Kottakkal Chandrasekharan (15 January 1945 – 4 September 2019) was a senior

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 known for his portrayal of the virtuous pachcha and anti-heroic Kathi roles in the classical 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 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

Born at Naduvattam near

Pattambi Pattambi is a town taluk and municipality in the Palakkad district of the state of Kerala, India. It is also the administrative headquarters of the Pattambi Taluk. Pattambi is located along the banks of Bharathappuzha river. A Mini Civil Station ...

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...

district in 1945, he was a disciple of

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 and Kottakkal Krishnankutty Nair. His father was A.M. Kumaraswami Bhattathiripad and mother was P.V. Parukkutty Warassiar. Chandrasekharan, who was a product of 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 ...

, was its principal since 1996 and was noted for his portrayal of roles like

Nala Nala (Sanskrit: नल) is a character in the ''Vana Parva'' book of the ''Mahabharata''. He was the king of Nishadha Kingdom and the son of Veerasena. Nala was known for his skill with horses and for his culinary expertise. He married prince ...

n, Bahukan,

Bhima In Hindu epic Mahabharata, Bhima ( sa, भीम, ) is the second among the five Pandavas. The ''Mahabharata'' relates many events that portray the might of Bhima. Bhima was born when Vayu, the wind god, granted a son to Kunti and Pandu. Af ...

Arjuna Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, ), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character in several ancient Hindu texts, and specifically one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he is the third among Panda ...

Ravanan Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He a ...

Duryodhan Duryodhana ( sa, दुर्योधन, ) also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He was the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and his queen Gandhari. Being ...

an and

Keechaka In the Mahakavya, Hindu epic ''Mahabharata'', Kichaka or Keechaka is the commander-in-chief of Matsya Kingdom, Matsya kingdom, the country ruled by King Virata. He was the 1st Younger Brother of Sudeshna, the queen of Virata. Kichaka was a very ...

n. He performed Kathakali in temples and clubs of Kerala and participated in 'Kathakali Mahotsavam', Asiad (1982) and other places of India like Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Surat, Bangalore, Bhopal, Andhra Pradesh (Puttaparthy) and Madras. He performed in Loka Malayala Mela, Festival of India (UK in 1983, specially invited by British Council), foreign countries like Malayasia, Singapore, Indonesia (Ramayana Mela), China, Korea, Hong Kong and Switzerland. He won 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 ...

award. He received many other awards, consolation prize from Eranakulam Kathakali Club in 1963, Vazhenkata Kunchu Nair Award (Kollam), V.S. Sarma Endowment (Kerala Kalamandalam), Thulaseevanam Award of 1990 (Thiruvananthapuram), Alappuzha District Kathakali Club Award, S.B.T. Arya Circle Award (Kottakkal), etc. and also received the Honourship of 'Natyathilakam' and Veerasrunkhala in 1994 from Rajarajeswari Temple, Thaliparambu.

References

1945 births 2019 deaths People from Palakkad district Dancers from Kerala Kathakali exponents Malayali people Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 20th-century Indian dancers Indian male dancers {{India-culture-stub