Kalamandalam Gopi - Revision history

Ieagle: added info

2026-02-23T08:27:54Z

added info

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:57, 23 February 2026
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	{{Short description\|Indian dancer}}		{{Short description\|Indian dancer}}
	{{~~EngvarB~~\|date=July 2016}}		{{Cleanup\|reason=lack of sources, inappropriate tone.\|date=December 2019}}
			{{Use British English\|date=July 2016}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=July 2016}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=July 2016}}
	~~{{Cleanup\|reason=lack of sources, inappropriate tone.\|date=December 2019}}~~
	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
	\| name = Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nair		\| name = Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nair
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	\| alt =		\| alt =
	\| caption = Kalamandalam Gopi during a public function in 2011.		\| caption = Kalamandalam Gopi during a public function in 2011.
	\| birth_date =		\| birth_date = 25 May 1937
	\| birth_place = [[Kothachira]], [[Kerala]], India		\| birth_place = [[Kothachira]], [[Kerala]], India
	\| death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age~~\|df=no~~\|YYYY\|MM\|DD\|YYYY\|MM\|DD}} (~~death~~ date then ~~birth~~) -->		\| death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age\|YYYY\|MM\|DD\|YYYY\|MM\|DD}} (DEATH date then BIRTH date) -->
	\| death_place =		\| death_place =
	~~\| nationality = Indian~~
	\| other_names = Kalamandalam Gopi		\| other_names = Kalamandalam Gopi
	\| known_for =		\| known_for =
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	== Life ==		== Life ==
	Born as Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nair in the Southern Indian village of [[Kothachira]] in Kerala, he completed his formal lessons in the dance from the Kerala Kalamandalam in 1957.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news\|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/dance/kalamandalam-gopi-has-been-the-favourite-of-kathakalis-aficionados/article18699924.ece\|title=Kalamandalam Gopi has been the favourite of ~~Kathakali’s~~ aficionados\|last=K.k.gopalakrishnan\|date=2017-06-01\|work=The Hindu\|access-date=2019-12-12\|language=en-IN\|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> He started learning Kerala dance form - Ottan Thullal when he was 4 years old, and later he was introduced to a local Kathakali camp (kalari) run by Sri Thekkinkattil Ravunni Nair by his local guardian. It was at a time, when the kalari got wound up, and his continuation of the study was in doubt; when he got the chance to the Kerala Kalamandalam School in 1951, which became a turning point for this great artiste. He began his career on the Kathakali stage in the 1960s and 1970s, but he had been appointed as a teacher at his alma mater, the Kerala Kalamandalam in ~~1958~~, by poet laureate Vallathol Narayana Menon, who had founded the school.<ref name=":0" />		Born as Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nair in the Southern Indian village of [[Kothachira]] in Kerala, he completed his formal lessons in the dance from the Kerala Kalamandalam in 1957.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news\|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/dance/kalamandalam-gopi-has-been-the-favourite-of-kathakalis-aficionados/article18699924.ece\|title=Kalamandalam Gopi has been the favourite of Kathakali's aficionados\|last=K.k.gopalakrishnan\|date=2017-06-01\|work=The Hindu\|access-date=2019-12-12\|language=en-IN\|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> He began his career on the Kathakali stage in the 1960s and 1970s, but he had been appointed as a teacher at his alma mater, the Kerala Kalamandalam in 1957, by poet laureate Vallathol Narayana Menon, who had founded the school.<ref name=":0" />

	In 1992, Gopi retired from the post as school Principal and he is the only living performer of the art to have been appointed by Vallathol Narayana Menon himself.<ref name=":0" /> He continued teaching in Kalamandalam after hir retirement, as a visiting professor.

