Kavalam Narayana Panicker
Encyclopedia
Kavalam Narayana Panicker (or Panikkar) (born 28 April 1928) is an India
n dramatist, theatre director and poet. He has written over 26 Malayalam plays, many adapted from classical Sanskrit drama
and Shakespeare, notably Madhyamavyayogam (1979)
Kalidasa
's Vikramorvasiyam (1981, 1996), Shakuntalam (1982), Karnabharam (1984, 2001), Bhasa
's Uru Bhangam (1988), Swapnavasavadattam and Dootavakyam (1996). He is the founder-director of theatre troupe, Sopanam, which led to the foundation of 'Bhashabharati: Centre for Performing Arts, Training and Research, in trivandrum.
He was awarded the 1983 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
in Direction by Sangeet Natak Akademi
, India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, which gave him its highest award for lifetime achievement the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
in 2002.
, into an ancient family from Kuttanad
in Alappuzha
, Kerala
, India. His family name is Chalayil and he is a nephew of Sardar Kavalam Madhava Panikkar
and a cousin of Dr. K. Ayyappa Panicker
, a Malayalam poet.
He attended CMS College in Kottayam
whose alumni included K.P.S. Menon and his uncle Sardar K.M. Panikkar. He obtained a degree in Economics from S D College, Alappuzha
and later a Bachelor of Law degree from Madras Law College.
and shifted his base to Thrissur
, 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 capital Thiruvananthapuram
. In this period his play Avanavan Katampa was filmed by G. Aravindan
. He has worked in many countries, including the former Soviet Union
. In Greece
he worked with Greek artists on a production of the Ilyayana, a fusion of the Indian Ramayana
and the Greek epic Iliad
.
He has directed two movies about the greatest Kutiyattam maestro legendary actor Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar
: Mani Madhava Chakyar: The Master at Work (1994) and Parvati Viraham (1993) in Kuttiyattam form featuring Mani Madhava Chakyar as Ravana
. As a lyricist in Malayalam cinema
, he has written for films like Ulsavapittennu
, Manjadikuru
(2008), Vadakakkoru Hridayam (1978) and Marmaram
(1982). He won Kerala State Film Award
for Best Lyrics
for the latter two films.
He has remained a consultant at Asianet Communications and vice chairman for Sangeet Natak Akademi
, New Delhi.
in 1983 and Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
in 2002 and the Padma Bhushan
civilian decoration in 2007.
He has won Kerala State Film Award
for Best Lyrics
twice, in 1978 for Vadakakkoru Hridayam and in 1982 for Marmaram
, and Kalidas Samman
for the (1994–1995).
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...
n dramatist, theatre director and poet. He has written over 26 Malayalam plays, many adapted from classical Sanskrit drama
Sanskrit drama
The earliest-surviving fragments of Sanskrit drama date from the 1st century CE. The Mahābhāṣya by Patañjali contains the earliest reference to what may have been the seeds of Sanskrit drama. This treatise on grammar from 140 BCE provides a feasible date for the beginnings of theatre in India.Its...
and Shakespeare, notably Madhyamavyayogam (1979)
Kalidasa
Kalidasa
Kālidāsa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language...
's Vikramorvasiyam (1981, 1996), Shakuntalam (1982), Karnabharam (1984, 2001), Bhasa
Bhasa
Bhāsa is one of the earliest and most celebrated Indian playwrights in Sanskrit. However, very little is known about him.Kālidāsa in the introduction to his first play Malavikagnimitram writes -...
's Uru Bhangam (1988), Swapnavasavadattam and Dootavakyam (1996). He is the founder-director of theatre troupe, Sopanam, which led to the foundation of 'Bhashabharati: Centre for Performing Arts, Training and Research, in trivandrum.
He was awarded the 1983 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
in Direction by Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
, India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, which gave him its highest award for lifetime achievement the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, also, Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna Sadasya is an honour for the performing arts in India...
in 2002.
Early life and education
He was born in the village of KavalamKavalam
Kavalam is a village in Kuttanad. This backwater village in Kerala state, India, is situated on the borders of Alapuzha and Kottayam Districts, on the banks of Vembanad Lake. The Pampa river flows through the village to merge into the famed Vembanad Lake. Its natural scenic beauty is legendary and...
, into an ancient family from Kuttanad
Kuttanad
Kuttanadu is a region in the district of Alappuzha, in the state of Kerala, India, well known for its picturesque vast paddy fields and its geographical peculiarities. It's the region with the lowest altitude in India, and one of the few places in the world where farming is carried out below sea...
in Alappuzha
Alappuzha
Alappuzha , also known as Alleppey, is a town in Alappuzha District of Kerala state of southern India. As per 2001 census Alleppey is the sixth largest city in Kerala with an urban population of 177,029. Alleppey is situated to the south of Kochi and north of Trivandrum...
, 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....
, India. His family name is Chalayil and he is a nephew of Sardar Kavalam Madhava Panikkar
Kavalam Madhava Panikkar
His Excellency Sardar Kavalam Madhava Panikkar was an Indian scholar, journalist, historian, administrator and diplomat...
and a cousin of Dr. K. Ayyappa Panicker
K. Ayyappa Panicker
Dr. K. Ayyappa Paniker, sometimes spelt "Ayyappa Panicker" was an influential Malayalam poet, literary critic, and an academic and a scholar in modern and post-modern literary theories as well as ancient Indian aesthetics and literary traditions...
, a Malayalam poet.
