Memory as an archive
Venkappa Ambaji Sugatekar belongs to a world of oral tradition, where memory does the work that books do elsewhere. According to his official Padma citation, he was born on 1 May 1943 and has performed Gondhali folk music and storytelling since he was 10.
Over more than seven decades he has kept alive a range of song traditions, including Dasar Pada, Santha Shishunalar Pada, Vachana Sahitya and Devi Pada.
A library in one mind
His extraordinary strength is memory. According to the citation, he knows more than 1,000 songs and about 150 long mythological stories by heart. Mastery like this is not only performance; it is a living archive, because many folk forms travel through teachers, families and community memory rather than written notation.
He has performed Gondhali for rural and urban audiences alike, and the citation records free training for more than 1,000 students.
A torch passed on
In 2024, in the 110th episode of Mann Ki Baat, the Prime Minister mentioned his efforts. His honours, among them the Rajyotsava Award, the Janapadashri, a senior citizen’s award and an honorary doctorate, mark a long cultural service. The 2025 Padma Shri brought this grassroots oral tradition to a national stage.
Sources
- Padma Awards 2025: official citation
- PIB: Padma Shri conferral, 27 May 2025
- TV9 Kannada: profile
- padmaawards.gov.in/Document/pdf/CitationsForTickets/2025/2025135.pdf
- pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2131796
- tv9kannada.com/karnataka/bagalkot/know-a-little-about-bagalkote-venkappa-ambaji-sugatekar-whom-narendra-modi-admired-krn-788302.html