Unnayi Warrier | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 17th/18th century CE (estimated) Irinjalakuda, Kerala, India |
| Occupation | Poet, writer |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Notable works | Nalacharitham |
Unnayi Warrier was a poet, writer, scholar, and dramatist who lived in Thiruvananthapuram, India during the 17th/18th century. He is best known for his chef-d'oeuvre Nalacharitham aattakatha and is known to have made significant contributions to the art of Kathakali, the classical dance-drama form of Kerala.
There are only limited details available regarding Unnayi Warrier's real name, exact date and place of birth, his family background and literary achievements.[ citation needed ] There is consensus among scholars that his family name was 'Akathoottu Warriam' and that he was a garland maker (traditional vocation of Warriers (Variar)) by profession at Irinjalakkuda Koodalmanikyam Temple. [1] One tangible record available that throws light on his life and times is that his work Nalacharitham aattakatha - 2nd day was enacted during the festival season of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple at Thiruvananthapuram(Trivandrum) in 1749 AD. [2] This indicates that Nalacharitham was authored by Warrier during the first half of 18th century or earlier. There is speculation that Ramapurathu Warrier was a disciple of Unnayi Variyar and as noted by Aimanam Krishna Kaimal in his celebrated work Attakkatha Sahityam, it is reasonable to assume Unnayi Warrier lived between 1674 and 1754 C.E. Kaimal also infers that Unnayi's real name was 'Raman' which he deduced from the last sloka of another of Unnayi's works - Girijakalyanam attakatha mentions the author's name to be 'Raman'. [3]
The most famous work of Unnayi Warrier is Nalacharitham Aattakkatha. The work is divided into four parts/days with each part designed in such a way as to be presented as an independent performance. Nalacharitham elevated the literary standards of Kathakali and is widely recognised to be path breaking and pioneering in its approach to make Kathakali a complete art form. [4] Root story of Nalacharitham Kathakali song is based on the Mahabharata (chapters 52 to 79 of Aaranyaparvam). It is one of the stories told by sage B rihadaswan to Pandava prince Yudhishthira during the despondent times that Pandavas go through during their exile. Story revolves around the most righteous Nishadha king Nala, his wife Damayanti and the troubles they undergo in spite of being pious and virtuous and how in the end they are absolved and restored to their previous glory and joy.By many accounts Nalacharitham is considered to be the complete aatakatha via its perfect storyline, masterly rendering and consistent aesthetics.
Besides Nalacharitham, two more works are credited to Warrier. Ramapanchashati is a poem praising Sree Ramam Murthi of Koodalmanikyam Temple comprising 500 slokas in Sanskrit while Girijakalyanam, an essay in three parts based on Mahabharata. [5]
Fundamental influence that Unnayi Warrier has had on Kathakali is on the emergence of the importance of Rasa (aesthetics) as against a more dominant Bhava Bhava abhinaya. [6] Warrier, through his Nalacharitham, is widely acknowledged to have raised the dramatic value of Kathakali as an art form. [6]
Unnayi Warrier Smaraka Kalanilayam is an eponymous institute, affiliated to the Government of Kerala, which offers training courses in various performing arts and music. [7]
Velakali is a traditional martial dance of Nair community of Kerala, India that is performed during temple festivals. Brightly dressed dancers wielding swords and shields depict a fight sequence between the Pandavas and Kauravas during the course of the dance.
Iravivarman Thampi, better known as Irayimman Thampi, was an Indian Carnatic musician, music composer and poet from the Kingdom of Travancore. He was a vocalist in the court of Swathi Thirunal. His compositions include the lullaby Omanathinkal Kidavo, one of the most popular lullabies in Malayalam.
Kumbalathuparambu Ayyappan, better identified as Sahodaran Ayyappan, was a social reformer, thinker, rationalist, journalist, and politician from Kerala, India. As a vocal follower of Sree Narayana Guru, he was associated with a number of events related to the Kerala reformation movement and was the organizer of Misra Bhojanam in Cherai in 1917. He founded Sahodara Sangam, and the journal Sahodaran and was the founder editor of the magazine Yukthivadi.
E. V. Krishna Pillai was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature and member of Sree Moolam Popular Assembly of Travancore. He was known to be a multi-talented personality and excelled as an advocate, Member of Legislative Assembly, editor and writer. During his short life, he wrote comedies, dramas, short stories and an autobiography. He was also a columnist and a caricaturist. He was an eminent satirist and a genius in comedy.
Akshara Slokam is a traditional way of Sloka chanting, a poetic entertainment developed in the Malayalam (മലയാളം) language of Kerala, India. It is in a classical format with strict rules on the meter of quatrains called slokas or mukthaka. A number of scholars sit to recite either Sanskrit or Malayalam slokas. Once the recitation is started the next one in the turn has to recite a sloka having the first letter of the third line of the previous sloka. This resembles the north Indian Beit bazi.
