V. K. Nair

🪔 About

Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair (1908/1909-1981) was a legendary Indian Kathakali maestro, renowned as a brilliant performer, an excellent guru, and a Sanskrit scholar. Born in Vazhenkada, now in the Malappuram district of Kerala, he was initially named Krishnan but became widely known by his nickname Kunchu. His journey into Kathakali began in 1924 with training under gurus Kariyattil Koppan Nair and Kalluvazhi Govinda Pisharody. He made his debut as a Kathakali dancer in 1925. Kunchu Nair further honed his skills under the tutelage of the legendary Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon for five years, developing a unique style that blended the expressive facial movements of the Kaplingatu (southern) school with the rigorous body movements and hand gestures characteristic of the Kalluvazhi (midland) tradition. He was particularly noted for his subdued and character-oriented portrayal of lead Kathakali roles such as Nalan, Rukmangadan, Dharmaputrar, Bhiman, Arjunan, Brahmanan (in Santanagopalam), and Parasuraman (Sitaswayamvaram), as well as anti-hero roles like Ravanan and Duryodhanan. His deep knowledge of Puranas and related subjects greatly aided his character portrayals. Kunchu Nair dedicated many years to teaching, serving as a guru at PSV Natya Sangham in Kottakkal from 1946. From 1959 to 1972, he served at Kerala Kalamandalam, the premier performing arts institute of Kerala, where he also held the position of its first principal. His eminent disciples include Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody, Kottakkal Sivaraman, Nelliyode Vasudevan Namboodiri, Kottakkal Chandrasekharan, and his son, Vazhenkada Vijayan. For his significant contributions to Indian classical dance, Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair was honored with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1969 and the Padma Shri in 1971. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1969), Padma Shri (1971).