Kalamandalam Sankaran Embranthiri
Encyclopedia
Kalamandalam Sankaran Embranthiri (1944–2007) was one of the most popular Kathakali
musicians, credited with initiating a new wave in the rendition of songs for the classical dance-drama from Kerala
in south India
. His shruti-aligned music was glistened by a velvety voice, easy reach of the three octaves and command over stage proceedings that won him massive fan following even as his form received an abrupt setback in 1990 when he suffered a major ailment from which he could never recover fully.
Embranthiri was born into a poor Brahmin
family in Vellayoor village of Malappuram
district in Malabar. After completing his schooling, during which he learnt classical Carnatic music from a local teacher named Govinda Pisarody, teenaged Sankaran joined Kerala Kalamandalam
in 1958. Madambi Subrahmanian Namboothiri, Kalamandalam Tirur Nambissan
and Kalamandalam Hyderali
joined Kalamandalam in the same year. His Kathakali music tutors at the institution were Kalamandalam Neelakantan Nambisan
, Gangadharan, Sivaraman Nair and Madhava Panikkar.
Embranthiri wasn't a particularly promising singer during his student days, but soon after passing out of Kalamandalam began getting noticed for his sweet, emotion-laden voice and clear diction. Just as he started finding stages in the southern Travancore
region, he got employed—first in the Irinjalakuda
-based Unnayi Varrier Smaraka Kalanilayam in 1965 and later, in 1970, at FACT Kathakali School near Kochi from where he eventually retired as a Kathakali music teacher.
Embranthiri rose to professional prominence in early 1970s by updating himself on its voice culture that suited the general aesthetics of the times. His singing had a charismatic appeal that earned him admirers from the mass and the class alike. This, coupled with his ability to anchor the show as the lead musician (ponnani bhagavatar), won the trust of masters like Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair
, Kalamandalam Gopi
, Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair
and Kottakkal Sivaraman
.
Embranthiri's novel rendition style inspired several of his contemporary singers, chiefly Kalamandalam Hyderali
and Venmani Kalamandalam Haridas
. In Haridas, he found a perfect cueist singer (sinkiti), taking him under his wings soon after Haridas made a comeback to Kathakali after a decade-old break from the art form.
In August 1990, Embranthiri fell seriously ill, necessitating a kidney transplant the following year. He did return to Kathakali circuit months later but seldom rose to his vintage form. Acute diabetes led to amputation of his right leg less than a decade later, but a gritty and tenacious Embranthiri still chose to stay on as a singer, sitting on a wheelchair in one corner of the Kathakali stage.
Embranthiri, an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna
at the famous Guruvayur
temple, had made "Ajitha Hare" and "Pari Pahimaam Hare" his hit numbers among others. He also held several Kathakali Pada kacheris, or Kathakali song concerts (with instrumental support) without the dancers on stage. He was also party to many jugalbandi programmes, sharing the stage with Carnatic and Hindustani music exponents like Neyyattinkara Vasudevan
, Sreevalsan
J Menon and Ramesh Narayan
.
Embranthiri was chosen for the prestigious Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram
in 2003, a year after he received the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi fellowship..
Embranthiri died on November 14, 2007, at a hospital in Aluva
, off Kochi, near the house be built and had been living in in the autumn of his life.
Kathakali
Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...
musicians, credited with initiating a new wave in the rendition of songs for the classical dance-drama from Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
in south India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. His shruti-aligned music was glistened by a velvety voice, easy reach of the three octaves and command over stage proceedings that won him massive fan following even as his form received an abrupt setback in 1990 when he suffered a major ailment from which he could never recover fully.
Embranthiri was born into a poor Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
family in Vellayoor village of Malappuram
Malappuram
Malappuram is a municipality in the South Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 33.61 km2. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Malappuram district. As per the 2011 census Malappuram urban agglomeration is the fourth largest UA in kerala with a total population of...
district in Malabar. After completing his schooling, during which he learnt classical Carnatic music from a local teacher named Govinda Pisarody, teenaged Sankaran joined Kerala Kalamandalam
Kerala Kalamandalam
Kerala Kalamandalam , lately renamed as Kalamandalam Deemed University of Art and Culture, is a major centre for learning Indian performing arts, especially those that developed in the southern state of India, with the special emphasis on Kerala. It is situated in the village of Cheruthuruthy in...
in 1958. Madambi Subrahmanian Namboothiri, Kalamandalam Tirur Nambissan
Tirur Nambissan
Tirur Nambissan was a Kathakali singer. Tirur Nambissan, whose name was Narayanan, was born at Tirur in the Malappuram district of Kerala in southern India. He started learning music at the age of seven, while attending the local boys' high school...
and Kalamandalam Hyderali
Kalamandalam Hyderali
Kalamandalam Hyderali was one of the best Kathakali singers of his generation, and the first non-Hindu artiste to make a mark in the four-century-old classical dance-drama from Kerala in south India....
joined Kalamandalam in the same year. His Kathakali music tutors at the institution were Kalamandalam Neelakantan Nambisan
Kalamandalam Neelakantan Nambisan
Kalamandalam Neelakantan Nambisan was a trend-setter Kathakali musician who played a crucial role in remoulding the aesthetics of singing for the classical dance-drama of Kerala, south India...
