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{{Short description|Indian dancer}} | {{Short description|Indian dancer}} | ||
{{ | {{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}} | ||
{{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 | | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (DEATH date then BIRTH date) --> | ||
| death_place = | | death_place = | ||
| 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 | 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" /> | ||
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 | 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 | 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 | [[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]] | |||
Latest revision as of 13:57, 23 February 2026
 | This article may require cleanup to meet Bharatpedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: lack of sources, inappropriate tone. (December 2019) |
Vadakke Manalath Govindan Nair | |
|---|---|
 Kalamandalam Gopi during a public function in 2011. | |
| Born | 25 May 1937 Kothachira, Kerala, India |
| Other names | Kalamandalam Gopi |
| Occupation | Kathakali Actor, actor |
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[edit | edit source]
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.[1] 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.[1]
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.[1] He is considered an icon of this dance performance.[1]
The government of India awarded him the civilian honour of Padma Shri in 2009.[2]
Dance[edit | edit source]
Gopi is known for the romantic and dramatic portrayal of the virtuous pachcha roles in Kathakali, notable among them being Nalan, Karnan and Rukmangadan. He has also played the choreographically denser roles of Bheeman (in the stories 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.
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[edit | edit source]
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.
Awards[edit | edit source]
- 1995 – Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award[3]
- 2006 – Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship[4]
- 2009 – Padma Shri[2]
- 2011 – Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
- Various Veshams of Kalamandalam Gopi
-
Kalamandalam Gopi as Nalan in Nalacharitham Randam Divasam. -
Kalamandalam Gopi as Nalan in Nalacharitham Randam Divasam. -
Kalamandalam Gopi as Nalan in Nalacharitham Randam Divasam. -
Kalamandalam Gopi as Nalan in Nalacharitham Randam Divasam. -
Kalamandalam Gopi as Dasharadha in Dasharadhavilapam. -
Padmasree Kalamandalam Gopi Asan as Karnan in Karnashapadam. -
Kalamandalam Gopi as Nalan in Nalacharitham Randam Divasam.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 K.k.gopalakrishnan (1 June 2017). "Kalamandalam Gopi has been the favourite of Kathakali's aficionados". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ↑ "Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award: Kathakali". Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ↑ "Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship: Kathakali". Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 26 February 2023.