Kavalam Narayana Panicker | |
|---|---|
 Kavalam Narayana Panicker | |
| Born | (1928-05-01)1 May 1928 |
| Died | 26 June 2016(2016-06-26) (aged 88)[1] Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala, India |
| Occupation(s) | Poet, playwright, theatre director, lyricist |
| Spouse | Saradamani (m. 1952–2016) |
| Children | Kavalam Harikrishnan (1953–2009) Kavalam Sreekumar (b. 1959) |
Kavalam Narayana Panikkar (1 May 1928 – 26 June 2016) was an Indian dramatist, theatre director, and poet. He has written over 26 Malayalam plays, many adapted from classicalSanskrit drama andShakespeare, notablyKalidasa'sVikramorvasiyam (1981, 1996),Shakuntalam (1982),Bhasa'sMadhyamavyayogam (1979),Karnabharam (1984, 2001),Uru Bhangam (1988),Swapnavasavadattam, andDootavakyam (1996).[2][3] He was the founder – director of theatre troupe, Sopanam, which led to the foundation of Bhashabharati: Centre for Performing Arts, Training and Research, inTrivandrum.[4]
He was awarded theSangeet Natak Akademi Award for Direction in 1983 bySangeet Natak Akademi, and its highest award for lifetime achievement, theSangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 2002.[5] In 2007, he was awarded thePadma Bhushan in the field of Arts, by theGovernment of India. He died in his residence on 26 June 2016, aged 88, a few days after returning from the hospital.
He was born in the village ofKavalam, into an ancient family fromKuttanad inAlappuzha, Kerala, India. His family name is Chalayil and he was a nephew of SardarKavalam Madhava Panikkar and a cousin of Dr.K. Ayyappa Panicker, aMalayalam poet.[6]
He attendedCMS College inKottayam, whose alumni includedK. P. S. Menon and his uncle SardarK. M. Panikkar. He obtained a degree in economics fromSanatana Dharma College (SD College),Alappuzha and later a Bachelor of Law degree fromMadras Law College.
He started his career as a lawyer in 1955 and practised law for six years before devoting himself to art and literature. In 1961 he was nominated as Secretary ofKerala Sangeetha Nadaka Academy, Thrissur and shifted his base toThrissur,[page needed] the cultural capital of Kerala. His work has always been rooted in both the classical and folk traditions of Kerala.
In 1974, Kavalam shifted his residence to the state capitalThiruvananthapuram. In this period his playAvanavan Kadamba was filmed byG. Aravindan. He has worked in many countries, including the formerSoviet Union. InGreece he worked with Greek artists on a production of theIlyayana, a fusion of the IndianRamayana and the Greek epicIliad.
He has directed two movies about the greatestKutiyattam maestro legendary actor GuruMani Madhava Chakyar:Mani Madhava Chakyar: The Master at Work (1994) andParvati Viraham (1993) inKuttiyattam form featuring Mani Madhava Chakyar asRavana.[7] As a lyricist inMalayalam cinema, he has written for films likeUlsavapittennu,Manjadikuru (2008),Vadakakkoru Hridayam (1978) andMarmaram (1982). He wonKerala State Film Award forBest Lyrics for the latter two films.
In 1993 Erin B. Mee directed his playOttayan in New York City. The Village Voice said: "the haunting pungency of a rich Asian folk-theatre tradition shines through every stylized gesture."[8]
Erin B. Mee devotes an entire chapter of her bookTheatre of Roots to Panikkar's work.[9] His work is also the subject of the volumeK.N. Panikkar: The Theatre of Rasa edited by Udayan Vajpeyi.[10] His playAramba Chekkan is included inDrama Contemporary: India, edited by Erin B. Mee[11] and Erin B. Mee conducted an interview with him for PAJ magazine[12] and his work is the subject of an interview by Erin B. Mee in Seagull Theatre Quarterly: 1995"The Use of Folk Philosophy in Kavalam Narayana Panikkar's Poetic Theatre of Transformation." Seagull Theatre Quarterly 7:58-62.
He has remained a consultant at Asianet Communications and vice-chairman forSangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi.
Kavalam lived inThiruvananthapuram with his wife Saradamani and also had another house in his native village of Kavalam. He had two sons — Kavalam Harikrishnan and Kavalam Sreekumar. Kavalam Harikrishnan, the elder son, served as Bhasabharathi's Chief contact person before he died ofcancer in October 2009. His younger sonKavalam Sreekumar, is a singer in Kerala.[13] Sreekumar sang folk and light music numbers over three decades. He also sang forMalayalam films over the years.[14]
He was awardedSangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1983 andSangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 2002 and thePadma Bhushan civilian decoration in 2007.[15] He received theKerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship in 2000.[16]
He has wonKerala State Film Award forBest Lyrics twice, in 1978 forVadakakkoru Hridayam and in 1982 forMarmaram, and theKalidas Samman by theGovernment of Madhya Pradesh in (1994–1995).
Best Male Singer
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