Kanakku Chembakaraman Kesava Pillai (1868–1914) was an Indian composer of Carnatic music and a poet of Malayalam literature. He was the Poet Laureate of Travancore and was known for Kesaveeyam, a mahakavya in Malayalam, two attakathas and several bhajans and kirtans. He also translated the Sanskrit text, Narayaniyam, into Malayalam under the title, Bhashanarayaniyam.
Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer, born Sambasivan but popularly known as Ulloor, was an Indian poet of Malayalam literature and a historian. He was one of the modern triumvirate poets of Kerala in the first half of the 20th century, along with Kumaran Asan and Vallathol Narayana Menon. Umakeralam, a mahakavya, and Kerala Sahitya Charitram, a comprehensive history of the Malayalam language are two of his most important works.
Panayanthitta Kunhiraman Nair, also known as Mahakavi P, was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. He was known for his romantic poems which detailed the natural beauty of his home state of Kerala in South India as well as the realities of his life and times. He received the inaugural Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry in 1959. He was also a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award.
Sadanam Krishnankutty is a performer of Kathakali, a classical dance-drama form of Kerala, South India. A recipient of Kerala State Kathakali award and Kalamandalam fellowship, he has donned a wide range of characters in his acts. He received the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award in 2002, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2007, Honorary D.litt from Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University, Thirur, Kerala in 2021 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 2021.
Sooranad P. N. Kunjan Pillai was an Indian researcher, lexicographer, poet, essayist, literary critic, orator, grammarian, educationist, and scholar of the Malayalam language, best remembered for his contributions in compiling Malayala Maha Nighantu, a lexicon. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padmashri in 1984 for his contribution to Malayalam literature and education. He was also a recipient of the Vallathol Award in 1992 and when the Government of Kerala instituted the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, their highest literary honour in 1993, he received the inaugural award.
Nalppathenneeswaram Sree Mahadeva Temple is a Mahadevar temple situated in Nalppathenneswaram, in Panavally village of Cherthala taluk in Alleppy district of Kerala state; this place is 20 kilometers from Cherthala and 11 kilometers from Aroor on the Cherthala Arookutty bus route.
B. M. Suhara is a Malayalam writer from Kerala, India. She was born in Thikkodi near Calicut.
Aattakatha is a literary genre in Malayalam language consisting of the libretto used for the Indian classical dance drama kathakali. The word aatta-katha literally means "story for dancing and acting". The narrative framework of aattakatha consists quatrains in Sanskrit metres where the diction also is heavily Sanskritised; the dialogue part, however, is made up of padas, which can be set to raga (tune) and tala (rhythm) and have to be rendered by means of gestures and body movements by the actors while being sung by musicians from behind.
Unnayi Warrier Smaraka Kalanilayam is a performing arts training institution in Irinjalakuda in Thrissur District of Kerala. The centre is affiliated with the Government of Kerala.
Kalanilayam Balakrishnan is an actor-dancer, scholar and a teacher of Kathakali, a theatre-dance of Kerala in South India.
Priyamanasam is a 2015 Indian Sanskrit-language drama film directed by Vinod Mankara. It is based on the life of writer Unnayi Variyar and his 17th-century kathakali play (attakatha) Nalacharitham. The play is a recension of Nala and Damayanti, an episode in the Indian epic Mahabharata.
Lakshmy Pilla, better identified as Kutti Kunju Thankachi, was an Indian composer and writer of Malayalam literature, known to be the first female poet and composer of Kerala. The daughter of Irayimman Thampi, the noted composer of Omanathinkal Kidavo and a musician at the court of Swathi Thirunal, she was the author of a number of attakathas such as Parvathiswayamvaram and Mithrasahamoksham. Sreemathy Swayamvaram and a play, Ajnathavasam.
P. R. Shyamala was an Indian novelist and short story writer of Malayalam literature. Known for novels such as Sararanthal and Makayiram Kayal and short stories compiled in Harishri and Ariyapedatha Peedanangal, she was a member of the Sahitya Pravartaka Sahakarana Sanghom, the general council of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi and the advisory board of the Central Board of Film Certification. Three of her stories have been adapted into films and Sararanthal was an award winning television series made in 1991, based on her novel of the same name.
Tonnakkal Peethambaran is a Kathakali exponent from Kerala, India. He has been honored with several noted awards including the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award 2003, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2011 and Kerala State Kathakali Award 2014.
Madambi Subramanian Namboodiri is a Kathakali musician from Kerala, India. He received several noted awards including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Kerala State Kathakali Award, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award and Kerala Kalamandalam Award.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
