Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri, popularly known as Kaithapram, is a Malayalam

lyricist A lyricist is a writer who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income derives ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

music director A music director, musical director or director of music is a person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

music therapist Music therapy, an allied health profession, "is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music ...

and performer of

Carnatic music Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha. It is o ...

. He debuted with the movie Ennennum Kannettante in 1986. He won the

Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyricist The Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyricist is an honour, begun in 1969, presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to a lyricist for best lyrics in a Malayalam cinema, Malayalam film. Until 1997, the awards were managed direct ...

two times. He was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian honour

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), 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. In ...

in 2021 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 ...

for his contribution to the field of art.

Life and career

Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri was born as the eldest son of Keshavan Namboothiri (popularly known as Kannadi Bhagavathar, a disciple of

Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar (born Vaidyanatha Iyer, 28 August 1896 – 16 October 1974) was an Indian Carnatic music singer from Kerala. He was born in Vatakara, Kerala, and moved to Palakkad along with his family during his childhood.L. R. ...

) and Aditi Antharjanam in Kaithapram village in

Payyanur Payyanur (), is a municipal town and a taluk, a sub-district administrative unit, in the Kannur district of Kerala, India. Payyanur is the first municipality in Kerala to establish libraries in all its wards. On 10 March 2018, Kerala Chief Min ...

Taluk of

Kannur district Kannur () is one of the 14 Districts of Kerala, districts along the west coast in the state of Kerala, India. The city of Kannur is the district headquarters and gives the district its name. The old name, Cannanore, is the anglicized form of th ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

, on 4 August 1950 and he is currently residing in Thiruvannur in

Kozhikode District Kozhikode (), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, along its southwestern Malabar Coast. The city of Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, is the district headquarters. The Kozhikode Municipal Corporation has a corporation l ...

. He has four siblings, among whom the youngest,

Kaithapram Viswanathan Kaithapram Vishwanathan Namboothiri (1963 – 29 December 2021) was an Indian musician and music director. He was awarded Kerala State Film Award for Best Background Music in 2001 for his background music for Kannaki (film), Kannaki. Life and ...

, was also a popular Carnatic musician and music director. Kaithapram village is famous for maintaining old vedic traditions. He got his

Veda FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...

education from his grandfather. Later on he continued his education under well-known gurus (teachers) including Pazhassi Thamburan (a descendant of

Pazhassi Raja Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja () (3 January 1753 – 30 November 1805), also known as Cotiote Rajah and Pychy Rajah, was the '' de facto'' head of the Kottayam Kingdom in the Malabar region of Kerala between 1774 and 1805. His struggles with the ...

) and SVS Narayanan. He pursued his studies in acting and music at Natyagruha. He is married to Devi Antharjanam who is the daughter of actor

Unnikrishnan Namboothiri Korom Pulleri Vadhayarillathu Unnikrishnan Namboothiri (19 October 1923 20 January 2021) was an Indian actor in Malayalam movies. He mainly handled comedy roles and grandfather roles. His role as Dileep's grand father in the Malayalam movie K ...

; they have two children, Deepankuran and Devadarshan. His elder son Deepankuran is a Music composer as well as singer who has composed Music for various films. Kaithapram Damodaran's youngest brother,

, is a Malayalam cinema music director who runs the Sruthilaya Music School at Payyanur. Kaithapram made his entry into

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 ...

as a lyricist for the song ''Devadundubhi Sandralayam'' in the film '' Ennennum Kannettante'' which was directed by Fazil and music composed by

Jerry Amaldev Jerome Thomas Veleeparambil, more popularly known by his stage name Jerry Amaldev (born 15 April 1939) is a three-time Kerala State Film Awards winning Indian composer of film scores who has given music to some of the most important motion pict ...

and all of the songs become popular Since then he has written lyrics for more than 346 films. He has also acted in many films, including ''Swathithirunal'', ''

Aryan ''Aryan'' (), or ''Arya'' (borrowed from Sanskrit ''ārya''), Oxford English Dictionary Online 2024, s.v. ''Aryan'' (adj. & n.); ''Arya'' (n.)''.'' is a term originating from the ethno-cultural self-designation of the Indo-Iranians. It stood ...

'', '' His Highness Abdulla'', and the film '' Theerthadanam'', based on the story of famous Malayalam writer

M.T. Vasudevan Nair Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Narayanan Nair (15 July 1933 – 25 December 2024) was an Indian author, lecturer, screenplay writer and film director. He was a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and was one of the mast ...

. He has played the character of a classical or semi-classical singer in most of the films. The songs from '' Desadanam'', his first film as a music composer, were a hit. The film ''Sopanam'', directed by Shri Jayaraj, was based on a story and screenplay written by Kaithapram. Kaithapram has established a cherished position in the Malayali heart with his beautiful yet simple artistic renderings. He has written both prose and poems and his books are also widely accepted. His appeal is closer to younger hearts and the success of ''Kanner Poovinte'' has brought this aspect into fresh focus. His lyrics often express the deep love and regard that make the average Malayali home sick. He sings in public concerts and for various causes. He has won several awards as a lyricist. His charming and helpful attitude, readiness to help and ability to be one among the music lovers, have made him a legend in his own time. As a lyricist, Kaithapram made songs with almost all major music composers of his time. But, most of his popular songs were composed by

Johnson Johnson may refer to: People and fictional characters *Johnson (surname), a common surname in English * Johnson (given name), a list of people * List of people with surname Johnson, including fictional characters *Johnson (composer) (1953–2011) ...

. The duo made songs for around 35 films, and most of them have superhit songs. He also made numerous songs with

Mohan Sithara Mohan Sithara (born 30 May 1959) is an Indian music composer. He received the Kerala State Film Award for the Best Music Director (2009) for the songs in Priyanandan's ''Soofi Paranja Kadha''. Since 1986 he has been an active musician in the Mal ...

Raveendran Madhavan Raveendran (born Kulathupuzha, Kollam, 9 November 1943 – died Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 3 March 2005), also known as Raveendran Master, was a South Indian music composer and playback singer from Kerala. He composed songs for more tha ...

Ouseppachan Mechery Louis Ouseppachan (born 13 September 1955), known mononymously as Ouseppachan, is an Indian film composer and singer who primarily works in Malayalam films. He is a recipient of National Film Award, Filmfare Award and Kerala State Fil ...

, S. P. Venkatesh, Vidyasagar,

Jassie Gift Jassie Gift is an Indian cinematic music composer and playback singer. He composes songs and sings for Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. He became famous after the release of the song "Lajjavathiye" from the film '' 4 The People''. ...

and so on. Shri Kaithapram is also the Managing Trustee of Swathithirunal Kala Kendram (Music School) at Kozhikode, which caters to more than 400 music students. He has received numerous awards from various government and cultural organisations in Kerala. He has popularised and promoted the application of music for therapeutic purposes through the Music Therapy Foundation. Many have benefited from the systematic music therapy sessions conducted all over Kerala.

Discography

Awards

; Civilian honours * 2021 –

;

Kerala State Film Awards The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...

* 1993 – Best Lyricist: '' Paithrukam'' * 1996 – Best Lyricist: ''

Azhakiya Ravanan ''Azhakiya Ravanan'' (Handsome Ravanan) is a 1996 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy-drama film directed by Kamal and written by Sreenivasan. The film has an ensemble cast of Mammootty, Bhanupriya, Sreenivasan, Innocent, Biju Me ...

'' * 1997 – Best Music Director: '' Karunyam'' ;

Kerala Film Critics Association Awards The Kerala Film Critics Association Awards are presented annually by the Kerala Film Critics Association to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Malayalam language film industry of India. The awards were instit ...

"കേരള ഫിലിം ക്രിട്ടിക്‌സ് അവാര്‍ഡ് 1977 - 2012"
(in Malayalam). Kerala Film Critics Association. Retrieved 22 April 2024. * 1990 – Best Lyricist: ''

Innale ''Innale'' () is a 1990 Malayalam-language psychological drama film written and directed by P. Padmarajan. The film was produced by Ashraf and Rasheed under the banner A. B. R. Productions. The film stars Jayaram, Suresh Gopi, Shobhana, and Sri ...

'' * 1992 – Best Lyricist: ''

Kudumbasametham ''Kudumbasametham'' is a 1992 Malayalam film written by Kaloor Dennis and directed by Jayaraj. The film was produced by Mumthaz Basheer under the banner of Simple Productions. It stars Manoj K. Jayan, Madhu, Monisha and Kaviyoor Ponnamma in ...

'', ''

Kamaladalam ''Kamaladalam'' () is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language musical drama film written by A. K. Lohithadas and directed by Sibi Malayil, starring Mohanlal, Murali, Vineeth, Nedumudi Venu, Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair, Monisha, Parvathy Jayaram a ...

'', '' Savidham'' * 1996 – Best Lyricist: ''

Sallapam ''Sallapam'' is a 1996 Malayalam-language romantic drama film directed by Sundar Das and written by A. K. Lohithadas, starring Manoj K. Jayan, Dileep and Manju Warrier in the lead roles.The music was composed by Johnson. The film was remade in T ...

'', '' Desadanam'' * 1997 – Best Music Director: '' Ennu Swantham Janakikutty'', '' Kaliyattam'' * 1998 – Best Lyricist: '' Agnisakshi'', ''Ormacheppu'' * 2002 – Best Lyricist: ''

Yathrakarude Sradhakku ''Yathrakarude Sradhakku'' () is a 2002 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan, starring Jayaram, Soundarya (in her Malayalam debut) and Innocent in pivotal roles. The film depicts th ...

'' * 2010 – Best Lyricist: ''

Holidays A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

'' ;

Filmfare Awards South The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...

*1996 – Best Music Director: '' Desadanam'' *1997 – Best Music Director: '' Kaliyattam'' ;

Asianet Film Awards The Asianet Film Awards is an award ceremony for films presented annually by Asianet, a Malayalam-language television network from the south-Indian state of Kerala. Asianet says an awards ceremony has been instituted to honour artistic and ...

* 2005 – Best Lyricist Award: '' Anandabhadram''

References

Ear to a cure

The website of Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri

Kaithapram

Hits of Kaithapram

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Namboothiri, Kaithapram Damodaran Malayalam-language lyricists Malayali people People from Kannur district Kerala State Film Award winners Living people Malayalam film directors 1950 births Film musicians from Kerala Screenwriters from Kerala Poets from Kerala 20th-century Indian poets 21st-century Indian poets 20th-century Indian composers 21st-century Indian composers