Ramankutty Nair,the living legend of Kathakali,is one
of the most illustrious sons Kerala has produced. This most willing instrument
of Daksha,the god of arts,led a life of unswerving devotion to the most famous
classical performing art of Kerala. Through a lifetime of intellectual and
physical hard work and through relentless practice,he tuned himself to a near
perfect artiste who inspired and entertained hundreds of Kathakali
fans.
Ramankutty Nair is extolled for his fidelity to the Kalluvazhi
tradition perfected by his mentor Pattickamthodi Ramunni Menon and for his
effortless interpretation of plays characterized by rigid grammar and
choreography.
Ramankutty Nair has mostly been associated with characters
representing rajo guna with kathi make-up - evil yet valorous characters like
Ravana,Duryodhana,Keechaka and Narakasura. His representations of such
characters have become the yardstick for many connoisseurs.
The character
of the Monkey-God Hanuman was also one which he excelled in performing. His
Hanuman in Kalyanasougandhigam,Thoranayudham and Lavanasuravadham are among his
best characterizations.
All his celebrated roles are notable for the
harmonious interaction with the percussion instruments,especially the chenda.
His long-term association with chenda maestro Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduval
helped greatly in this regard. Poduval,a genius himself,provided inspired
accompaniment to enhance Ramankutty Nair's characters.
He was unrivalled
in Cholliyattom,acting of librettos to set choreography,as opposed to
Ilakiyattom (which follows the Cholliyattom) where the actor is allowed to
improvise. Mastery in Cholliyattom requires mastery of the complete vocabulary
of the classical art form.
The trio of Ramankutty Nair,chenda maestro
Krishnankutty Poduval and maddalam maestro Appukkutty Poduaval,known as the
Kutty Trio,gave many an unforgettable performance.
It was Ramankutty
Nair who introduced the Ashtakalasam,the dance of bliss of Balabhadra and
Krishna in the play Subhadraharanam. Ashtakalasam is a series of eight dance
compositions in the Champa tala,corresponding to the Khanda jati Jhampa tala of
Carnatic music.
The aaharya aspect of abhinaya consists of the
costumes,make-up and all utensils needed for the performance. Ramankutty made
changes to the aaharya,based on the Ravi Varma paintings. This was not
well-received initially but Vallathol endorsed it after consultations with
scholars like Parikshit Thampuran of Kochi.
Vallathol,whom he says was
his third guru after his Amma (mother) and Asan (teacher) spent much time
explaining to him the meanings of librettos and their sub-texts in the epics and
other literature. This helped him considerably in interpreting and enacting the
Kathakali stories with the most accurate mudras (hand gestures).
Though,Vallathol made him a member of the training faculty of Kalamandalam in
1948,he continued to train under Pattickamthodi for another year. Such was his
dedication to the art form and his desire for perfecting it.
From 1948
to 1985,almost every Kathakali student at Kalamandalam trained under Ramankutty
Nair. These include future luminaries like Kalamandalam Vaikom Karunakaran,his
first disciple and Kalamandalam Gopi. Others who trained under him include
Kalamandalam Kuttan,Rajan,M. P. S Namboodiri,Gopalakrishnan and
Ramdas.
As a teacher,he was a perfectionist and a tough taskmaster,like
his own teacher whom he revered. His very presence could evoke discipline in his
students and panic in his accompanists!
To close associates,Ramankutty
Nair is witty and yet,inherently sober,probably owing to the hardships of his
childhood.
He has been honoured with numerous awards and prestigious
titles like the Central Sangeet Natak Academy Award,first State Kathakali Award
and Kalidas Samman of the Government of Madhya Pradesh. He has also represented
India in almost all the leading theatres of the world.
In 1995,he
published his autobiography,'Thiranottam'.
Ramankutty Nair retired as
principal of the Kerala Kalamandalam,the premier academy for Keralan performing
arts,after 34 years of service.
Address Lakshmi
Nilayam Thirunarayanapuram P.O. Palakkad
District Kerala
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