Madambi Subramanian Namboodiri 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 ...

musician 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 received 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 ...

, Kerala State Kathakali Award,

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 ...

and Kerala Kalamandalam Award.

Biography

Subramanian Namboodiri was born in Madambi Manai in Sreekrishnapuram village of

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 ...

in 1943 to Sankaran Namboodiri and Sridevi Antharjanam. As a child, Madambi wanted to study music and started studying music at Poomully Manai. Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, Kongorpilli and Ramankutty Warrier were the main teachers at Poomully that time. After studying at Poomully for two months, he joined Kalamandalam in 1957 to study Kathakali music. Kalamandalam Neelakantan Nambeesan, Kalamandalam Sivaraman Nair and Kavungal Madhava Panicker were his teachers at Kalamandalam. His classmates were Kalamandalam Sankaran Empranthiri,

Tirur Nambissan Tirur Nambissan (1942-1994) was a Kathakali singer. He was born as Narayanan Nambissan at Tirur in the Malappuram district of Kerala in southern India. He started learning music at the age of seven, while attending the local boys' high school. ...

and

Kalamandalam Hyderali Kalamandalam Hyderali (5 September 1946 – 5 January 2006) ( ml, കലാമണ്ഡലം ഹൈദരാലി) was one of the best Kathakali singers of his generation, and the first non-Hindu artiste to make a mark in the four-century-ol ...

. After completing 8-year course at Kalamandalam, he joined as a trainee-instructor at Perur Gandhi Sevas Sadanam for a while and then joined Kalamandalam in 1969 as Kathakali music instructor. Madampi is an artist who has remained steadfast in the tradition of Kathakali music, and is known for his efforts to preserve the distinctive purity of Kathakali music by resisting the extreme progressivism in Kathakali music. His classmates Empranthiri and Hyderali reached the pinnacle of fame by leading great changes in Kathakali music. Although Madambi does not agree with such modifications or practices, he has the respect of all of them as unique artists. After retiring from Kalamandalam in 1998, he settled in

Cheruthuruthy Cheruthuruthy also known as Vallathol Nagar is a small town in India near Wadakkanchery, Thrissur on the banks of the Nila (Bharathapuzha) river. Administration Falls in Talappilly taluk (Wadakkanchery) of the revenue district of Thrissur. Thr ...

, Thrissur district. He is survived by his first wife late Parvati Antharjan and children Shashi and Narayanan. After the death of his first wife, he married Arya Devi Antharjanam. They have a daughter, Sangeetha.

Awards and honors

* Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2017 * Kerala State Kathakali Award 2018 *

2010 * Kerala Kalamandalam Award * Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon Smaraka Puraskaram

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Subramanian Namboodiri, Madambi 1943 births Living people Kathakali exponents Singers from Kerala 20th-century Indian musicians Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Malayali people People from Palakkad district Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award