Hari Kumar K

🪔 About

Sadanam K. Harikumaran, also known as Sadanam Harikumar, is a highly celebrated and multifaceted Indian classical artist from Kerala, India. Born on February 8, 1958, in Peroor village of Palakkad district, he is renowned for his profound contributions to Kathakali, as well as his expertise in music, painting, sculpting, and literature. His artistic journey began at an early age, with Kathakali training commencing at eight years old at the Gandhi Seva Sadanam (Sadanam Kathakali Akademi), an institution founded by his father, the freedom fighter K. Kumaran. His mother, Sarojini Amma, was the daughter of Kakkad Karanavappad, one of the founders of Kerala Kalamandalam. Harikumaran's Kathakali gurus include the legendary Padma Shri Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, Sadanam Balakrishnan, and Sadanam Raman Kutty. During his college years, he also trained in Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam under Kalamandalam Leelamma. He holds a Diploma in Kathakali and a Master's in Malayalam Language and Literature. Harikumaran served as a professor of Kathakali at Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, West Bengal, for five years starting in 1989. He later returned to Sadanam, where he became its principal and, as of 2008, held that position. Currently, he serves as the Secretary of the Gandhi Seva Sadanam Kathakali & Classical Arts Academy. Beyond dance, he is an All India Radio-certified Carnatic musician, having been trained by Prof C.S. Krishna Iyer, and has composed approximately 50 songs, primarily in Malayalam. He is also a prolific playwright, having penned 19 Kathakali story-plays (attakathas), including notable works like "Sapamochanam," "Karnaparvam," "Chitrangada," and "Charudattam," an adaptation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. In 2010, he earned a doctorate from Calicut University for his research thesis on Kathakali, which was subsequently published as "Structural Components of Kathakali." Awards & Honours: Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award (2014).