Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair

Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair (1916-2007) was one of the most revolutionary Kathakali artistes in the history of the classical dance-drama from Kerala, India. [http://www.indiansarts.com/kathakali/KKumaranpage.htm] Endowed with a life profile that also exposed him to several traditional Indian performing arts other than Kathakali, his stage presentation infused a fresh breath into the four-century-old art form, thanks also to his broad and deep view about the Puranas (Indian mythology) that spurred from a constant pursuit of knowledge through reading books and engaging in talks in scholars. [http://www.indiansarts.com/kathakali/KKumaranpage.htm]

Kumaran Nair was one of the very few Kathakali artistes to have had directly interacted with allied art forms like Bharatanatyam from south India and Kathak from the north of his country besides also Odissi from the eastern belt. This was besides a brush he had with Tamil cinema in his youthful days in Madras (Chennai). All these never conspired to shed the element of classicism in Kumaran Nair's Kathakali performances, instead helped his acting-dancing techniques acquire a certain grand eclecticism that won him fans across Kerala and elsewhere. In short, Kumaran Nair's style was a mix of intellect, imagination and signature body language that took care not to breach or dilute the pure grammar of Kathakali all the same. [http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/08/03/stories/2007080350090200.htm]

Kumaran Nair was easily one of the best all-rounder Kathakali artistes of his times. It was for Hanuman roles that he was known best towards the autumn of his life, but Kumaran Nair shone in almost all the roles he handled -- be it the virtuous pachcha, the anti-hero Kaththi, the red- or black-bearded thadi roles or minukkku roles like the protagonist Brahmana in the storyplay Santanagopalam. His portrayal of the characters revelled in histrionics that stemmed from his own understanding of their life history, yet their presentation was steeped in classicism. More than facial emotions, Kumaran Nair used his body to express feelings of the character in a given situation. His improvisations over the complex movements of ashtakalasam, a pure-dance piece that symbolises ecstasy, possibly defined its best.

A native of Vellinezhi, one of Kathakali's nerve-centres in Palakkad district, Kumaran Nair was primarily groomed -- from as early as the age of five -- in the highly evolved Kalluvazhi style by none other than its grand master, Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon. His classmates at Kerala Kalamandalam included the legendary Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair (1914-1990), but on completion of his studies found the conditions in Kerala not exactly promising a bright future for him as a Kathakali artiste.

Much to the sorrow of his guru Pattikkamthodi, Kumaran Nair shifted base to Madras, where he gained name a master of choreography by teaching dance (for songs) to Tamil cine star Ranjan. During this span, Kumaran Nair also worked closely with the film icon M.G. Ramachandran, who later switched over to politics and became the state's chief minister.

He soon returned to Kalamandalam as a tutor, where circumstamces subsequently forced him to work with the dance section. An unhappy Kumaran Nair quit his alma-mater. He later worked with several Kathakali schools like PSV Natyasangham, Kottakkal; Kalasadanam, Chunangad and Varanakkottu Kaliyogam, Payyannur; but his longest stints were in Gandhi Seva Sadan (Sadanam Kathakali and Classical Arts Academy) at Peroor in Palakkad district and the International Centre for Kathakali in New Delhi. Kumaran Nair is a recipient of the Padma Shri award (2004), the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi award, the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi fellowship and the Kalamandalam award, among others.

It was during his Sadanam stint that Kumaran Nair earned much of his major disciples. Among them are Sadanam Krishnankutty, Sadanam Ramankutty, Sadanam Balakrishnan, Narippatta Narayanan Namboodiri, Sadanam K. Harikumaran and Pariyanampatta Divakaran. At Kalamandalam too, he had Kalamandalam Gopi and Kalamandalam Kuttan among his prominent pupils.

Kumaran Nair retired from stage three years before his death in 2007, and led a totally reclusive life in his house in a quite, northern corner of his native Vellinezhi. [http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IER20070726042616&Page=R&Title=Kerala&Topic=0]