Mathoor Govindan Kutty (5 October 19404 February 2021) 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 ...

artist from the state of

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 ...

. In a career spanning over six decades, he specialized in ''Kathakali Stri Vesham,'' the portrayal of female characters on stage. He was the recipient of the 2011 Kerala State Award for the best Kathakali artist, 2010

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 the 2005

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 ...

for contributions to the Kathakali art form.

Early life

Kutty was born Narayana Govinda Kunju Panicker on 5 October 1940 in the

Nedumudi Nedumudi is a village in the Alappuzha district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the birthplace of Malayalam actor Nedumudi Venu. Nedumudi sits on the banks of the river Pamba River, Pamba. It was the first village in Kerala to attain 100% ...

village in Alappuzha district to Karthyayani Kunajamma and Damodaran Namboodiri. His name was later changed to Mathoor Govindan Kutty. He graduated from high school in Mathoor and later moved to Kudamaloor (near

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...

) after his wedding.

Career

Kutty started his training in the classical South Indian dance and theater form,

, with Nedumudy Kuttappa Panicker at the age of 14 and went on to train under artists including Kurissi Kunjan Panicker, Ambalappuzha Shekharan at the

Mathoor Mathoor is a small village located near Omallur in the Pathanamthitta district of 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, ...

Kalari A kalari is a gymnasium or training space primarily associated with the martial art of Kalaripayattu. The word ''kalari'' comes from Malayalam. In the past, village schools in Kerala, typically run by the traditional astrologer families, were k ...

, a traditional Kerala arts training space. He later trained under Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair at the Thekkan Chitta

Gurukula A or ( sa, गुरुकुल, gurukul) is a type of education system in ancient India with ('students' or 'disciples') living near or with the guru, in the same house. The guru-shishya tradition is a sacred one in Hinduism and possibly ap ...

m. Under Nair's tutelage, he specialized in ''Kathakali Stri Vesham,'' or the portrayal of female characters, and would continue to do so through his career of over six decades. He credited Nair's portrayal of

Damayanti ''Damayanti'' (Sanskrit: दमयंती) is a character in a love story found in the Vana Parva book of the Mahabharata. She was the daughter of Bhima (not the Pandava one) and a princess of the Vidarbha Kingdom, who married King Nala of th ...

as an inspiration for his choice of female characters. Some of his lead roles included performances with other prominent artists including

Kalamandalam Gopi Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nair popularly known as Kalamandalam Gopi, is an Indian dancer who is an exponent of the classical dance-drama style known as Kathakali. Life Born as Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nair in the Southern Indian village of ...

Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair (27 March 1914 – 15 August 1990) was a Kathakali dancer from Kerala in India. Life He learned and exhibited various styles of Kathakali. A Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee, A native of Cheruthazha ...

, and Mankulam Vishnu Namboothiri. Some of the popular characters that he portrayed included

in ''Nalacharitram'' (),

Kunti Kunti ( sa, कुन्ती, ), named at birth as Pritha ( sa, पृथा, ), is one of the prominent characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. She is best known as the mother of the Pandavas and Karna, the main protagonists of the epi ...

in ''Karnasapatham'' (), and

Panchali Draupadi ( sa, द्रौपदी, draupadī, Daughter of Drupada), also referred to as Krishnaa, Panchali, and Yagyaseni, is the main female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata,'' and the common consort of the five Pandava brothers ...

in ''Duryodhana Vadham'' ()''.'' As a teacher, he also trained many artists at the Kudamaloor ''Kalakendra'' (center for the arts). He also portrayed the role of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

in disguise as a hunter in Irattakkulangara Rama Varier's ''Kiratham.'' He also portrayed the role of

Sukracharya Shukra (Sanskrit: शुक्र, IAST: ) is a Sanskrit word that means "clear" or "bright". It also has other meanings, such as the name of an ancient lineage of sages who counselled Asuras in Vedic history. In medieval mythology and Hindu as ...

in 19th century composer Thazhavana Govindan Asan's ''Devayaniswayamvaram'' (). In a review of his performance, ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

'', called out his emoting and the subtle humor that he infused into his role. The same newspaper, in a review of his portrayal of

Kripacharya Kripa ( sa, कृप, Kṛpa, pity), also known as Kripacharya ( sa, कृपाचार्य, Kṛpācārya, Kripa the master), is a figure in Hindu mythology. According to the epic ''Mahabharata'', he was a council member of Kuru Kingdom ...

in ''Utharaaswayamvaram'' () praised his delivery, and the conscious interspersing of acting with realism. He also portrayed the role of

Narada Narada ( sa, नारद, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage divinity, famous in Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of mind-created children of Brahma, the creator god. He ...

in ''Balivijayam'' (). Kutty made a switch towards portraying male characters in the latter portion of his career attributing it to advancing age. He led the performance of Kudamaloor Kalamandram group at the opening ceremony of the

1982 Asian Games The 9th Asian Games ( hi, 1982 एशियाई खेल) were held from 19 November to 4 December 1982, in Delhi, India. 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken at the event. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of ...

and at the 1993 Kathakali Mahotsav. In addition to performances in India, he had also performed internationally in England, France, and Germany. His last performance was two weeks before his death, where he portrayed the role of

in ''Karnasapatham.'' Speaking later on his death, his contemporary, artist

, praised his proficiency and ease in portraying a wide range of characters in addition to calling to the role of imagination and improvisation that he brought along to his works. Kutty was a recipient of the 2011 Kerala State Award for best Kathakali artist, 2010

and the 1993 Guru Chenganoor award. He was also the recipient of the

for advancing his contributions to advancing the Kathakali art form. The citation from the Akademi called him "one of the foremost exponents" of the art form. Some of his other honors included the

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, Madavoor Vasudevan Nair award, and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award. He was also a member of the governing body of the

Kerala Sahitya Akademi The Kerala Sahitya Akademi or Academy for Malayalam literature is an autonomous body established to promote the Malayalam language and Malayalam literature, literature. It is situated in City of Thrissur, Kerala in India. History The academy ...

, had held a central fellowship from the Union Government and was the recipient of the 2014 Kalamandalam fellowship. He was nominated by the Kerala state government for the

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, ...

, India's fourth highest civilian award in 2014.

Personal life

Kutty was married to Rajeswari, his teacher Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair's daughter, and had two sons. His wife died in 2011. He died on 4 February 2021, in

after a period of brief illness from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic in India The COVID-19 pandemic in India is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). As of , according to Indian government figures, India has the second-highest n ...

. He was 81, and was cremated with state honors.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kutty, Mathoor Govindan 1940 births 2021 deaths Kathakali exponents People from Alappuzha district Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in India Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award