GURUSMARANADINAM

Preserving and Promoting Guru Shishya Parampara

Commemoration of the Legendary Guru in Kathakali Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduval. On October 14, Kalasagar honored the great masters by remembering the legendary figure in Kathakali, Guru Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduval.

Traditionally, in the ancient Guru-Shishya (teacher-student) relationship, the Guru was not only respected but also feared, as the Guru was solely responsible for shaping the lives of their students.  As the harmony and balance of this relationship face challenges from modernity, it leads to a crisis of authority. The ultimate art of a teacher lies in inspiring joy through creative expression and knowledge, according to the Guru. The concept of the Guru-Shishya relationship must find a balance through continuous re-evaluation of tradition and modernity. Rajan Poduval, Secretary of Kalasagar, states that both the Guru and the students need to conduct a reality check to understand the demands of this era.

In memory of Kalasagar founder Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduval, who passed away 32 years ago, a commemorative event was held at the temple grounds of Vellinezhi Chenganikottu Kavu, honoring Kathakali Guru Sri Kalamandalam Vasudevan Nair, Kathakali Maddalam Guru Sri Kalamandalam Raman Kutty, and Kathakali backstage makeup of cstume expert Sri Kalamandalam Appunitharakan.

Kalakalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduval was a rare artist in the Kathakali world who received recognition across regions. His extraordinary talent lay in his deep understanding and integration of the nature of the story, the characters, the seriousness of the performance, and the meaningfulness of the presentation. To immortalize this great master’s memory, Kalasagar observed GURUSMMARANADINAM (Guru Memorial Day) at the Vellinezhi.

The event began at 6 PM with an introductory speech and welcome by Sri Vellinjeri Anand. The memorial gathering chaired by Sri T.K. Achyuth (President, Kalasagar) featured an inaugural address by Padmasree Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar (Chairman, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi). Panditharatnam Dr. P.K. Madhavan enriched the gathering with his distinguished presence and spoke on the importance of Gurusmaranadinam, offering new insights into Pothuval’s artistic contributions. Sri Kalamandalam Unnikrishnan delivered a memorial speech, and Sri Vellinjeri Ramkumar expressed gratitude.

Following the tribute to the masters, a performance of Kathakali play viz. “POOTHANAMOKSHAM” was presented featuring Kumari Nandana Thakumbad, Kumari Narmada Vasudevan, Master Jishnu Athipatta, Master Niranjan Mohan (music), Sri Kalamandalam Raghuchandran (Idakka/Chenda), Sri Kalamandalam Jayaprasad (Maddalam), and the backstage crew by Rangashree.