	He is considered an icon of this dance performance.<ref name=":0" />		In 1992, Gopi retired from the post as school principal and he is the only living performer of the art to have been appointed by Vallathol Narayana Menon himself.<ref name=":0" /> He is considered an icon of this dance performance.<ref name=":0" />

	The ~~Government~~ of India awarded him the civilian honour of [[Padma Shri]] in 2009.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web\|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf\|title=Padma Awards\|date=2015\|publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India\|url-status=dead\|archive-url=https://~~www~~.~~webcitation~~.org/~~6U68ulwpb?url=~~http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf\|archive-date=15 ~~November 2014~~\|access-date=21 July 2015}}</ref>		The government of India awarded him the civilian honour of [[Padma Shri]] in 2009.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web\|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf\|title=Padma Awards\|date=2015\|publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India\|url-status=dead\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf\|archive-date=15 October 2015\|access-date=21 July 2015}}</ref>

	==Dance==		==Dance==
	Gopi is known for the romantic and dramatic portrayal of the virtuous pachcha roles in Kathakali, notable among them being [[Nala]]n, [[Karna]]n and [[Rukmangada]]n. He has also played the choreographically denser roles of Bheeman (in the stories [[Kalyanasaugandhikam\|Kalyanasougandhikam]] or [[Bakavadham]]), Arjuna ([[Subhadraharanam]]) and Dharmaputrar (that's [[Yudhishthira]] in [[Kirmeeravadham]]). Gopi is also highly regarded for his portrayal of yellow-faced ~~pazhuppu~~ roles and other styles.		Gopi is known for the romantic and dramatic portrayal of the virtuous pachcha roles in Kathakali, notable among them being [[Nala]]n, [[Karna]]n and [[Rukmangada]]n. He has also played the choreographically denser roles of Bheeman (in the stories [[Kalyanasaugandhikam\|Kalyanasougandhikam]] or [[Bakavadham]]), Arjuna ([[Subhadraharanam]]) and Dharmaputrar (that's [[Yudhishthira]] in [[Kirmeeravadham]]). Gopi is also highly regarded for his portrayal of yellow-faced pazhukka roles and other styles.

	Gopi is a disciple of the award-winning [[Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair]], [[Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair]] and [[Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair]], and was trained at [[Kerala Kalamandalam]], near [[Shoranur]]. Before that, he had a brief career as a practitioner of the more folksy [[Ottamthullal]], the solo dance form with lyrics by the [[Kunchan Nambiar]], a satirical poet. That was followed by his initiation into Kathakali by a leading guru called [[Thekkinkattil Ramunni Nair]] at the Koodallur Mana (a mansion of an upper-caste [[Namboodiri]] family) near Kothachira.		Gopi is a disciple of the award-winning [[Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair]], [[Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair]] and [[Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair]], and was trained at [[Kerala Kalamandalam]], near [[Shoranur]]. Before that, he had a brief career as a practitioner of the more folksy [[Ottamthullal]], the solo dance form with lyrics by the [[Kunchan Nambiar]], a satirical poet. That was followed by his initiation into Kathakali by a leading guru called [[Thekkinkattil Ramunni Nair]] at the Koodallur Mana (a mansion of an upper-caste [[Namboodiri]] family) near Kothachira.
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	Filmmaker [[Adoor Gopalakrishnan]] made a documentary film of Gopi, entitled ''Kalamandalam Gopi''. The film was shown at the [[International Film Festival of India]] in 2000, as well as at other festivals in India and abroad. Journalist Meena (Das) Narayan produced and directed a docu-fiction about Gopi in 2010. Titled ''[[Making of a maestro]]'', the documentary explores the evolution of Nair from childhood onwards.		Filmmaker [[Adoor Gopalakrishnan]] made a documentary film of Gopi, entitled ''Kalamandalam Gopi''. The film was shown at the [[International Film Festival of India]] in 2000, as well as at other festivals in India and abroad. Journalist Meena (Das) Narayan produced and directed a docu-fiction about Gopi in 2010. Titled ''[[Making of a maestro]]'', the documentary explores the evolution of Nair from childhood onwards.

			==Awards==
			* 1995 – [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award]]<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.keralaculture.org/kathakali-a-ksna/468\|title=Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award: Kathakali\|publisher=Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala\|access-date=26 February 2023}}</ref>
			* 2006 – [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]]<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.keralaculture.org/kathakali-ksna/460\|title=Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship: Kathakali\|publisher=Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala\|access-date=26 February 2023}}</ref>
			* 2009 – [[Padma Shri]]<ref name="Padma Awards"/>
			* 2011 – [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship]]

	<gallery widths="160" heights="110" class="center" caption="Various Veshams of Kalamandalam Gopi">		<gallery widths="160" heights="110" class="center" caption="Various Veshams of Kalamandalam Gopi">
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	{{SangeetNatakAkademiFellowship}}		{{SangeetNatakAkademiFellowship}}
	{{Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Winners of Kerala}}		{{Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Winners of Kerala}}
			{{authority control}}

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Gopi, Kalamandalam}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Gopi, Kalamandalam}}
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	[[Category:Living people]]		[[Category:Living people]]
	[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]		[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]
	[[Category:Kathakali ~~exponents~~]]		[[Category:Kathakali dancers]]
	[[Category:People from Palakkad district]]		[[Category:People from Palakkad district]]
	[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship]]		[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship]]
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	[[Category:Educators from Kerala]]		[[Category:Educators from Kerala]]
	[[Category:20th-century Indian educators]]		[[Category:20th-century Indian educators]]
			[[Category:Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]]
			[[Category:Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award]]

202.21.227.87: /* Life */

2021-05-21T08:43:24Z

Life

New page

{{Short description|Indian dancer}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Cleanup|reason=lack of sources, inappropriate tone.|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nair
| image = Kalamandalam-Gopi-2.jpg
| image_size = 225px
| alt =
| caption = Kalamandalam Gopi during a public function in 2011.
| birth_date =
| birth_place = [[Kothachira]], [[Kerala]], India
| death_date = 
| death_place =
| nationality = Indian
| other_names = Kalamandalam Gopi
| known_for =
| occupation = [[Kathakali Actor]], actor
}}
[[File:Keechaka Vadham BNC.jpg|thumb|262px|Keechaka Vadham performed by Kalamandalam Gopi]]
'''Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nair''' popularly known as '''Kalamandalam Gopi''', is an Indian dancer who is an exponent of the classical dance-drama style known as [[Kathakali]].

== Life ==
Born as Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nair in the Southern Indian village of [[Kothachira]] in Kerala, he completed his formal lessons in the dance from the Kerala Kalamandalam in 1957.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/dance/kalamandalam-gopi-has-been-the-favourite-of-kathakalis-aficionados/article18699924.ece|title=Kalamandalam Gopi has been the favourite of Kathakali’s aficionados|last=K.k.gopalakrishnan|date=2017-06-01|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-12-12|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> He started learning Kerala dance form - Ottan Thullal when he was 4 years old, and later he was introduced to a local Kathakali camp (kalari) run by Sri Thekkinkattil Ravunni Nair by his local guardian. It was at a time, when the kalari got wound up, and his continuation of the study was in doubt; when he got the chance to the Kerala Kalamandalam School in 1951, which became a turning point for this great artiste. He began his career on the Kathakali stage in the 1960s and 1970s, but he had been appointed as a teacher at his alma mater, the Kerala Kalamandalam in 1958, by poet laureate Vallathol Narayana Menon, who had founded the school.<ref name=":0" />

In 1992, Gopi retired from the post as school Principal and he is the only living performer of the art to have been appointed by Vallathol Narayana Menon himself.<ref name=":0" /> He continued teaching in Kalamandalam after hir retirement, as a visiting professor.

He is considered an icon of this dance performance.<ref name=":0" />

The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of [[Padma Shri]] in 2009.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf|title=Padma Awards|date=2015|publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6U68ulwpb?url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf|archive-date=15 November 2014|access-date=21 July 2015}}</ref>

==Dance==
Gopi is known for the romantic and dramatic portrayal of the virtuous pachcha roles in Kathakali, notable among them being [[Nala]]n, [[Karna]]n and [[Rukmangada]]n. He has also played the choreographically denser roles of Bheeman (in the stories [[Kalyanasaugandhikam|Kalyanasougandhikam]] or [[Bakavadham]]), Arjuna ([[Subhadraharanam]]) and Dharmaputrar (that's [[Yudhishthira]] in [[Kirmeeravadham]]). Gopi is also highly regarded for his portrayal of yellow-faced pazhuppu roles and other styles.

Gopi is a disciple of the award-winning [[Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair]], [[Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair]] and [[Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair]], and was trained at [[Kerala Kalamandalam]], near [[Shoranur]]. Before that, he had a brief career as a practitioner of the more folksy [[Ottamthullal]], the solo dance form with lyrics by the [[Kunchan Nambiar]], a satirical poet. That was followed by his initiation into Kathakali by a leading guru called [[Thekkinkattil Ramunni Nair]] at the Koodallur Mana (a mansion of an upper-caste [[Namboodiri]] family) near Kothachira.

By the 1960s, Gopi's male protagonist roles were complemented by [[Kottakkal Sivaraman]], who gained name as an exponent of female roles on the stage. The pair still perform on stage together, although Gopi now also works with a younger colleague, [[Margi Vijayakumar]].

==In film==
Gopi has also acted (without Kathakali make-up or costumes) in several [[Malayalam]] feature films like [[Vanaprastham]].

Filmmaker [[Adoor Gopalakrishnan]] made a documentary film of Gopi, entitled ''Kalamandalam Gopi''. The film was shown at the [[International Film Festival of India]] in 2000, as well as at other festivals in India and abroad. Journalist Meena (Das) Narayan produced and directed a docu-fiction about Gopi in 2010. Titled ''[[Making of a maestro]]'', the documentary explores the evolution of Nair from childhood onwards.

<gallery widths="160" heights="110" class="center" caption="Various Veshams of Kalamandalam Gopi">
File:Kalamandalam-Gopi-Nalan.jpg|Kalamandalam Gopi as Nalan in Nalacharitham Randam Divasam.
File:Padmasree Kalamandalam Gopi.jpg|Kalamandalam Gopi as Nalan in Nalacharitham Randam Divasam.
File:Kalamandalam Gopi.jpg|Kalamandalam Gopi as Nalan in Nalacharitham Randam Divasam.
File:Kalamandalam Gopi as Nalan.jpg|Kalamandalam Gopi as Nalan in Nalacharitham Randam Divasam.
File:Kalamandalam Gopi As Dasharadhan.jpg|Kalamandalam Gopi as Dasharadha in Dasharadhavilapam.
File:Gopi Asan as Karnan.jpg|Padmasree Kalamandalam Gopi Asan as Karnan in Karnashapadam.
File:Kalamandalam Gopi - Nalacharitham Second Day.jpg|Kalamandalam Gopi as Nalan in Nalacharitham Randam Divasam.
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Kalamandalam Gopi}}
*[http://pib.nic.in/archive/iffi2000/snpiffi2000ipnf1.html International Film Festival of India 2000 – Kalamandalam Gopi]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100715223556/http://www.mnjadv.com/ Making of a Maestro – Documentary on Kalamandalam Gopi]

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Art}}
{{Padma Award winners of Kerala}}
{{SangeetNatakAkademiFellowship}}
{{Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Winners of Kerala}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gopi, Kalamandalam}}
[[Category:Dancers from Kerala]]
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]
[[Category:Kathakali exponents]]
[[Category:People from Palakkad district]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]
[[Category:Malayali people]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian dancers]]
[[Category:Indian male dancers]]
[[Category:Educators from Kerala]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educators]]