Sadanam Harikumar

🪔 About

Sadanam K. Harikumar, born on February 8, 1958, in Peroor village, Palakkad district, Kerala, is a highly celebrated and multifaceted Indian classical artist. His father, K. Kumaran, a freedom fighter, founded Gandhi Seva Sadanam (later Sadanam Kathakali Academy), where Harikumar's artistic journey began at an early age. He commenced his Kathakali training at eight, performing his arangetram in the fifth standard. His primary Kathakali gurus include Padmasree Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, Sadanam Balakrishnan, and Sadanam Ramankutty. He also received a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture, India, for advanced Kathakali studies under Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair. Harikumar pursued formal education alongside his artistic training, earning a degree in Zoology and an M.A. in Malayalam. He served as a Kathakali professor at Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, from 1989 to 1994. After returning to Kerala due to illness in 1993, he rejoined Sadanam, where he later became its Principal and is currently the Secretary of Gandhi Seva Sadanam Kathakali & Classical Arts Academy. Beyond Kathakali performance, Harikumar is a Carnatic vocalist, trained by C.S. Krishna Iyer, and a Kathakali vocalist graded 'B'high' by All India Radio. He is also a prolific playwright, having penned 19 to 24 Kathakali story-plays, including adaptations of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. His artistic endeavors extend to painting, sculpting, and designing Kathakali costumes and make-up. He earned a doctorate from Calicut University in 2010 for his thesis on 'Structural Components of Kathakali,' making him the first Kathakali performer to achieve this distinction. Harikumar has performed and conducted workshops internationally in countries such as England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Russia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Cuba, and Martinique. Awards & Honours: Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award (2014), Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Award for Sculpture (2020), Thauryathrika Award (Sangeetam) (2017), President's Award for Teachers.