Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair (25 May 1925 – 11 March 2013) was a performer of

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 ...

, who practiced the

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 Ca ...

art form for more than seven decades.

Biography

His guru was

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 ...

, his only teacher in his entire career. Both hail from

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 ...

, which is still known for producing many Kathakali artistes, 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 munici ...

district. Ramankutty Nair had served in his alma mater,

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 ...

, and went on to become its principal. Born in 1925, Ramankutty Nair hailed from a family with no Kathakali pedigree. But Ravunni Menon, a resident tutor at the renowned

Olappamanna Mana Olappamanna Mana is a heritage building, the ancestral home of a Nambuthiri family by name, ''Olappammanna''. The building, an ''Ettukettu'', constructed in Kerala architectural style, is situated in Vellinezhi, a village on the banks of Kunthi ...

(a mansion of the upper-caste

Nambudiri The Nambudiri (), also transliterated as Nampoothiri, Nambūdiri, Namboodiri, Nampoothiri, and Nampūtiri, are a Malayali Brahmin caste, native to what is now the state of Kerala, India, where they constituted part of the traditional feudal e ...

s) was an overarching presence in the cultural scene of the village, and soon little Ramankutty too fell under his spell. At

, where he subsequently mastered the art, Ramankutty Nair later sculpted out several disciples, the most prominent among them being Kalamandalam Gopi besides

Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody (15 August 1943 – 1 December 2022) was an Indian Kathakali actor known for his classical dance-drama of Kerala. A frontline disciple of Padma Shri Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair, he exceled in virtuous , anti-hero Kathi an ...

, M.P.S. Namboodiri, Balasubramanian and the late K. Gopalakrishnan. Many of the younger generation Kathakali artistes from Kalamandalam, like Soman and Shanmughan, too have had Ramankutty Nair as their guru for advanced training. (He retired as principal of Kalamandalam in 1985). In his later years, Ramankutty Nair was the chairman of

Gandhi Seva Sadan Gandhi Seva Sadan is a Kathakali institution located in Perur village, some 12 kilometres east of Ottapalam in Palakkad district of north-central Kerala in southern India. It was founded in 1953 by the (late) Gandhian and freedom fighter K. Kum ...

, or Sadanam Kathakali Akademi as it is better known. Active as an artiste till the age of 85, he performed across Kerala, and graced stages in the rest of India and several countries of the world. He was well known for his roles of Ravana in plays such as ' Thoranayudham' and '

Ravanolbhavam Ravanolbhavam (The Origin of Ravana) is a Kathakali play( Aattakatha) authored by Kallekulangara Raghava Pisharodi in Malayalam. Based on the Ramayana, it narrates the story surrounding the origin of Ravana and his rise to power following his pe ...

', Narakasura in ' Narakasuravadham', Duryodhana in ' Uttaraswayamvaram', Sisupala in 'Rajasooyam', Hanuman in ' Kalyanasaugandhikam', 'Thoranayudham' and 'Lavanasuravadham', Keechaka in '

Keechakavadham Keechakavadham (The Slaying of Keechaka) is a Kathakali play( Aattakatha) authored by Irayimman Thampi in Malayalam. Based on the Mahabharatha, it narrates an episode from the thirteenth year of exile of the Pandava princes, during which they stay ...

', Dharmaputra in ' Kirmeeravadham' and Arjuna in ' Kalakeyavadham'. Another famous role is that of Parasurama in '

Seethaswayamvaram {{Use Indian English, date=December 2019 Seethaswayamvaram (Seetha's Wedding) is a Kathakali play ( Aattakatha) authored by Kottarakara Thampuran in Malayalam. Based on the Ramayana, it narrates the events surrounding the marriage of Rama and Seeth ...

', the costume of which was of his own design. The generally reticent Ramankutty Nair, who has penned an autobiography named Thiranottam, was a winner of the coveted

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan 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 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

award of the

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

. Renowned filmmaker

Adoor Gopalakrishnan Adoor Gopalakrishnan (born 3 July 1941) is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer and is regarded as one of the most notable and renowned filmmakers in India. With the release of his first feature film '' Swayamvaram'' (1972), Go ...

has made an eponymous documentary on Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair. of

, and is a film by the same name on him by

Personal life

The master lived in his native Vellinezhi with his wife Saraswati. On 15 May 2009, he celebrated his 'satabhishekam' (84th birthday) amid fanfare in the nearest town of

Cherpulassery Cherpulassery (also known by its former name Cherpulacherry) is a town and municipality in the Palakkad district, of Kerala, India. Cherpulassery is often called the Sabarimala of Malabar as the famous Ayyappankavu temple is located here . The ...

. Ramankutty Nair died on 11 March 2013 at age 87.

Awards

* 1974 –

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: 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 ...

* 2004 –

Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, also known as Akademi Ratna Sadasyata, is an Indian honour for the performing arts presented by Sangeet Natak Academy. It is "the most prestigious and rare honour" conferred by the Academy and is "restricte ...

* 2007 –

* 2010 –

Honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

by Cochin University of Science and Technology

Sources

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nair, Ramankutty 1925 births 2013 deaths Male actors from Kerala Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts People from Palakkad district Malayali people Kathakali exponents Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Dancers from Kerala Indian male dancers Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship