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

Kathakali ''Kathakali'' (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: Kathakaḷi ) is a traditional form of Indian Classical Dance, and one of the most complex forms of Theatre of India, Indian theatre. It is a play of verses. These vers ...

, who practiced the

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 ...

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 sout ...

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

Vellinezhi Vellinezhi is a small yet culturally crucial village located in the 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, we ...

, which is still known for producing many Kathakali artistes, in

Palakkad Palakkad (), Renaming of cities in India, also known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery, is a city and a municipality in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of P ...

district. Ramankutty Nair had served in his alma mater,

Kerala Kalamandalam Kerala Kalamandalam, a deemed-to-be-University of Art and Culture by the Government of India, is a major centre for learning Indian performing arts, especially those that developed in the country's southern states, with special emphasis on tho ...

, 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 Architecture of Kerala, Kerala architectural style, is situated in Vellinezhi, a village ...

(a mansion of the upper-caste

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

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, 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', Narakasura in ' Narakasuravadham', Duryodhana in ' Uttaraswayamvaram', Sisupala in 'Rajasooyam', Hanuman in '

Kalyanasaugandhikam {{Use Indian English, date=December 2019 Kalyanasaugandhikam is a Kathakali play ( ''aattakatha'') attributed to Kottayathu Thampuran. Based on the Mahabharatha, the play narrates an episode from the life of the Pandava princes in exile. Bheema se ...

', 'Thoranayudham' and 'Lavanasuravadham', Keechaka in ' Keechakavadham', Dharmaputra in '

Kirmeeravadham Kirmeeravadham (The Slaying of Kirmeera) is a Kathakali play (Aattakatha (performance), Aattakatha) written by Kottayam Thampuran (also known as Kottayathu Thampuran) in Malayalam. Based on the Mahabharatha, the story concerns itself with events ...

' and Arjuna in '

Kalakeyavadham Kalakeyavadham (The Slaying of Kalakeya) is a Kathakali play ( Aattakatha) written by Kottayam Thampuran (also known as Kottayathu Thampuran) in Malayalam.Based on the Mahabharatha, the play describes the events surrounding the Pandava prince Arj ...

'. Another famous role is that of Parasurama in ' Seethaswayamvaram', 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 (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 ...

award of 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 ...

. 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), G ...

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 (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 ...

* 1985 –

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award is an award given by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Department of Cultu ...

* 2004 – Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship * 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 hon ...

Cochin University of Science and Technology Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) is a state government-owned autonomous university in Kochi, Kerala, India. It was founded in 1971 and has three campuses: two in Kochi (Kalamassery and Ernakulam) and one in Kuttanad, Alapp ...

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 Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award