Simhalan Madhava Panicker

Infobox Person
name = Simhalan Madhava panicker
residence = Pynkulam, Chennai, India


imagesize = 150px
birth_date = 1930
death_date = 5 March 2004
birth_place = Cochin, Kerala, India (കൊച്ചി,േകരളം, भारत गणराज्य)
birth_name = Kunhuvarkkypulla Simhalan
occupation = dancer, martial artist, actor
title = Kalari Gurukkal, Marma Adi Gurukkal
teachers = Balan Gurukkal
religion = Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam
website = [http://www.kalaripayatt.co.uk/simhala-kalari.html Simhala Kalari]

Simhalan Madhava Panicker is well known South Asian Martial artist, Film actor Born in to a family of plantation farmers in Kerala in 1930. He left home at tender age of 8 and found his way in his life through travel around corners of India and constant passion for martial art and acting. He was an expert and authority in "Varma Kalari", a division of the ancient martial art, Kalarippayattu.

Varma Kalari

The martial art of "Varma Kalari" involves attacking the opponent at specific vital points of the body to cause maximum injury as well as revival of the same. These vital points are to be junction points or nerve nodes, which when struck from a specific angle and with a particular speed can result in temporary paralysis, extreme pain, and loss of consciousness or even immediate or delayed death. This can be executed efficiently only by an expert after decades of training.

"Simbhalan Panicker" has learnt Northern and Sothern style of Kalarippayattu for 18 years from many teachers and specialised in Varma Kalari, which he trained for many years from "Balan Gurukkal". From then on, he has been practicing, improvising and developing his own vocabulary of the form. As he was a trained dancer, boxer and street fight, he assimilated the artform into highest level of perfection.

He set up [http://www.kalaripayatt.co.uk Simhala Kalari] in 1975 had association with his contemporay martial artists like Chandrashekharan Gurukkal and Vallabhatta Vishwanathan Gurukkal. Among is disciples where Sensai Moses Thilak, Master Manoharan and Karate Mani.

Like all martial art masters, Panickar Gurukkal, (as he is popularly known), is secretive about his skills in "Varma Kalari" and has taught very few students, all of them renowned martial art masters in Southern India. In 1983, he was featured as the 'most dangerous man' in a book and documentary released by BBC called 'Way Of The Warrior' which chronicles the various martial art forms of the world.

Panickar Gurukkal has many more dimensions than martial arts alone. He was an actor with many films (more than 175 movies credited) and theatre credential, and taught at Film and TV Institute of Tamil Nadu, Chennai, India.

He moved to kerala with "Simhala Kalari" in 1998. He died on March 2004 March survived by his daughter Jasmine Simhalan noted Kalarippayattu, Silambam martial artist in UK, and Jaison Simhalan Martial Artist and Actor and his wife Chinnamma . They are continuing his vision of greater participation of community in Kalari.

External links

* [http://www.kalaripayatt.co.uk simhala kalari]
* [http://www.chennaibest.com/discoverchennai/personalities/others1.asp#sp chennaibest article]
* [http://www.kalaripayatt.co.uk/about-simhalan.html]
* [http://www.spa.ex.ac.uk/drama/staff/kalari/healharm.html To Heal and/or To Harm: The Vital Spots (Marmmam/Varmam) in Two South Indian Martial Traditions] . Phillip Zarrilli, University of Wisconsin-Madison.