'Yakshagana was once a men's stage, women were rare exceptions': Priyanka K Mohan
The co-founder of Tvarita Arts Collective India is changing Yakshagana’s rulebook and working on preserving similar endangered indigenous art forms in India.
“My earliest memories have been filled with chande (drums used in Yakshagana), the rustles of its colorful costume, and the rhythmic movements of Yakshagana,” recalls Priyanka K Mohan, Yakshagana artist, teacher and cultural ambassador at SheSparks 2025.
The dance form, which originated in coastal Karnataka, blends storytelling, music and dance, drawing the audience into a mythical world.
However, the dance form has been culturally male-dominated but recent times have seen many women pioneering their entry into the art form, namely the late K. Leelavathi Baipadithaya, Sumangala Ratnakar, and Mohan herself, among others.
The art form was never considered a safe space for women artists. Growing up, Mohan had to combat similar sentiments from her own family who discouraged her from taking up the dance form as a profession.
“It's not always a safe space, but I had to work harder to prove that this is possible and through hardships, I've been able to prove to my family that we can take this (Yakshagana) forward as a livelihood,” Mohan remarks.
In many fields, women have to work harder to prove themselves, and this dance form was no different, she notes. However these learnings equipped her with the experience to ensure the same challenges do not stop young girls today from following their passion.
Mohan, along with co-founder Surabhi Yelsangikar, founded Tvarita Arts Collective India—a platform that focuses on preserving endangered indigenous art forms, like Yakshagana, and helping contribute to indigenous artists’ livelihood.
The startup aims to ensure that the wisdom from these art forms, one that has been passed down through generations, continue to live on. “If we don’t act now, we are at the risk of losing many of these art forms,” Mohan notes.
Tvarita, in the last seven months, has worked with over 350 artists of 25 unique art forms and has helped these artists reach over 10,000 people.
“Sometimes just your claps is also enough for artists to move ahead. And when art thrives, we all thrive,” she says.
Edited by Jyoti Narayan
