Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair (27 March 1914 – 15 August 1990) was 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 ...

dancer 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 ...

Life

He learned and exhibited various styles of Kathakali. A

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

and

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 ...

ee, A native of

Cheruthazham Cheruthazham is a Census Town and Grama Panchayat in Kannur district in the state of Kerala, India. It is the location of the famous Hanumarambalam, dedicated to Sri Rama and Hanuman. Cheruthazham is also the birthplace of Kalamandalam Kris ...

Payyanur Taluk Payyanur Taluk comes under Taliparamba revenue division in Kannur district of Kerala, India. Payyanur is one of the 5 taluks in Kannur district established on March 2018 carved out from Taliparamba and Kannur taluks. Payyanur taluk comprises ...

of Kannur district in North Malabar, Kerala he was initiated into Kathakali in his early teenage years under the tutelage of Guru Chandu Panikker. By 19, he got noticed by

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 ...

co-founder, poet

Vallathol Narayana Menon Vallathol Narayana Menon (Malayalam: വള്ളത്തോൾ നാരായണ മേനോൻ) (16 October 1878 – 13 March 1958) was a Malayalam poet and one of the triumvirate of modern Malayalam poetry, along with Asan and Ulloor ...

, and inducted Krishnan Nair into his institute, then near Mulankunnathukavu, north of

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...

in central Kerala. It was there that Krishnan Nair was trained under gurus of varied style—like

Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon (1880-1948) 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 sout ...

, Thakazhi

Kunchu Kurup Guru Kunju Kurup (1881–1970) was a Kathakali dancer from south Kerala, India. Life Born in a Poypallilkulam family of Thakazhi village of Kuttanad in present-day Alappuzha district, Kurup was initiated into Kathakali at the age of 13 by his ...

, Kavalappara Narayanan Nair and

Mani Madhava Chakyar Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar (IAST: ''Māṇi Mādhava Cākyār'') (15 February 1899 – 14 January 1990) was a celebrated master performance artist and Sanskrit scholar from Kerala, India, considered to be the greatest Chakyar Koothu and Koodiy ...

. Krishnan Nair had his higher studies on ''

Rasa-abhinaya Indian art evolved with an emphasis on inducing special spiritual or philosophical states in the audience, or with representing them symbolically. Rasas in the performing arts The theory of rasas still forms the aesthetic underpinning of ...

'' (facial emotions which stressed on eye exercises) from the celebrated

Kudiyattam Koodiyattam ( ml, കൂടിയാട്ടം; IAST: kūṭiyāṭṭaṁ; ) is a traditional performing art form in the state of Kerala, India. It is a combination of ancient Sanskrit theatre with elements of ''Koothu'', an ancient perfor ...

maestro Natyacharya

Māni Mādhava Chākyār Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar (IAST: ''Māṇi Mādhava Cākyār'') (15 February 1899 – 14 January 1990) was a celebrated master performance artist and Sanskrit scholar from Kerala, India, considered to be the greatest Chakyar Koothu and Koodiy ...

, who too won the Padma Shri. Krishnan Nair was deeply influenced by Shri. Chakyar. With his calibre to perform any challenging role and a flexible mindset that prompted him to occasionally do minor roles (with some new elements), Krishnan Nair was probably the pioneering Kathakali artiste who was a hardcore professional—in the sense that he was the arguably the first to dictate the rate for each of his performances. It was a watershed move in an art form that had huge feudal hangovers and its entailing element of servility that patrons expected from the artistes. Krishnan Nair had a penchant for realistic portrayal of characters and situations that made him more popular in the

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 ...

belt of south Kerala. In fact, his outlandish style had made him a less acknowledged master in central and north Kerala—the very places that groomed his art in his early days. Krishnan Nair, towards the second half of his life, had made

Tripunithura Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (), is a prominent historical and residential region in the City of Kochi in Kerala, India. Located about 7 km (4 mi) from the city centre, Tripunithura was the capital of the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin ...

near

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

his home. Kathakali was always traditionally performed by men. In 1975 a women's group was formed and they were trained by Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair. The

Tripunithura Kathakali Kendram Ladies Troupe The Nari Shakti Puraskar (women's power award) is awarded by the President of India to the Tripunithura Kathakali Kendram Ladies Troupe The Tripunithura Kathakali Kendram Ladies Troupe was formed in 1975 breaking the 300 year tradition that only m ...

went on to national recognition. Krishnan Nair died on

Indian Independence Day Independence Day is celebrated annually on 15 August as a public holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, the day when the provisions of the Indian Independence Act, which transf ...

, 15 August 1990, aged 76.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nair, Kalamandalam Krishnan Kathakali exponents Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Malayali people Dancers from Kerala 1914 births 1990 deaths Performers of Indian classical dance Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award People from Kannur district Indian male dancers 20th-century Indian dancers

Life

See also

References