Kalinga Navada..as 'Yuga Pravartaka'

Kalinga Navada was born in 1958 at Gundmi (Kundapur Taluk) to Padmavathi and Ramachandra Navada . He was the Bhagavatha in Uppoor's troupe from 1971 to 1976 and worked for the Vijayashri Mela of Perdoor in 1977. He spent majority of his career with Amriteshwari Mela and the Saligrama Mela.In 1990 he lost his life in a tragic road mishap.

Known for his melodious voice, modularity, and the depth, late G R Kalinga Navada continues to live in the people's mind for his contribution towards Yakshagana.He had an attractive voice with good depth and melody, Navada brought new life to yakshagana singing. With a proper hold on theatre, Navada innovated new ragas to reduce the monotony and increase the attraction thus bringing a special effect in Yakshagana. With a fusion of new ragas like Revathi, Kalavathi, Chaand, and Bihag with old ones, Navada carved a special place for himself in this field.

In terms of his contributions and innovations he can be rated as one of the best in his field. He brought in the lost audiences back to Yakshagana.