received training under Kuthlodi Vasu Shetty, Dr. Prabhakar Joshi, Korgi Venkateshwara Upadhyaya and Dr. Shimanthoor Narayana Shetty. He was one of the most successful artists who moved from thenkuthittu tradition to badaguthittu, which is not an easy task to achieve. Tenkutittu has remained a popular form and has its own audience outside the coastal areas and Badagutittu style is prevalent in North Canara (Uttara Kannada District).
Published: March 01, 2019
Updated: March 01, 2019
