Late Shri Guru Painkulam Raman Chakyar was a

Chakyar Koothu Chakyar Koothu (pronounced ) is a performance art from Kerala, India. It is primarily a type of highly refined monologue where the performer narrates episodes from Hindu epics (such as the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata'') and stories from ...

and

Koodiyattam Koodiyattam ( ml, കൂടിയാട്ടം; 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 perfo ...

performer. He won the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award in 1980. He was also a teacher of Vachika Abhinaya in both Chakyar Koothu and Koodiyattam.

Life

Starting in 1925, he performed regular programmes in various temples and religious places spread all over

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 ...

. He is credited with first bringing this artform outside the temples and closer to general audiences. He directed, supervised, and participated in more than 100 Koodiyattam plays, which he edited and condensed for contemporary audiences while striving to maintain artistic integrity and authenticity. He had more than 1000 stage appearances in different roles, besides being a regular participant in All India Radio programmes. He produced and staged the 2nd Act of Sakunthalam, 3rd Act of Nagananda and Jadayuvadhanam in Ascharyachoodamani. He also supervised and participated in the production of a colour documentary film on koodiyattam in 1974. The Prahasa named ''

Bhagavadajjukam The ''Bhagavadajjukam'' (Sanskrit; translated as ''The Ascetic and the Courtesan'' or ''The Hermit and the Harlot'') is a Sanskrit farce composed in the 7th century CE, usually attributed to Bodhayana. However, inscriptional and scholarly eviden ...

'' of Bodhayana was also one of his productions. In 1980, he spread international awareness of "Chakyar Koothu" and Koodiyattam, by mentoring a few European students and facilitating them in leading his troupe on a European tour including Germany, France, and Poland, which was made possible by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations and their European counterparts.

External links

Shree Painkulam Raman Chakyar Official site
{{Authority control Dancers from Kerala People from Thrissur district Indian male dancers Koodiyattam exponents 20th-century Indian dancers