Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair
Encyclopedia
Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair (1916–2007) was one of the most revolutionary Kathakali
artistes in the history of the classical dance-drama from Kerala
, India
. Endowed with a life profile that also exposed him to several traditional Indian performing arts
other than Kathakali, his stage presentation infused a fresh breath into the four-century-old art form, thanks also to his broad and deep view about the Puranas
(Indian mythology) that spurred from a constant pursuit of knowledge through reading books and engaging in talks in scholars.
Kumaran Nair was one of the very few Kathakali artistes to have had directly interacted with allied art forms like Bharatanatyam
from south India and Kathak
from the north of his country besides also Odissi
from the eastern belt. This was besides a brush he had with Tamil cinema
in his youthful days in Madras (Chennai
). All these never conspired to shed the element of classicism in Kumaran Nair's Kathakali performances, instead helped his acting-dancing techniques acquire a certain grand eclecticism that won him fans across Kerala and elsewhere. In short, Kumaran Nair's style was a mix of intellect, imagination and signature body language that took care not to breach or dilute the pure grammar of Kathakali all the same.
Kumaran Nair was easily one of the best all-rounder Kathakali artistes of his times. It was for Hanuman
roles that he was known best towards the autumn of his life, but Kumaran Nair shone in almost all the roles he handled—be it the virtuous pachcha, the anti-hero Kaththi, the red- or black-bearded thadi roles or minukkku roles like the protagonist Brahmana in the storyplay Santanagopalam. His portrayal of the characters revelled in histrionics that stemmed from his own understanding of their life history, yet their presentation was steeped in classicism. More than facial emotions, Kumaran Nair used his body to express feelings of the character in a given situation. His improvisations over the complex movements of ashtakalasam, a pure-dance piece that symbolises ecstasy, possibly defined its best.
A native of Vellinezhi
, one of Kathakali's nerve-centres in Palakkad district, Kumaran Nair was primarily groomed—from as early as the age of five—in the highly evolved Kalluvazhi style by none other than its grand master, Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon
. His classmates at Kerala Kalamandalam included the legendary Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair
(1914–1990), but on completion of his studies found the conditions in Kerala not exactly promising a bright future for him as a Kathakali artiste.
Much to the sorrow of his guru Pattikkamthodi, Kumaran Nair shifted base to Madras, where he gained name a master of choreography by teaching dance (for songs) to Tamil cine star Ranjan. During this span, Kumaran Nair also worked closely with the film icon M.G. Ramachandran, who later switched over to politics and became the state's chief minister.
He soon returned to Kalamandalam as a tutor, where circumstamces subsequently forced him to work with the dance section. An unhappy Kumaran Nair quit his alma-mater. He later worked with several Kathakali schools like PSV Natyasangham, Kottakkal
; Kalasadanam, Chunangad
and Varanakkottu Kaliyogam, Payyannur; but his longest stints were in Gandhi Seva Sadan
(Sadanam Kathakali and Classical Arts Academy) at Peroor in Palakkad district and the International Centre for Kathakali in New Delhi
. Kumaran Nair is a recipient of the Padma Shri
award (2004), the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi award, the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi fellowship and the Kalamandalam award, among others.
It was during his Sadanam stint that Kumaran Nair earned much of his major disciples. Among them are Sadanam Krishnankutty
, Sadanam Ramankutty, Sadanam Balakrishnan, Narippatta Narayanan Namboodiri, Sadanam K. Harikumaran
and Pariyanampatta Divakaran. At Kalamandalam too, he had Kalamandalam Gopi
and Kalamandalam Kuttan among his prominent pupils.
Kumaran Nair retired from stage three years before his death in 2007, and led a totally reclusive life in his house in a quite, northern corner of his native Vellinezhi.
Kathakali
Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...
artistes in the history of the classical dance-drama from Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Endowed with a life profile that also exposed him to several traditional Indian performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
other than Kathakali, his stage presentation infused a fresh breath into the four-century-old art form, thanks also to his broad and deep view about the Puranas
Puranas
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
(Indian mythology) that spurred from a constant pursuit of knowledge through reading books and engaging in talks in scholars.
Kumaran Nair was one of the very few Kathakali artistes to have had directly interacted with allied art forms like Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam
Bharata Natyam or Chadhir Attam, is a classical dance form from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, practiced predominantly in modern times by women. The dance is usually accompanied by classical Carnatic music...
from south India and Kathak
Kathak
Kathak is one of the eight forms of Indian classical dances, originated from Uttar Pradesh, India. This dance form traces its origins to the nomadic bards of ancient northern India, known as Kathaks, or storytellers...
from the north of his country besides also Odissi
Odissi
Odissi, also spelled Orissi , is one of the eight classical dance forms of India. It originates from the state of Orissa, in eastern India. It is the oldest surviving dance form of India on the basis of archaeological evidences. The classic treatise of Indian dance, Natya Shastra, refers to it as...
from the eastern belt. This was besides a brush he had with Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
in his youthful days in Madras (Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
). All these never conspired to shed the element of classicism in Kumaran Nair's Kathakali performances, instead helped his acting-dancing techniques acquire a certain grand eclecticism that won him fans across Kerala and elsewhere. In short, Kumaran Nair's style was a mix of intellect, imagination and signature body language that took care not to breach or dilute the pure grammar of Kathakali all the same.
