Sadanam Puthiya Veettil Balakrishnan popularly known as Sadanam Balakrishnan is an exponent 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 ...

, a form of Indian classical dance, from

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 C ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. He has received several notable awards, including the

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 recognit ...

in 2003, Kerala state Kathakali award in 2020, and

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 ...

fellowship in 2017. Balakrishnan taught Kathakali at the International Center for Kathakali in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...

from 1974 to 2006 and became the Principal of Perur Gandhi Seva Sadanam in 1980. He has written four books.

Biography

Puthiya Veettil Balakrishnan was born in 1944 in

Taliparamba Taliparamba (also known as Perinchelloor and Lakshmipuram) is a Municipality in Taliparamba taluk of Kannur district, Kerala, India. The municipal town spreads over an area of and is inhabited by 44,247 number of people. Etymology Th ...

, Kannur district to A. V. Krishnan and Umayamma. He first studied Kathakali from Kondiveettil Narayanan Nair and later studied at Gandhi Sevasadanam Kathakali Academy under Thekkinkatil Rammuni Nair and

Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair (1916–2007) was a Kathakali artists from Kerala, India. Endowed and equip with a life profile that also show him to several traditional Indian performing arts other than Kathakali, his stage presentation infused a fres ...

for ten years with a Central Government Scholarship. He is specialized in the ''Kalluvazhi'' style of Kathakali performance. He joined as a teacher in Kathakali at the International Center for Kathakali in Delhi in 1974, took charge as its Principal and Chief Artiste in 1980 and retired in 2006. After the retirement of Keezpadam Kumaran Nair in 1980, he became the Principal of Perur Gandhi Seva Sadanam. He proved his mettle in all disciplines of Kathakali including acting, choreography, direction and teaching. Balakrishnan has also written four books. Among the published books, ''Kathakali'' () is part of a series on the six classical Indian dances, published by Wisdom Tree and another ''Kathakali: A Practitioner’s Perspective'' was published by Poorna Publications. Two books are about to publish soon. One is a compilation of 14 Aattakatha texts and other is about his Guru Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair.

Awards and honors

2003 *Kerala state Kathakali award 2020 *

fellowship 2017 *Kerala Kalamandalam Award 2007 *Natyarathanam Kannan Pattali Kathakali Trust's Natyacharya Award 2021 *Swathi Thirunal Nadalaya Award 1986 *Mookambika Kathakali Vidyalaya Award 2003 *Natana Bhaskara Award 2003 from Bharata Kalanjali and Bhaskara * 2006 "Guru Pattikamthodi Smaraka Puraskara" from Gandhi Seva Sadanam Kathakali Academy *Natyakalaratnam and Gold Medal from Mattannur Mahadeva Kshetram & Mattannur Pancha Vadya Sangham 2007 *"Guru Sree" Award from Kaladarpan 2008 *Kalamandalam Krishnan Kutty Poduval Smaraka Award 2009 *Dr. K.N.Pisharody Smaraka Award 2010 from K.N. Pisharody Smaraka Kathakali Club *"Nritya Sagaram Award" 2015 from Cleveland Bhairavi Finance Society *First International Center for Kathakali Award 2015 *Gold Medal in the event ''Mudralaya'' in London 1990

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balakrishnan, Sadanam P. V. 1944 births Living people 20th-century Indian dancers Dancers from Kerala Kathakali exponents People from Kannur district Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Malayali people Indian male dancers