Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair (1928–2007) was an eminent

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 ...

exponent, equally known for his capacities as a tutor, theoretician and author of a few authentic texts on 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. A son of the Kathakali guru

Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon (1880-1948) was a pivotal figure in the history of Kathakali, having played a crucial role in remoulding and refining its grammar in the famed Kalluvazhi tradition of the classical dance-drama from Kerala in south ...

, Padmanabhan Nair was one of the early-batch students in Kerala Kalamandalam, where he subsequently joined as a teacher and retired as its principal in 1990. He died on 3 April 2007, at his home in

Shoranur Shornur is a town and a municipality located in the Palakkad district, in the Indian state of Kerala, located on the banks of the Bharathapuzha River. The town covers an area of 32.28 km2. Geography Shornur is located at . It has an ave ...

, near his alma mater, where he led his post-professorial life with wife and Mohiniyattam exponent and guru,

Kalamandalam Satyabhama Kalamandalam V. Satyabhama (4 November 1937 – 13 September 2015) was an Indian classical dancer, teacher and choreographer, known for her performances and scholarship in mohiniyattam. She was awarded the Padma Shri, in 2014, for her contributi ...

Early life

Padmanabhan Nair was born on 7 October 1928 in Kuruvattoor near the Kathakali village of

Vellinezhi Vellinezhi is a small but culturally crucial village located in Palakkad district of Kerala in southern India. Geography The sylvan, rugged land is located on the banks of the Kunti, a slender rivulet that forms tributary to the broad, west-f ...

in the erstwhile Valluvanad territory, now in

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. After primary schooling, he joined Kalamandalam when he was ten years old. His master was his father, under whom he learnt the art form for over a decade.

Srikrishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one of ...

n in the classical storyplay Subhadraharanam was his debut stage. Padmanabhan Nair also underwent Kathakali studies at the PSV Natyasangham, Kottakkal, before being recruited in Kalamandalam in 1951.

Publications

Padmanabhan Nair has co-authored a book on his father-guru Pattikkamthodi. But his more weighty works are ''Kathakali Vesham'' (1980) and ''Cholliyattam'' (2000), both two-volume tomes that deal with the grammar and aesthetics of classical storyplays in the highly evolved Kalluvazhi school of Kathakali of north-central Kerala. His another book is ''Attakkatha Saram'' which contains the saram of seventeen Attakkathas. He was a winner of the Government of India's 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 (1994) and the Kerala government's Kathakali Purasakaram (2006) as well as Odakkuzhal award (2004) for Malayalam literature for his book ''Natyachariante Jeevithamudrakal'' co-authored by Prof. Nhayath Balan. He was often described as the last word in Kathakali grammar for his in-depth knowledge and mastery of the technical and aesthetic elements of the art. The cholliyattam of the most stylish characters in Kathakali especially from the classic plays of Kottayath Thamburan and Kottarakkara Thamburan performed by Padmanabhan Nair and filmed by late David Bolland (London) in 1985 at Kerala Kalamandalam is considered the most valuable document by researchers and connoisseurs of Katakali to learn the rudiments of its body language. Website:www.kalapadmanabhatrust.co.in

References

Website: www.kalapadmanabhatrust.co.in {{DEFAULTSORT:Nair, Padmanabhan Dramatists and playwrights from Kerala 1928 births 2007 deaths Kathakali exponents Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Malayali people People from Palakkad district Indian art writers Indian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian male writers