Kavalappara Narayanan Nair (1882–1948) was a prominent 20th-century Kathakali artiste and tutor who specialised in the Hanuman roles of the classical dance-drama from Kerala in south India.[citation needed]
Kathakali is one of the major forms of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colorful make-up, costumes and facemasks that the traditionally male actor-dancers wear. Kathakali is a Hindu performance art in the Malayalam-speaking southwestern region of India (Kerala).
In Hinduism, Hanuman is an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. Lord Hanuman, known as the Lord of Celibacy was an ideal "Brahmachari" or called Naistika Brahmachari in Sanskrit and is one of the central characters of the Indian Epic Ramayana. As one of the Chiranjivi, he is also mentioned in several other texts, such as the Mahabharata and the various Puranas. Hanuman is the son of Anjani and Kesari and is also son of the wind-god Vayu, who according to several stories, played a role in his birth.
Kerala, locally known as Keralam, is a state on the southwestern, Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions. Spread over 38,863 km2 (15,005 sq mi), Kerala is the twenty-second largest Indian state by area. It is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea and Arabian Sea to the west. With 33,387,677 inhabitants as per the 2011 Census, Kerala is the thirteenth-largest Indian state by population. It is divided into 14 districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state.
A contemporary of greats like Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon and Guru Kunchu Kurup, Narayanan Nair also shone in virtuous slots like Bahukan and Brihannala, anti-hero roles like Shishupalan and Keechakan, grotesque characters like Raudra Bhiman and even minor roles like Mannaan, Aanakkaran, Narasimham, Bheeru and Yavanan. His ability to instantaneously improvise on the stage by employing realistic touches to facial expressions and hand gestures won him massive following in south Kerala's Travancore belt as well. In fact, Narayanan Nair was the only northerner Kathakali artiste to figure on the regular pay rolls of the royal palace in Thiruvananthapuram.
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 south India. He was trained in the art form at a culture-patronising Namboodiri mansion in Vellinezhi near his home, even as his genius ensured that Menon later redrew the aesthetics of Kathakali and its future profile altogether.
Shishupala was the son of Damaghosha, king of Chedi, by Srutashrava, sister of Vasudeva and Kunti. He was slain by Krishna, his cousin and an avatar of Vishnu, at the great coronation ceremony of Yudhishthira in punishment for the opprobrious abuse made against his august personage. He was also called Chaidya, being a member of Chedi kingdom.
In Hindu mythology, Bhima is the second born of the Pandavas. The Mahabharata relates many events which portray the might of Bhima. Bhima is responsible for slaying all hundred Kaurava brothers in the Kurukshetra War. He had power of 10,000 elephants.
His white-beard (vella thaadi) roles in the form of the monkey-god Hanuman gained him fame, and even inspired Malayalam poet Edasseri Govindan Nair to pen a poem titled "Lavanasuravadhathile Hanuman".
Malayalam is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé) by the Malayali people, and it is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam has official language status in the state of Kerala and in the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé) and is spoken by 38 million people worldwide. Malayalam is also spoken by linguistic minorities in the neighbouring states; with significant number of speakers in the Nilgiris, Kanyakumari, and Coimbatore districts of Tamil Nadu, and Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka. Due to Malayali expatriates in the Persian Gulf, the language is also widely spoken in Gulf countries.
Edasseri Govindan Nair was an Indian poet and playwright of Malayalam literature. Known as one of the major poets of Malayalam, Edasseri was a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry. He was also a recipient of Asan Smaraka Kavitha Puraskaram, which was awarded posthumously.
Narayanan Nair, a native of Kavalappara east of Shoranur in Palakkad district, was primarily trained under his guru Puthenveettil Sekhara Menon at the local Kaliyogam (Kathakali school) run by the Kavalappara palace.[citation needed] He had been an instructor with leading performing arts institutes like Kerala Kalamandalam, PSV Natyasangham in Kottakkal and Kadathanattu Kaliyogam.
Shoranur is a town and a municipality located in the Palakkad district, in the Indian state of Kerala, located on the banks of the Bharathapuzha River. Shoranur Junction Railway Station is the largest Railway Station in Kerala. It covers 32.28 km2.
Palakkadpronunciation (help·info), also known as Palghat, is a city and municipality in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 km2 and is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. The city is situated about 350 kilometres (217 mi) north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram and 54 kilometers south west of Coimbatore, and 66 km north east of Thrissur on the Salem-Kanyakumari National Highway NH 47.
Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair was one of the most renowned Kathakali artists of any time, and arguably the greatest in the history of the four-century-old classical dance-drama from Kerala in southern India. He had fleshy, flexible and clean-cut facial features that were powerful to launch any emotion with amazing power and ease, and was intelligent enough to acquire and exhibit varied styles of Kathakali that were in vogue across Kerala during his lifetime.
Perumanoor Gopinathan Pillai, more popularly known as Guru Gopinath was a well known actor-cum-dancer. He is well regarded as the greatest preserver of the dance tradition. He is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair (1916-2000) was a pioneering Kathakali artiste who brought to prominence female characters in the classical dance-drama from Kerala in south India.
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