, Gangadharan, Sivaraman Nair and Madhava Panikkar.
Embranthiri wasn't a particularly promising singer during his student days, but soon after passing out of Kalamandalam began getting noticed for his sweet, emotion-laden voice and clear diction. Just as he started finding stages in the southern Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
region, he got employed—first in the Irinjalakuda
Irinjalakuda
Irinjalakuda is a municipal town situated in the Thrissur district of Kerala, India. It is famous for the sprawling Koodalmanikyam Temple that has Bharata as the main deity and the St Thomas Cathedral in the heart of the City...
-based Unnayi Varrier Smaraka Kalanilayam in 1965 and later, in 1970, at FACT Kathakali School near Kochi from where he eventually retired as a Kathakali music teacher.
Embranthiri rose to professional prominence in early 1970s by updating himself on its voice culture that suited the general aesthetics of the times. His singing had a charismatic appeal that earned him admirers from the mass and the class alike. This, coupled with his ability to anchor the show as the lead musician (ponnani bhagavatar), won the trust of masters like Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair
Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair
Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair was one of the most renowned Kathakali artists of any time, and arguably the greatest in the history of the four-century-old classical dance-drama from Kerala in southern India...
, Kalamandalam Gopi
Kalamandalam Gopi
Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nair popularly known as Kalamandalam Gopi is a exponent of the classical dance-drama style known as Kathakali...
, Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair
Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair
Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair is one of the most senior performers of Kathakali, having been a grand and sober presence on the art form's stage for a span of over seven decades...
and Kottakkal Sivaraman
Kottakkal Sivaraman
Kottakkal Sivaraman was an acclaimed performing artiste who revolutionised the portrayal of female roles in Kathakali, the classical dance-drama from Kerala in southern India...
.
Embranthiri's novel rendition style inspired several of his contemporary singers, chiefly Kalamandalam Hyderali
Kalamandalam Hyderali
Kalamandalam Hyderali was one of the best Kathakali singers of his generation, and the first non-Hindu artiste to make a mark in the four-century-old classical dance-drama from Kerala in south India....
and Venmani Kalamandalam Haridas
Kalamandalam Haridas
Kalamandalam Haridas, more popularly known as Venmani Haridas, was a renowned Kathakali musician noted for his evocative rendition of songs for the classical dance-drama from Kerala in south India....
. In Haridas, he found a perfect cueist singer (sinkiti), taking him under his wings soon after Haridas made a comeback to Kathakali after a decade-old break from the art form.
In August 1990, Embranthiri fell seriously ill, necessitating a kidney transplant the following year. He did return to Kathakali circuit months later but seldom rose to his vintage form. Acute diabetes led to amputation of his right leg less than a decade later, but a gritty and tenacious Embranthiri still chose to stay on as a singer, sitting on a wheelchair in one corner of the Kathakali stage.
Embranthiri, an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
at the famous Guruvayur
Guruvayur
Guruvayur is a municipal town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It houses the famous Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple, the fourth biggest temple in India in terms of the number of devotees per day.-History:Guruvayur, according to the legends may be 5,000 years old as the Guruvayur...
temple, had made "Ajitha Hare" and "Pari Pahimaam Hare" his hit numbers among others. He also held several Kathakali Pada kacheris, or Kathakali song concerts (with instrumental support) without the dancers on stage. He was also party to many jugalbandi programmes, sharing the stage with Carnatic and Hindustani music exponents like Neyyattinkara Vasudevan
Neyyattinkara Vasudevan
Neyyattinkara Vasudevan was an acclaimed Carnatic music vocalist from Kerala in south India. The Padmasree-winning Carnatic vocalist and disciple of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Ramnad Krishnan, he combined tradition and innovation in his widely acclaimed career.- Biography :Vasudevan born in a...
, Sreevalsan
Sreevalsan
Sreevalsan J Menon is an Indian Carnatic vocalist and a music composer from Kerala. After initial training under Rajalakshmi Krishnan and violinist T.V. Ramani at Thrissur, he had much of his advanced tutelage under the late Neyyattinkara Vasudevan...
J Menon and Ramesh Narayan
Ramesh Narayan
Ramesh Narayan is a Hindustani vocalist from Kerala in south India, and is also an acclaimed film music director. He has given concerts in several parts of his country and abroad...
.
Embranthiri was chosen for the prestigious Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram
Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram
Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram is the highest honour for musicians instituted by the Kerala State Government. It's named after Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, the Maharaja of the state of Travancore , in India.The award carries a cash prize of rupees one lakh, citation and a medal-Complete List of...
in 2003, a year after he received the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi fellowship..
Embranthiri died on November 14, 2007, at a hospital in Aluva
Aluva
Aluva , is a suburb of the city of Kochi, situated north of the city center and a municipality in Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. Aluva is also a major industrial center of the state....
, off Kochi, near the house be built and had been living in in the autumn of his life.