Champakulam Pachu Pillai is a

Kathakali Kathakali ( ml, കഥകളി) is a major form of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes of the traditional male actor-dancers. It is native to the M ...

exponent from

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. He was a specialist in the ''thadi'' or bearded roles in kathakali. He has been honored with several noted awards including the

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...

1983,

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy is located in Thrissur city, of Kerala, in India. It was established on 26 April 1958, inaugurated by then Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The academy started a cultural centre at the Bahrain Kerala ...

Award 1969 and

Kerala Kalamandalam Kerala Kalamandalam, deemed to be University of Art and Culture by the Government of India, is a major center for learning Indian performing arts, especially those that developed in the Southern states of India, with the special emphasis on K ...

Award 1991.

Biography

Pachu Pillai was born in Perumanur family in

Champakulam Champakulam is a village in Kerala, India. It is in Alappuzha district. Champakulam is part of Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala, and is resplendent in green paddy fields, coconut groves and water fowl. Champakulam is an important tourist spo ...

village of Alappuzha district in 1907 as eldest son of Madhaviyamma and Kaipilly Sankarapilla. The Perumannur family was one of the main tributaries of the ''Kaplinjedal Kathakalichitta'' known as the Southern Chitta in Kathakali performance.

Guru Gopinath Perumanoor Gopinathan Pillai, more popularly known as Guru Gopinath (24 June 1908 – 9 October 1987) was a well known actor-cum-dancer. He is well regarded as the greatest preserver of the dance tradition. He is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak ...

, a famous dancer and choreographer, is his younger brother. Pillai started learning kathakali from his maternal uncle Champakulam Sanku Pillai at the age of 14. He made his debut at the age of 16, as Rukman in Rukminiswayamvaram kathakali performed at the Nedumudi Mathur Bhagwati Temple. According to the Guru's wishes, Patchu Pillai joined the ''Mathur Kathakali yogam'' in which he was also a member. The 1993 Kathakali Festival organized by

Sangeet Natak Academy Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. History It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and be ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

was inaugurated by Patchu Pillai. Pachu Pillai's notable roles include rough and heroic characters like

Dushasana Dushasana ( sa, दुःशासन, , ), also spelled Duhshasana, Dussasana or Duhsasana, also known as Sushasana, is an antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He was second eldest among the Kaurava princes and the younger brother of D ...

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

, Trigarthan Bakan, Kali and Nakrathundi. He died on 10 May 2004, at the age of 98.

Awards and honors

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award is an award given by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Department of Cultur ...

1969 *Kerala Kalamandalam Award 1991 *Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 1983 *Kerala state Kathakali Award 2002 *

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship The Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship is an honour presented by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Depa ...

1982 *Gold Medal at

Silver Jubilee Celebrations *Patchupillai was honored by rulers of

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

like Thirunal Maharani and Chithira Thirunal Maharaja.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pillai, Champakkulam Pachu 1939 births 2004 deaths 20th-century Indian dancers Dancers from Kerala Kathakali exponents People from Alappuzha district Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Malayali people Indian male dancers Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award