Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma

From Bharatpedia, an open encyclopedia
Information red.svg
Scan the QR code to donate via UPI
Dear reader, We need your support to keep the flame of knowledge burning bright! Our hosting server bill is due on June 1st, and without your help, Bharatpedia faces the risk of shutdown. We've come a long way together in exploring and celebrating our rich heritage. Now, let's unite to ensure Bharatpedia continues to be a beacon of knowledge for generations to come. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference. Together, let's preserve and share the essence of Bharat.

Thank you for being part of the Bharatpedia family!
Please scan the QR code on the right click here to donate.

0%

   

transparency: ₹0 raised out of ₹100,000 (0 supporter)


Kalamandalam Kallyanikutty Amma (1915 – 1999) was an epoch-making Mohiniyattam danseuse from Kerala in southern India.[1] A native of Thirunavaya in Malappuram district of the state, she was instrumental in resurrecting Mohiniyattam from a dismal, near-extinct state into a mainstream Indian classical dance, rendering it formal structure and ornamentation.[2]

Kalyanikutty Amma, one of the early-batch students of Kerala Kalamandalam, was married to the late Kathakali maestro Padma Shri Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair.[3]

Of the two books Kalyanikutty Amma has authored, "Mohiniyattam - History and Dance Structure" is considered as an elaborate and only authentic documentation on Mohiniyattam.[citation needed][4] Noted among her disciples are her daughters Sreedevi Rajan, Kala Vijayan, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Deepti Omchery Bhalla and Smitha Rajan.[citation needed][5]

A winner of both the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy and Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi awards, Kalyanikutty Amma has also been honored with the prestigious Kalidasa Samman in 1997–1998. She died on 12 May 1999 in Tripunithura (where the couple had settled) at the age of 84. Her son Kalasala Babu was a cinema and television actor, while her granddaughter Smitha Rajan is a noted Mohiniyattam artiste.[citation needed]

She got 'Kavayithri' award from the famous poet Vallathol Narayana Menon.[6] In 1986 she got Kerala Kalamandala Fellowship.[7]

In 2019 her grand daughter, Smitha Rajan produced a movie, "Mother of Mohiniyattam" on the life and works of Kalyanikutty Amma which is directed by Dr. Vinod Mankara.

Kalyanikutty Amma passed the art of Mohiniyattam beyond India. The first Russian dancer, Mohiniyattam, was Milana Severskaya.[8] In 1997, Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma blessed her on the continuation of the Mohiniyattam tradition. Milana Severskaya created in St. Petersburg, Russia the first outside India school of education Mohiniattam. She founded the Natya Theater, where you can see the choreography Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma in the play, dedicated to her memory. Milana Siverskaya has released a film dedicated to the memory of the guru Kalyanikutty Amma in which one can see how the guru taught dance in deep old age.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Sinha, Biswajit (2007). South Indian theatre. Raj Publications. ISBN 9788186208540.
  2. ↑ Sahapedia (15 February 2017), Remembering Kalamandalam Kallyanikutty Amma, archived from the original on 21 December 2021, retrieved 18 June 2018
  3. ↑ Staff Reporter (10 April 2014). "Unsung legends who resurrected two dying arts of Kerala". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "Traditions in Mohiniyattam". Sahapedia. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  5. ↑ "Profiles - KALYANIKUTTY AMMA". narthaki.com. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  6. ↑ "Mohini Attam – The Traditional Dance of Kerala!". Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  7. ↑ "Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma who is considered as the mother". smitharajan.tripod.com. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  8. ↑ "YOUTHEXPRESS 18/10/1996". www.milana-art.ru. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  9. ↑ Milana Mandira Severskaya (7 May 2014), Mandira. Mohini Attam In Russia - true story., archived from the original on 21 December 2021, retrieved 17 June 2018

External links[edit]

See also[edit]


Stub icon

This article related to Kerala is a stub. You can help Bharatpedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.bharatpedia.org/index.php?title=Kalamandalam_Kalyanikutty_Amma&oldid=316006"