Yakshagana artiste Tonse Jayanth Kumar dead

Veteran Yakshagana artiste Tonse Jayanth Kumar passed away in Udupi early Monday morning, family sources said.

He was 78. Kumar is survived by wife and three sons.

Kumar excelled as a Yakshagana Veshadhari and later as Yakshagana guru and contributed immensely to the field.

He was the guru of the Udupi Yaksha Shikshana Trust and was responsible for its success from the beginning. He had received several honours including Yakshagana Akademi Award, Sri Rama Vithala Award and Yakshagana Kalaranga Award He was also honoured by the former President Shankar Dayal Sharma.