Kavalam Narayana Panikkar (1 May 1928 – 26 June 2016) was an Indian dramatist, theatre director, and poet. He has written over 26 Malayalam plays, many adapted from classical

Sanskrit drama The term Indian classical drama refers to the tradition of dramatic literature and performance in ancient India. The roots of drama in the Indian subcontinent can be traced back to the Rigveda (1200-1500 BCE), which contains a number of hymns in ...

and

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

, notably Kalidasa's ''Vikramorvasiyam'' (1981, 1996), ''Shakuntalam'' (1982), Bhasa's ''Madhyamavyayogam'' (1979), ''Karnabharam'' (1984, 2001), ''Uru Bhangam'' (1988), ''Swapnavasavadattam'', and ''Dootavakyam'' (1996). He was the founder director of theatre troupe, Sopanam, which led to the foundation of Bhashabharati: Centre for Performing Arts, Training and Research, in

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...

. He was awarded the

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

for Direction in 1983 by

Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English language, English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. It is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture (India) ...

, and its highest award for lifetime achievement, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 2002. In 2007, he was awarded the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

in the field of Arts, by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

. He died in his residence on 26 June 2016, aged 88, a few days after returning from the hospital.

Early life and education

He was born in the village of

Kavalam Kavalam is a village in Kuttanadu, Kerala state, Alappuzha District. India. Location Kavalam is located on the borders of Alapuzha and Kottayam districts, on the banks of Vembanad Lake. Environment The Pampa river flows through the village to ...

, into an ancient family from

Kuttanad Kuttanad is a river delta landscape region in the state of Kerala, India, known for its vast paddy fields and geographical peculiarities. It is in the Districts of Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta. The region has the lowest altitude in ...

in Alappuzha, Kerala, India. His family name is Chalayil and he was a nephew of Sardar Kavalam Madhava Panikkar and a cousin of Dr. K. Ayyappa Panicker, a

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

poet. He attended CMS College in

Kottayam Kottayam () is a city in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kottayam has a population of ...

, whose alumni included K. P. S. Menon and his uncle Sardar K. M. Panikkar. He obtained a degree in economics from Sanatana Dharma College (SD College), Alappuzha and later a Bachelor of Law degree from Madras Law College.

Career

He started his career as a lawyer in 1955 and practised law for six years before devoting himself to art and literature. In 1961 he was nominated as Secretary of Kerala Sangeetha Nadaka Academy, Thrissur and shifted his base to

Thrissur Thrissur (, ), Renaming of cities in India, formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Ke ...

, the cultural capital of Kerala. His work has always been rooted in both the classical and folk traditions of Kerala. Kavalam Narayana Panicker Image1

In 1974, Kavalam shifted his residence to the state capital

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

. In this period his play ''Avanavan Kadamba'' was filmed by G. Aravindan. He has worked in many countries, including the former

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. In

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

he worked with Greek artists on a production of the ''Ilyayana'', a fusion of the Indian

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

and the Greek epic

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...

. He has directed two movies about the greatest

Kutiyattam Koodiyattam (; IAST: kūṭiyāṭṭaṁ; ) is a traditional performing art form in the state of Kerala, India. It is a combination of ancient Sanskrit theatre with elements of ''Koothu'', an ancient performing art from the Sangam era. It is ...

maestro legendary actor Guru

Mani Madhava Chakyar Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar (IAST: ''Māṇi Mādhava Cākyār'') (15 February 1899 – 14 January 1990) was a celebrated master performance artist and Sanskrit scholar from Kerala, India, considered to be the greatest Chakyar Koothu and Koodiy ...

: '' Mani Madhava Chakyar: The Master at Work'' (1994) and ''Parvati Viraham'' (1993) in Kuttiyattam form featuring Mani Madhava Chakyar as

Ravana According to the Mahakavya, Hindu epic, ''Ramayana'', Ravana was a kingJustin W. Henry, ''Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below'', Oxford University Press, p.3 of the island of Lanka, in which he is the chief antag ...

