Kottakkal Sivaraman
Encyclopedia
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
. He did have a forerunner in that mission in the form of the late Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair
, but Sivaraman indisputably took stree vesham (female roles) to hitherto-unimaginable prominence.
(Nalacharitam) or Mohini
(Rugmangadacharitam) or Sairandhri
(or Malini in Keechakavadham) which demanded fertile imagination and an insight about their profile for brighter enactment.
The 1936-born Sivaraman, a disciple of his uncle-guru Padma Shri
Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair
at the PSV Natyasangham in Kottakkal
in north-central Kerala's Malappuram
district, decided to change all this subordination. By the 1960s, he had experimented those ideas on stage with success, much to the appreciation of aesthetes not only in his native Valluvanad, an erstwhile central-Kerala fiefdom which has been the homestead for the refined Kalluvazhi style of Kathakali, but across Kerala and subsequently the rest of the world. His Karalmanna
village, north of Cherpulassery, in Palakkad
district thus further affixed its name on the Kathakali map.
Over the years, Sivaraman has acted with actors of several generations across north and south Kerala, but it was with Kalamandalam Gopi
that he teamed up well to gain repute as a phenomenal pair on the Kathakali stage. Together they acted, with Sivaraman as Damayanti
and Gopi as Nala
n, as Kunti-Karna
n, as Mohini-Rukmangada
n. Sivaraman's portrayal of Sairandhri (Draupadi
in disguise as a maid) in Keechakavadham opposite Padma Bhushan
Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair
(as Keechaka) also earned him lots of stages and fame. Sivaraman was one among the rare leading Kathakali artistes of modern times to have not taught in any leading performing-art institutions.
In the evening of his life, Sivaraman also carved a cast in male roles, where the magic of make-up would help him hide his advancing age. He continued to do female roles, but was also seen performing as Krishna
(Kuchelavrittam) or Pushkara
(Nalacharitam). He had choreographed a new storyplay (aattakkatha), Pingala, which is based on the 11th canto of the epic Bhagavatham. In its inaugural show, he enacted the lead role of the protagonist.
to the latest works in his native Malayalam literature, Sivaraman was known as a garrulous talker even while being a deep-sighted thinker of his art form. Filmmaker M.R. Rajan has made a documentary
on the master. The work, Minukku, went on to bag a national award in 2007.
Sivaraman, who won the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi award, lived in his modest tile-roof home in Karalmanna with his wife Bhavani and family..
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...
, 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 southern 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...
. He did have a forerunner in that mission in the form of the late Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair
Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair
Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair was a pioneering Kathakali artiste who brought to prominence female characters in the classical dance-drama from Kerala in south India....
, but Sivaraman indisputably took stree vesham (female roles) to hitherto-unimaginable prominence.
Career
Kathakali, being a largely masculine dance form with an all-male presence (at least till the end of the first half of the 20th century), tended to give female roles a secondary status. This is despite some of its classical stories having dense and slow-paced songs (padams) set for female characters like Lalitha (in Kirmeeravadham, Bakavadham) or Urvashi (in Kalakeyavadham) besides characters like DamayantiDamayanti
Damayanti , a character in Hindu mythology, was the princess of Vidarbha Kingdom, who married king Nala, of Nishadha Kingdom, and their story is told in the Mahabharata.-The story:...
(Nalacharitam) or Mohini
Mohini
Mohini , in Hindu mythology, is the name of the only female Avatar of the god Vishnu. She is portrayed as a femme fatale, an enchantress, who maddens lovers, sometimes leading them to their doom. Mohini is introduced into the Hindu mythos in the narrative epic of the Mahabharata...
(Rugmangadacharitam) or Sairandhri
Sairandhri
Sairandhri is a place in Kerala, South India at about . It is the entrance point and visitors center for Silent Valley National Park. Sairandhri is the site of a controversial hydroelectric dam that was proposed in 1958 and finally rejected in 1984....
(or Malini in Keechakavadham) which demanded fertile imagination and an insight about their profile for brighter enactment.
The 1936-born Sivaraman, a disciple of his uncle-guru Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair
Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair
Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair, also spelt Kunju Nair, was a prominent Kathakali exponent of the 20th century and the first principal of Kerala Kalamandalam, the premier performing arts institute of Kerala in south India....
at the PSV Natyasangham in Kottakkal
Kottakkal
Kottakkal is a town and a municipality in Malappuram District in Kerala, south India. It has 32 Wards. The National Highway 17 separates the municipality from Edarikkode Panchayath on some part in the west. It is an Eranadan town located 12 km south-west of Malappuram, the district...
in north-central Kerala's 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, decided to change all this subordination. By the 1960s, he had experimented those ideas on stage with success, much to the appreciation of aesthetes not only in his native Valluvanad, an erstwhile central-Kerala fiefdom which has been the homestead for the refined Kalluvazhi style of Kathakali, but across Kerala and subsequently the rest of the world. His Karalmanna
Karalmanna
Karalmanna is a south Indian village in the erstwhile state of Valluvanad along the banks of the Thootha, a tributary of the river Nila in Palakkad district of Kerala...
village, north of Cherpulassery, in Palakkad
Palakkad
Palakkad , formerly known as Palghat, is a municipality and a town in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 km2.The city is situated about north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram. It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District...
district thus further affixed its name on the Kathakali map.
Over the years, Sivaraman has acted with actors of several generations across north and south Kerala, but it was with 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...
that he teamed up well to gain repute as a phenomenal pair on the Kathakali stage. Together they acted, with Sivaraman as Damayanti
Damayanti
Damayanti , a character in Hindu mythology, was the princess of Vidarbha Kingdom, who married king Nala, of Nishadha Kingdom, and their story is told in the Mahabharata.-The story:...
and Gopi as Nala
Nala
Nala , a character in Hindu mythology, is the king of Nishadha Kingdom, son of Virasena. Nala is known for his skill with horses and culinary expertise. He marries princess Damayanti, of Vidarbha Kingdom, and their story is told in the Mahabharata. His main weakness is gambling...
n, as Kunti-Karna
Karna
Karna or Radheya is one of the central characters in the epic Mahābhārata, from ancient India. He was the King of Anga...
n, as Mohini-Rukmangada
Rukmangada
Rukmangada is the name of a character in Hindu mythology. He was a great devotee of Vishnu.-Legend:Rukmangada was looked upon as a good and pious king. He is happily married to Sandhyavali and the couple have a small son named Dharmangada...
n. Sivaraman's portrayal of Sairandhri (Draupadi
Draupadi
In the epic Mahābhārata, Draupadi, also known as ' is the "emerged" daughter of King Drupada of Panchāla and the wife of the five Pandavas. When Yudhisthira becomes the king of Hastinapura at the end of the war, Draupadi becomes the queen of Indraprastha...
in disguise as a maid) in Keechakavadham opposite 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:...
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...
(as Keechaka) also earned him lots of stages and fame. Sivaraman was one among the rare leading Kathakali artistes of modern times to have not taught in any leading performing-art institutions.
In the evening of his life, Sivaraman also carved a cast in male roles, where the magic of make-up would help him hide his advancing age. He continued to do female roles, but was also seen performing as 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...
(Kuchelavrittam) or Pushkara
Pushkara
In Hindu mythology Pushkara was the brother of Nala to whom Nala lost his kingdom and all that he possessed in gambling. Kali got very angry when Damayanti chose Nala in the swayamvar. Kali possessed Nala and was defeated by his brother Pushkara....
(Nalacharitam). He had choreographed a new storyplay (aattakkatha), Pingala, which is based on the 11th canto of the epic Bhagavatham. In its inaugural show, he enacted the lead role of the protagonist.
Other activities and personal life
An artiste with keen interest in reading books, ranging from the PuranasPuranas
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
to the latest works in his native Malayalam literature, Sivaraman was known as a garrulous talker even while being a deep-sighted thinker of his art form. Filmmaker M.R. Rajan has made a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
on the master. The work, Minukku, went on to bag a national award in 2007.
Sivaraman, who won the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi award, lived in his modest tile-roof home in Karalmanna with his wife Bhavani and family..