Kumaran Nair was easily one of the best all-rounder Kathakali artistes of his times. It was for Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
roles that he was known best towards the autumn of his life, but Kumaran Nair shone in almost all the roles he handled—be it the virtuous pachcha, the anti-hero Kaththi, the red- or black-bearded thadi roles or minukkku roles like the protagonist Brahmana in the storyplay Santanagopalam. His portrayal of the characters revelled in histrionics that stemmed from his own understanding of their life history, yet their presentation was steeped in classicism. More than facial emotions, Kumaran Nair used his body to express feelings of the character in a given situation. His improvisations over the complex movements of ashtakalasam, a pure-dance piece that symbolises ecstasy, possibly defined its best.
A native of Vellinezhi
Vellinezhi
Vellinezhi is a small but culturally crucial village located in Palakkad district of Kerala in southern India. The sylvan, rugged land is located on the banks of the Kunti, a slender rivulet that forms tributary to the broad, west-flowing Bharatapuzha that criss-crosses central Kerala in southern...
, one of Kathakali's nerve-centres in Palakkad district, Kumaran Nair was primarily groomed—from as early as the age of five—in the highly evolved Kalluvazhi style by none other than its grand master, Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon
Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon
Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon was a pivotal figure in the history of Kathakali, having played a crucial role in remoulding and refining its grammar in the famed Kalluvazhi tradition of the classical dance-drama from Kerala in south India...
. His classmates at Kerala Kalamandalam included the legendary Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair
Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair
Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair was one of the most renowned Kathakali artists of any time, and arguably the greatest in the history of the four-century-old classical dance-drama from Kerala in southern India...
(1914–1990), but on completion of his studies found the conditions in Kerala not exactly promising a bright future for him as a Kathakali artiste.
Much to the sorrow of his guru Pattikkamthodi, Kumaran Nair shifted base to Madras, where he gained name a master of choreography by teaching dance (for songs) to Tamil cine star Ranjan. During this span, Kumaran Nair also worked closely with the film icon M.G. Ramachandran, who later switched over to politics and became the state's chief minister.
He soon returned to Kalamandalam as a tutor, where circumstamces subsequently forced him to work with the dance section. An unhappy Kumaran Nair quit his alma-mater. He later worked with several Kathakali schools like PSV Natyasangham, Kottakkal
Kottakkal
Kottakkal is a town and a municipality in Malappuram District in Kerala, south India. It has 32 Wards. The National Highway 17 separates the municipality from Edarikkode Panchayath on some part in the west. It is an Eranadan town located 12 km south-west of Malappuram, the district...
; Kalasadanam, Chunangad
Chunangad
Chunangad is a village near Ottapalam taluk of Palakkad district of Kerala State, India.Chunangad is famous for Chunangadan Kuthari, a particular breed of rice, which used to be popular choice of rice for Kings who ruled Kerala region hundreds of years ago. The educational institutes in the village...
and Varanakkottu Kaliyogam, Payyannur; but his longest stints were in Gandhi Seva Sadan
Gandhi Seva Sadan
Gandhi Seva Sadan, or simply Sadanam, is a Kathakali institution located in Perur village, some 12 kilometres east of Ottapalam in Palakkad district of north-central Kerala in southern India. It was founded in 1953 by the Gandhian and freedom fighter K...
(Sadanam Kathakali and Classical Arts Academy) at Peroor in Palakkad district and the International Centre for Kathakali in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. Kumaran Nair is a recipient of the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
award (2004), the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi award, the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi fellowship and the Kalamandalam award, among others.
It was during his Sadanam stint that Kumaran Nair earned much of his major disciples. Among them are Sadanam Krishnankutty
Sadanam Krishnankutty
Sadanam Krishnankutty is a popular Kathakali exponent reputed for his skill in donning a wide range of characters of the classical dance-drama from Kerala in south India. A native of Cherpulassery in Palakkad district, the 1942-born Krishnankutty is primarily a frontline disciple of the late...
, Sadanam Ramankutty, Sadanam Balakrishnan, Narippatta Narayanan Namboodiri, Sadanam K. Harikumaran
Sadanam K. Harikumaran
Sadanam K. Harikumaran is a versatile artiste from Kerala in south India, known for his engagements with Indian classical dances and music, besides painting, sculpting and literature.-Early Life:...
and Pariyanampatta Divakaran. At Kalamandalam too, he had Kalamandalam Gopi
Kalamandalam Gopi
Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nair popularly known as Kalamandalam Gopi is a exponent of the classical dance-drama style known as Kathakali...
and Kalamandalam Kuttan among his prominent pupils.
Kumaran Nair retired from stage three years before his death in 2007, and led a totally reclusive life in his house in a quite, northern corner of his native Vellinezhi.