Sadanam K. Harikumaran
Encyclopedia
Sadanam K. Harikumaran is a versatile artiste from Kerala
in south India
, known for his engagements with Indian classical dance
s and music
, besides painting
, sculpting and literature
.
district. His father, K. Kumaran, was a freedom fighter and founder of Gandhi Seva Sadan. His mother, Sarojini Amma, is daughter of Kakkad Karanavappad, one of the founders of Kerala Kalamandalam
. He took to Kathakali at an early age, but parallelly did his formal education, completing his masters in his mother tongue Malayalam in the process.
, in West Bengal
for five years since 1989. It was during that stint that he began doing painting and sculpting in a prolific way. Back in Kerala, he continued his experiments with plastic arts even as he rejoined Sadanam and subsequently became its principal. For over a decade, Harikumaran has also been making Kathakali costumes (koppu), sometimes in an innovative way, and also experimenting with its make-up (chutti). He also delivers talks at seminars on Kathakali.
As of 2008 he is principal of Gandhi Seva Sadan
(Sadanam Kathakali Akademi), he is basically an actor-dancer of Kathakali
, but also sings for it besides writing storyplays for the classical dance-drama. Padma Shri
Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair
is his main Kathakali guru.
Harikumaran is an All India Radio
-certified Carnatic music
ian, having been chiefly guided in that art by the late Prof C.S. Krishna Iyer. He also used to perform Bharatanatyam
and Mohiniyattam (guru: Kalamandalam Leelamma) during his college days.
Harikumaran has penned seven Kathakali storyplays (attakathas). They are Sapamochanam, Karnaparvam, Abhimanyu, Manikantacharitam, Charudattam (based on the story of Julius Caesar
), Chitrangada and Puruvamsodayam.
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
in south India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, known for his engagements with Indian classical dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
s and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, besides painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, sculpting and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
.
Early Life
Harikumaran was born on February 8, 1958, in Peroor village of PalakkadPalakkad
Palakkad , formerly known as Palghat, is a municipality and a town in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 km2.The city is situated about north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram. It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District...
district. His father, K. Kumaran, was a freedom fighter and founder of Gandhi Seva Sadan. His mother, Sarojini Amma, is daughter of Kakkad Karanavappad, one of the founders of Kerala Kalamandalam
Kerala Kalamandalam
Kerala Kalamandalam , lately renamed as Kalamandalam Deemed University of Art and Culture, is a major centre for learning Indian performing arts, especially those that developed in the southern state of India, with the special emphasis on Kerala. It is situated in the village of Cheruthuruthy in...
. He took to Kathakali at an early age, but parallelly did his formal education, completing his masters in his mother tongue Malayalam in the process.
Career
Harikumaran had left Kerala for a while when he worked as a professor in Kathakali at the Visva-Bharati University, SantiniketanSantiniketan
Santiniketan is a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, approximately 180 kilometres north of Kolkata . It was made famous by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose vision became what is now a university town that attracts thousands of visitors each year...
, in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
for five years since 1989. It was during that stint that he began doing painting and sculpting in a prolific way. Back in Kerala, he continued his experiments with plastic arts even as he rejoined Sadanam and subsequently became its principal. For over a decade, Harikumaran has also been making Kathakali costumes (koppu), sometimes in an innovative way, and also experimenting with its make-up (chutti). He also delivers talks at seminars on Kathakali.
As of 2008 he is principal of Gandhi Seva Sadan
Gandhi Seva Sadan
Gandhi Seva Sadan, or simply Sadanam, is a Kathakali institution located in Perur village, some 12 kilometres east of Ottapalam in Palakkad district of north-central Kerala in southern India. It was founded in 1953 by the Gandhian and freedom fighter K...
(Sadanam Kathakali Akademi), he is basically an actor-dancer of Kathakali
Kathakali
Kathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...
, but also sings for it besides writing storyplays for the classical dance-drama. Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair
Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair
Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair was one of the most revolutionary Kathakali artistes in the history of the classical dance-drama from Kerala, India...
is his main Kathakali guru.
Harikumaran is an All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
-certified Carnatic music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
ian, having been chiefly guided in that art by the late Prof C.S. Krishna Iyer. He also used to perform Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam
Bharata Natyam or Chadhir Attam, is a classical dance form from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, practiced predominantly in modern times by women. The dance is usually accompanied by classical Carnatic music...
and Mohiniyattam (guru: Kalamandalam Leelamma) during his college days.
Harikumaran has penned seven Kathakali storyplays (attakathas). They are Sapamochanam, Karnaparvam, Abhimanyu, Manikantacharitam, Charudattam (based on the story of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
), Chitrangada and Puruvamsodayam.