Kalamandalam Sankaran Embranthiri (1944–2007) was a

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 ...

musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

, renowned for his contributions to the classical dance-drama from

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 ...

in South

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. His shruti-aligned music, combined with a distinctive voice spanning three

octaves In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...

, made him a notable figure in the field. In 1990, he suffered a major illness, impacting his career.

Biography

Early life and training

Embranthiri was born in 1944 into a

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

family in Vellayoor village,

Malappuram Malappuram (also Malapuram) () is a municipality and town in Kerala and the headquarters of the Malappuram district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Kerala, 4th largest urban agglomeration in Kerala and ...

district, Malabar. He learned Carnatic music from Govinda Pisarody before joining

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 ...

in 1958, where he studied Kathakali music under Kalamandalam Neelakantan Nambisan, Kalamandalam Gangadharan, Sivaraman Nair, and Madhava Panikkar. Madambi Subrahmanian Namboothiri, Kalamandalam Tirur Nambissan, and

Kalamandalam Hyderali Kalamandalam Hyderali (5 September 1946 – 5 January 2006) was one of the best Kathakali singers of his generation, and the first non-Hindu artiste to make a mark in the four-century-old classical dance-drama from Kerala in south India. Lif ...

also joined Kalamandalam the same year.

Career

Embranthiri began performing in the

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

region. He worked at the Unnayi Varrier Smaraka Kalanilayam in

Irinjalakuda Irinjalakuda is a municipal town in Thrissur district, Kerala, India. It is the headquarters of Irinjalakuda Revenue Division, Thrissur Rural Police and Mukundapuram Taluk. After Thrissur, this town has most number of administrative, law-enfor ...

(1965) and later at the FACT Kathakali School near

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

, where he retired as a teacher. He gained prominence in the 1970s, influencing singers like

and Venmani

Kalamandalam Haridas Kalamandalam Venmani Haridas (15 September 1946 – 17 September 2005) was an Indian Kathakali musician noted for his rendition of the Kathakali padams (playback songs) for the characters in the classical Kerala dance-drama.Born in Venmani Mana, ...

. He mentored Haridas upon his return to Kathakali after a hiatus. In 1990, Embranthiri's health declined, requiring a

kidney transplant Kidney transplant or renal transplant is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). Kidney transplant is typically classified as deceased-donor (formerly known as cadaveric) or living-donor transplantat ...

in 1991. He resumed performing but faced further challenges, including

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

and the amputation of his right leg. Despite these setbacks, he continued singing, performing from a wheelchair.

Death and legacy

Embranthiri died on 14 November 2007, in

Aluva Aluva () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality and a northern suburb of the city of Kochi in Kerala. It is located about north of the city centre. Aluva is known for the Aluva Sivarathri festival, Sivarathri festival, which is celebra ...

, near Kochi. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.

Works and musical style

A devotee of Lord

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

, Embranthiri had popular hits like "Ajitha Hare" and "Pari Pahimaam Hare". He performed Kathakali Pada ''kacheris'' (concerts) and participated in

jugalbandi A jugalbandhi or jugalbandi is a performance in Indian classical music, especially in Hindustani classical music but also in Carnatic, that features a duet of two solo musicians. The word jugalbandi means, literally, "entwined twins." The duet c ...

programmes with musicians like

Neyyattinkara Vasudevan Neyyattinkara Vasudevan (1940–13 May 2008) was a Carnatic music vocalist from Kerala in south India. The Padmasree-winning Carnatic vocalist and disciple of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Ramnad Krishnan, he combined tradition and innovati ...

, Sreevalsan J Menon, and

Ramesh Narayan Ramesh Narayan (born 3 November 1959) is an Indian Hindustani classical music, classical vocalist, composer and music producer who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. Ramesh began his initial training in Carnatic music and later mastered t ...

Recognition

Embranthiri received the

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship The Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship is an honour presented 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 Depar ...

in 2002 and the

Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram is the highest honour for musicians instituted by the Kerala State Government. It's named after Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma Sri Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma III (16 April 1813 – 26 December 1846) was the Maharaja o ...

in 2003.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Embranthiri, Kalamandalam Sankaran 1944 births 2007 deaths 20th-century Indian male classical singers Kathakali exponents Singers from Kerala People from Malappuram district Kidney transplant recipients 21st-century Indian male classical singers Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship