Narayanan Nambiar K P

🪔 About

Paanivadathilakan P. K. Narayanan Nambiar (born May 26, 1927, in Killikurissimangalam, Palakkad, Kerala, British Raj; died November 15, 2023, in Palakkad, Kerala, India) was a revered Indian musician, scholar, and master of Koodiyattam and the traditional percussion instrument Mizhavu. He was the son of the legendary Koodiyattam maestro Mani Madhava Chakyar and Nangiarkoothu artist Kochampilli Kunjimalu Nangiaramma. Nambiar received his early education in the gurukula system under his father and was initiated into Koodiyattam at the age of 12 in 1939. He further honed his Koodiyattam skills under gurus like Kochampilli Raman Nambiar and Meledath Govindan Nambiar, mastering the art of playing the Mizhavu. His debut as a Mizhavu artist was in 1948 at the Kottakkal Kovilakam Siva temple, performing Mizhavu Thayambaka. In 1954, he made history as a Koodiyattam actor, playing Arjuna in 'Subradhananjayam' at the Lakkidi Kunjan Memorial Library, marking the first time the art form was performed outside a temple and by a non-Chakyar. Nambiar continued to perform Koodiyattam until 1996, taking on roles of both hero and jester. In 1966, he joined Kerala Kalamandalam as a Guru of Mizhavu, where he systematized and restructured Mizhavu music and developed a unique form of jugalbandi called Mizhavu Thayambaka. He is credited with evolving a systematic training scheme for the Mizhavu and retired from Kalamandalam in 1988. Nambiar also played a crucial role in reviving Nangiar Koothu, the female aspect of Koodiyattam. He authored several Attaprakarams (stage manuals) for Koodiyattam, including the staging of Kaliyaankam, and published scholarly works like "Mantrankam" (1980), "Sreekrishna Charitam Nangiaramma Koothu" (1984), and "Mizhavu – Nampyarude Kramadipika" (2005), a foundational guide for Mizhavu students. He also ran the Padmashri Madhava Chakyar Gurukulam. Awards & Honours: Padmashri (2008), Fellowship, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award (1993), Nritha Natya Puraskaram, Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.