He attended CMS College in Kottayam
Kottayam
Kottayam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative capital of the Kottayam district. Kottayam Kottayam (Malayalam: കോട്ടയം) is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative...
whose alumni included K.P.S. Menon and his uncle Sardar K.M. Panikkar. He obtained a degree in Economics from S D College, Alappuzha
Alappuzha
Alappuzha , also known as Alleppey, is a town in Alappuzha District of Kerala state of southern India. As per 2001 census Alleppey is the sixth largest city in Kerala with an urban population of 177,029. Alleppey is situated to the south of Kochi and north of Trivandrum...
and later a Bachelor of Law degree from Madras Law College.
Career
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 of Kerala Sangeetha Nadaka Academy, ThrissurKerala Sangeetha Nadaka Academy, Thrissur
Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi is located in Thrissur city, of Kerala, in India.It was established on 26 April 1958, inautgurated by then Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Its aim is to foster and develop Kerala dance, drama and music and to promote the cultural unity of Kerala...
and shifted his base to Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
, 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 capital Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
. In this period his play Avanavan Katampa was filmed by G. Aravindan
G. Aravindan
Govindan Aravindan who was popularly known as G. Aravindan was a national award winning film director, screenwriter, musician and cartoonist from Kerala, India. He was known for his unorthodox way of film-making; he changed his cinematic forms consistently and experimented in story telling without...
. He has worked in many countries, including the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. In Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
he worked with Greek artists on a production of the Ilyayana, a fusion of the Indian Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
and the Greek epic Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
.
He has directed two movies about the greatest Kutiyattam maestro legendary actor Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar
Mani Madhava Chakyar
Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar was a celebrated master performance artist and Sanskrit scholar from Kerala, South India, considered to be the greatest Chakyar Koothu and Koodiyattam artist and authority of modern times...
: Mani Madhava Chakyar: The Master at Work (1994) and Parvati Viraham (1993) in Kuttiyattam form featuring Mani Madhava Chakyar as Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
. As a lyricist in Malayalam cinema
Malayalam cinema
The Cinema of Kerala or Malayalam cinema refers to the film industry in the Indian state of Kerala, which makes films in the Malayalam language. Malayalam movies typically portray social or family issues and are considered more realistic than films from other parts of India. Malayalam cinema has...
, he has written for films like Ulsavapittennu
Ulsavapittennu
Ulsavapittennu is a 1989 Malayalam Indian film by Bharath Gopi and featuring Mohanlal, Parvathy and Sukumaran. The film was one of the few directorial ventures of Bharath Gopi and featured a strong performance from Mohanlal in the lead role.- Plot :...
, Manjadikuru
Manjadikuru
Manjadikuru is a Malayalam film written and directed by Anjali Menon. The film was premiered at the 2008 International Film Festival of Kerala, and won the FIPRESCI Award for best Malayalam film and Hassankutty award for Best Debutant Indian director, in 2009, it swept the awards at South Asian...
(2008), Vadakakkoru Hridayam (1978) and Marmaram
Marmaram
Marmaram is a 1982 Malayalam film by Bharathan which stars Nedumudi Venu and Jalaja. The film won Kerala State Film Awards including Best Lyrics for Kavalam Narayana Panikkar.-Cast:*Nedumudi Venu - Narayana Iyer*Jalaja - Nirmala...
(1982). He won Kerala State Film Award
Kerala State Film Award
The Kerala State Film Awards are the most prestigious film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Chalachitra Academy since 1998 on behalf of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala, India....
for Best Lyrics
Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyrics
The Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyrics winners:-References:**...
for the latter two films.
He has remained a consultant at Asianet Communications and vice chairman for Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
, New Delhi.
Personal life
He is married and has two sons. He lives in Thiruvananthapuram with his wife Saradamani and also has another house in his native village. His sons are Kavalam Harikrishnan and Kavalam Sreekumar. Kavalam Harikrishnan served as BHASABHARATHI's Chief contact person before he died in September 2009. Kavalam Sreekumar is a famous singer in Kerala.Awards and recognition
He was awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi AwardSangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
in 1983 and Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, also, Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna Sadasya is an honour for the performing arts in India...
in 2002 and the Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
civilian decoration in 2007.
He has won Kerala State Film Award
Kerala State Film Award
The Kerala State Film Awards are the most prestigious film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Chalachitra Academy since 1998 on behalf of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala, India....
for Best Lyrics
Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyrics
The Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyrics winners:-References:**...
twice, in 1978 for Vadakakkoru Hridayam and in 1982 for Marmaram
Marmaram
Marmaram is a 1982 Malayalam film by Bharathan which stars Nedumudi Venu and Jalaja. The film won Kerala State Film Awards including Best Lyrics for Kavalam Narayana Panikkar.-Cast:*Nedumudi Venu - Narayana Iyer*Jalaja - Nirmala...
, and Kalidas Samman
Kalidas samman
The Kalidas Samman is a prestigious arts award presented annually by the government of Madhya Pradesh in India. The award is named after Kālidāsa, a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer of ancient India, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language.The Kalidas Samman...
for the (1994–1995).
Works
- The Right to rule (Kōyma) ; and, The domain of the sun (Sūryasthāna). Seagull Books, 1989. ISBN 81-7046-071-9.
- Folklore of Kerala. National Book Trust, India, 1991.
- Karimkutty ; and, The lone tusker. Seagull Books, 1991. ISBN 81-7046-092-1.
External links
- Hits of Kavalam Narayana Panikkar
- Kavalam Narayana Panikkar Profile – a detailed profile of Kavalam Narayana Paniker.
- BhashaBharati, website
- Interview with Kavalam
- Kavalam Narayana Panicker at MSI