. As a lyricist in

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...

, he has written for films like ''Ulsavapittennu'', '' Manjadikuru'' (2008), ''Vadakakkoru Hridayam'' (1978) and '' Marmaram'' (1982). He won

Kerala State Film Award The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a cinema of kerala, motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs (Kerala), Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and sin ...

for Best Lyrics for the latter two films. In 1993 Erin B. Mee directed his play ''Ottayan'' in New York City. The Village Voice said: "the haunting pungency of a rich Asian folk-theatre tradition shines through every stylized gesture." Erin B. Mee devotes an entire chapter of her book ''Theatre of Roots'' to Panikkar's work. His work is also the subject of the volume ''K.N. Panikkar: The Theatre of Rasa'' edited by Udayan Vajpeyi. His play ''Aramba Chekkan'' is included in ''Drama Contemporary: India'', edited by Erin B. Mee and Erin B. Mee conducted an interview with him for PAJ magazine and his work is the subject of an interview by Erin B. Mee in Seagull Theatre Quarterly: 1995 "The Use of Folk Philosophy in Kavalam Narayana Panikkar's Poetic Theatre of Transformation." Seagull Theatre Quarterly 7:58-62. He has remained a consultant at Asianet Communications and vice-chairman for

, New Delhi.

Personal life

Kavalam lived in

with his wife Saradamani and also had another house in his native village of Kavalam. He had two sons Kavalam Harikrishnan and Kavalam Sreekumar. Kavalam Harikrishnan, the elder son, served as Bhasabharathi's Chief contact person before he died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

in October 2009. His younger son Kavalam Sreekumar, is a singer in Kerala. Sreekumar sang folk and light music numbers over three decades. He also sang for

Malayalam films Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...

over the years.

Awards and recognition

He was awarded

in 1983 and Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 2002 and the

civilian decoration in 2007. He received the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship in 2000. He has won

for Best Lyrics twice, in 1978 for ''Vadakakkoru Hridayam'' and in 1982 for '' Marmaram'', and the Kalidas Samman by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in (1994–1995). ;Other * 2013 – TTK Prestige-Vanitha Film Awards – Best Lyricist – '' Amen'' Best Male Singer * 2013 –

Asiavision Awards Asiavision Awards have been held annually since 2006 to honor the artistes and technicians of Indian cinema and television & is organized under the leadership of renowned journalist Nissar Syed. More than 40,000 people across United Arab Emirates ...

– Best Lyricist

Works

* ''The Right to rule (Kōyma) ; and, The domain of the sun (Sūryasthāna)''. Seagull Books, 1989. . * ''Folklore of Kerala''. National Book Trust, India, 1991. * ''Karimkutty ; and, The lone tusker''. Seagull Books, 1991. .

References

Bibliography

* Mee, Erin B. 2008 ''Theatre of Roots: Redirecting the Modern Indian Stage''. Seagull Books. * Mee, Erin B. 1995. "Kavalam Narayana Panikkar: Meaning Into Action." PAJ #55. * Mee, Erin B. 1995 "The Use of Folk Philosophy in Kavalam Narayana Panikkar's Poetic Theatre of Transformation." Seagull Theatre Quarterly 7:58-62. * Panikkar, K. N. "Aramba Chekkan" In Mee, Erin B. ed. 2001. ''DramaContemporary:India''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press * *

External links

Hits of Kavalam Narayana Panikkar

– a detailed profile of Kavalam Narayana Paniker.
BhashaBharati, website

Kavalam Narayana Panicker at MSI
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panicker, Kavalam Narayana Narayana, Panicker Narayana, Panicker Indian male dramatists and playwrights Indian theatre directors Writers from Alappuzha district Narayana, Panicker Narayana, Panicker Narayana, Panicker Narayana, Panicker Kerala State Film Award winners Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship Malayalam-language dramatists and playwrights Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award 20th-century Indian poets Dramatists and playwrights from Kerala 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights CMS College Kottayam alumni Poets from Kerala 20th-century Indian male writers Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship