Dance, in Indian Culture, is an art form that is forever associated with expressing oneself. Painting and sketching sometimes involve doing portraits of people making it lose the aspect of self-expression. If not entirely at least a little bit. But when it comes to dance it is clearly visible when one is dancing from their heart and when one is holding back. It is visible when one is trying just to make do and attain perfection by copying others. And when one is thriving while dancing to the beat of their heart’s tune. Dance reveals it all. For the most part of the history of dance, dance has been primarily associated with women. But there is a long list of graceful dancers who are actually men. And one such dancer was Ramankutty Nair.
Ramankutty Nair: A Glimpse of His Life
Unlike many legends, Ramankutty Nair wasn’t born into a family that had a background in Kathakali. Born in 1925 in Kerala, his life would have probably been very different had Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon not cast such an impression on him. Known for playing a pivotal role in the history of Kathakali, Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon was a resident tutor at Olappamanna Mana. He enjoyed a well-deserved major presence in the cultural scene of the village. Later becoming Ramankutty Nair’s teacher he taught him everything he knew about the art. Thus, making sure Ramankutty Nair was ready with the right techniques to master the art of Kathakali.
Ramankutty Nair practised tirelessly to ensure that his art form was honed beyond perfection. Once he honed those skills there was no turning back for him. He was an active artist till the age of 85. This means he has graced his audience with different roles over the course of his career. Some of his notable roles include Ravana in plays like ‘Thoranayudham’ and ‘Ravanolbhavam’, Narakasura in ‘Narakasuravadham’, Duryodhana in ‘Uttaraswayamvaram’, Hanuman in ‘Kalyanasaugandhikam’, ‘Thoranayudham’, and ‘Lavanasuravadham’, Keechaka in ‘Keechakavadham’, Dharmaputra in ‘Kirmeeravadham’, and Arjuna in ‘Kalakeyavadham’.
Credited with introducing Ashtakalasam, a captivating dance of bliss of Balabhadra and Krishna in the play Subhadraharanam, Ramankutty Nair also made changes to the aaharya aspect of abhinaya which involved make-up, costume and utensils that are needed for the performance, by basing it on Ravi Varma’s painting.
Kerala Kalamandalam is where Ramankutty Nair perfected his art and later went on to shape many new talents. Just like his own revered guru Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon, he was known to be a perfectionist who demanded only excellence from his students. He later retired as the principal of Kerala Kalamandalam in 1985.
Afterword:
Winning the most coveted award Padma Bhushan, he also achieved many other accolades in his course as an artist for his indelible contribution to the Indian culture. Penning down his autobiography “Thiranottam“, he left an unforgettable impression on the minds of dancers and lovers of dance all over the world. The Kutty trio that he was part of which also included, chenda maestro Krishnankutty Poduval and maddalam maestro Appukkutty Poduaval, gave the audience many masterpieces worthy performances. Leaving us at the age of 87 in 2013, he ensured his legacy never died. He did so by pouring his heart and soul into teaching the future generation of Kathakali dancers.
