Kalamandalam Kuttan Asan (also spelled as Kalamandalam Kuttanasan, 1938 – 13 January 2022) was an Indian

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 ...

artiste 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 ...

. He was known as Dakshan Kuttan as he was popular in the role of Daksha. He received 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 ...

2008 and Kerala State Kathakali Award 2019.

Biography

Kuttan Asan was born in 1938 to Kuttappa Panikar and wife Ammukuttyamma at Adakkaputhur in

Cherpulassery Cherpulassery (also known by its former name Cherpulacherry) is a town and municipality in the Palakkad district, of Kerala, India. Cherpulassery is often called the Sabarimala of Malabar as the famous Ayyappankavu temple is located here . The ...

Palakkad district Palakkad District () is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. It was carved out from the southeastern region of the former Malabar District on 1 January 1957. It is located at the centre of Kerala. It is the largest district i ...

. After completing his diploma in

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 ...

in 1951 under Kalamandalam Ramankutty Asan and Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair, Kuttanasan made his debut in 1951 at the Vellinezhi Kanthalloor Temple. Joining as Kathakali teacher at the Iringalakuda Unnayivaryar Memorial Kalanilayam in 1964, he became the Vice Principal of Kalanilayam in 1990 and became the Principal in 1995. He was known as Dakshan Kuttan as he was popular in the role of

Daksha In Hinduism, Daksha (Sanskrit: दक्ष, IAST: , lit. "able, dexterous, or honest one") is one of the '' Prajapati'', the agents of creation, as well as a divine king-rishi. His iconography depicts him as a man with a stocky body and a ha ...

n. In Kathakali, Kuttan Asan excelled in ''Pacha'' and ''Kathi'' roles, as well as in Kattalan, Brahmin,

Balabhadra In Jainism, Balabhadra or Baladeva are among the sixty-three illustrious beings called ''śalākāpuruṣas'' that are said to grace every half cycle of time. According to Jain cosmology, ''śalākāpuruṣa'' are born on this earth in every ...

and Roudrabhima roles. For forty years he performed the role of ''

Vibhishana Vibhishana () is the younger brother of Ravana, the King of Lanka, in the ancient Indian epic Ramayana. Though a rakshasa himself, Vibhishana turned his back on Ravana, and defected to Rama's side, owing to his dharma. After Rama defeated Ra ...

'' in ''Sreerama Pattabhikam'' (consecration of

Lord Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...

) kathakali on the stage at the

Koodalmanikyam temple Koodalmanikyam Temple is a Hindu temple in Irinjalakuda Municipality, Thrissur district, Kerala, India . The temple comprises a main structure, a walled compound with citadels, and four ponds around the main structure one of which is within ...

festival.

Personal life and death

Kuttan Asan and his wife Leelavati had three children, Usha Madhumohanan, Sati Radhakrishnan and Geetha Madhu. He died in Perinthalmanna on 13 January 2022, at the age of 84.

Awards and honors

, *Kerala State Kathakali Award 2019 *

Keerthi Patram *Kaladarpana Award *Amruthandamayi mat puraskar *Kerala Kalamandalam Award, 2007 *Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair Award, 2010 *Kalamandalam Pattikamthodi Ramunnimenon Award, 2011 *Unnayivaryar Award, 2011 *Visakhapatnam Nataraja Dance Music Academy Natyasree Award, 2002 *Thrissur Kathakali Club Award, 2000 *Vellinezhi Panchayat Gramakala Award, 2015 *Kerala Kalamandalam Fellowship, 2019

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuttan, Kalamandalam 1938 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Indian dancers Dancers from Kerala Kathakali exponents People from Palakkad district Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Malayali people Indian male dancers