Nelliyode Vasudevan Namboodiri or Nelliyod Vasudevan Namboodiri (5 February 1940 – 2 August 2021) 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 ...

artiste, noted primarily for his vibrant portrayal of the evil ''chuvanna thaadi'' ("red beard") roles of the classical Kathakali dance-drama 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 ...

in south India. He was also very famous and known for the characters 'Kuchelan' from Kuchelavritham and 'Aashaari' from Bakavadham.

Career

Nelliyode was born in 1940 in

Cheranalloor Cheranallur or Cheranellore or Cheranelloor is a suburb of Kochi city in the state of Kerala, India and lies on the banks of the Periyar River. According to tradition, the area was named by its earlier inhabitants who found this place very fert ...

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...

district. He joined the PSV Natyasangham in

Kottakkal Kottakkal (literally-''Land of the Fort'') is a municipality, municipal town in Malappuram District, Malappuram district in Kerala, southern India having 32 Ward (country subdivision), wards. it is a part of Malappuram metropolitan area and a gr ...

in 1957 and received training in Kathakali largely under

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, ...

Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair, also spelt Kunju Nair, (1909-1981) was an Indian Kathakali dancer. Life He mainly served in PSV Natya Sangham, Kottakkal, since 1946, and from 1960 to 1972 at Kerala Kalamandalam. He was the first principal of Kerala Kala ...

of the tradition. After a teaching stint 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 ...

, he joined as a Kathakali teacher at the Central High School in

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

. Nelliyode lived in

Poojappura Poojappura known as "The heart of Trivandrum" is a Suburb of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) in India. It is located in the south-east part of the city, surrounded by Jagathi, Karamana, Mudavanmugal and Thirumala. This place was once used as ...

near Thiruvananthapuram.

Awards

Nelliyode has received awards from the Central

Sangeet Natak Akademi 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 ...

and the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi. He has also received Rigatta's 'Natyaratna' title and gold medal in 1976, Thulaseevana award in 1988, Kalamandalam award, Central Government Fellowship, and Onamthuruth temple's 'Natyavisarad' title and the Kerala State Kathakali Prize for 2013.

Repertoire

In Kathakali, Nelliyode is primarily famous for his playing cruel characters like

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...

Trigarta Trigarta kingdom was an ancient kingdom in northern Indian region of the Indian subcontinent with its capital at Prasthala (modern Jalandhar), Multan and Kangra. Trigarta was founded and ruled by the vrishni Dynasty. Mention in Mahabharata Tri ...

Dushasan 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 ...

an, Bakan, and

Veerabhadra Virabhadra (), also rendered Veerabhadra, Veerabathira, and Veerabathiran, is a fierce form of the Hindu god Shiva. He is created by the wrath of Shiva, when the deity hurls a lock of his matted hair upon the ground, upon hearing of the self- ...

n. He also excelled in pious roles like

Kuchela Sudama (), also known as Kuchela (), is a childhood friend of the Hindu deity Krishna. The story of his visit to Dvaraka to meet his friend is featured in the Bhagavata Purana. In their legend, Sudama and Krishna study together as children a ...

n (

Sudama Sudama (), also known as Kuchela (), is a childhood friend of the Hindu deity Krishna. The story of his visit to Dvaraka to meet his friend is featured in the Bhagavata Purana. In their legend, Sudama and Krishna study together as children a ...

) besides demonic ''kari'' roles such as Nakrathundi, Simhika, Soorpanakha, Lanka Lakshmi, and the black-bearded Kaatalan (woodsman). Possessing deep knowledge in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

and the Hindu

Puranas Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

, Nelliyode was also capable of presenting Patakam, a classical temple art requiring skills in oratory, and has played the role of the Fool in a production of ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

''.

Significance

Nelliyode is regarded as the leading player of the destructive ‘

tamasic Tamas (Sanskrit: तमस् ''tamas'' "darkness") is one of the three Gunas (tendencies, qualities, attributes), a philosophical and psychological concept developed by the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy.James G. Lochtefeld, Guna, in The Ill ...

’ characters in Kathakali. He has presented a deeper interpretation of these characters and emphasised their central role in the plays.

Death

Nelliyode Vasudevan Namboothiri died on 2 August 2021 at the age of 81. He was suffering from pancreatic cancer for some time.ചരമം - മാധ്യമം ദിനപത്രം 2021 ഓഗസ്റ്റ് 3

References

Kathakali exponents 1940 births 2021 deaths People from Ernakulam district Dancers from Kerala Malayali people Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Indian male dancers 20th-century Indian dancers Deaths from pancreatic cancer {{Kerala-stub