V. K. Narayana Menon | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1911 (1911) |
| Died | 1997 (aged 85–86) |
| Occupation | classical Indian dancer |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan in 1969 |
V. K. Narayana Menon (Thrissur Vadakke Kurupath NarayanaMenon) (1911–1997) was a scholar ofclassical Indian dance andIndian classical music. He was one of the prominent art critics of India and aSangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship.
Menon was born inThrissur city ofKerala, in the famous Vadakke Kurupath family. He started his career asBBC Music program producer. Later he became the Director General of the same. He had held important positions in art institutions and broadcasting centres of India. He was deputy director ofAll India Radio. He was the secretary ofSangeet Natak Akademi,New Delhi- supreme centre for art, music and dance ofGovernment of India. He was the President ofNational Centre for the Performing Arts-Bombay etc. During these tenures he promoted various arts and artists immensely.
He was noted for his writings about Classical Indian dance and music. He has written many articles and books on the subject. He was considered one of the finest Indian art critic.Kerala: A profile,Balasaraswati (About the life of greatBharatanatyam dancerBalasaraswati),The Communication Revolution,The Language of Music,Development ofWilliam Butler Yeats are some of his works. He used to write columns regularly in esteemed magazines likeIllustrated Weekly of India and newspapers.
Indian government honoured him by thePadma Bhushan in 1969[1] and theSangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 1980.[2]
He was married to the daughter ofRabindranath Tagore's brother.