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Guru Kunju Kurup (1881–1970) was a Kathakali dancer from south Kerala, India.
Guru Kunchu Kurup | |
|---|---|
| Born | Central Travancore, Kerala |
| Relatives | Perumanoor Gopinathan Pillai |
Born in a Poypallilkulam family ofThakazhi village ofKuttanad in present-dayAlappuzha district, Kurup was initiated intoKathakali at the age of 13 by his uncles Kochappi Panikker and Rama Panikker.[citation needed]
He later joined the famous Kaliyogam (repertory) ofMathur Kunhu Pillai Panikker, and subsequently had tutelage under gurus Champakulam Sankara Pillai andThottam Sankaran Namboodiri. His grooming later under Vechur Ayyappa Kurup paved the way for his entry into theKochi andMalabar belts.[citation needed]
Kunju Kurup's marriage with a relative of Palayil Karunakara Menon, a Kathakali exponent living nearPalakkad in 1910, cemented his ties with central Kerala. Soon, he was made a tutor at the famousKerala Kalamandalam following an invitation from its co-founder, poetVallathol Narayana Menon. He later had brief stints as a Kathakali guru inBangalore (1943) andMadras (orChennai, in 1914, during whichMrinalini Sarabhai was his student), and later (1948–52) at Chembakassery Natana Kalamandalam inAmbalappuzha, his home territory.[citation needed]
Kunju Kurup, aPadma Bhushan awardee of 1971,[1] wasn't exactly an exemplary tutor, but he had lot of fans as a performer. And they included the greatKalamandalam Krishnan Nair as well. He succeeded in creating freshaesthetics of Kathakaliacting-dancing through a sublime presentation of rasa and bhavaabhinaya. Kurup was renowned for his varied roles likeNala, Hamsam (swan),Rugmangada,Arjuna andKrishna besides minukku veshams such as Kuchelan, Brahmanan and Sundara Brahmanan. He also excelled in anti-hero roles likeRavana andKeechaka, besides the black-bearded Kaatalan.
Kurup was honoured with theSangeet Natak Akademi Award for Kathakali in 1956 for his unique contributions to the four-century old classical dance-drama from the southern Indian state.[2] He also won theCentral Sangeet Natak Akademi fellowship in 1969.
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