Thiruvalla Gopikuttan Nair (1944–2022) will be remembered for his significant contribution to Kathakali music.
Thiruvalla Gopikuttan Nair (1944–2022) will be remembered for his significant contribution to Kathakali music.
Throughout his life, Thiruvalla Gopikuttan Nair rebelled against a popular trend in Kathakali music by sticking to his aesthetic beliefs and making the other side suffer. As a Kathakali singer, she believed that sentimental songs should no longer follow the sopanam system followed in the temples of Kerala. He also avoided Carnatic singing, rarely attempting complex gamakas or lively brigands. Also, he instilled a love for vintage film and folk songs. The result was a unique embellishment that seemed contemporary while thriving on minimalism.
78-year-old Nair passed away recently. Kathakali has lost its last repertoire against the Northern school of vocals that came to define mainstream playback of dance-theatre over the past half century. The extensive Kalamandalam-style music comes with a “typical accent of spoken Malayalam upstate”, Nair used to smile. “Worse is to break their words and lengthen consonants in the name of proficiency. Too much intrusion by Chenda and Maddalam spoils the collision as well. ,
Thiruvalla Gopikuttan Nair during the performance. , photo credit: special arrangement
Nair worked in Kalamandalam for some time. The prestigious institute near Shoranur, 200 km north of his native place in Pathanamthitta district, appointed him in 1979. Within a year, he felt the educational needs diminishing his independent ability, and the singer eventually left to find a regular place in Thiruvalla, which has a huge Vishnu temple, with a large overnight Kathakali offering. is as. “However, eight years passed before Nair continued on stage after leaving the job,” recalls esthete P. Rabindranath. “She had to overcome constant quarrels between colleagues and organizers amidst serious personal issues.”
Nair’s difficult career in music was preceded by a change within the domain. As a pre-teen from a family with cultural ancestry, he started out as a Kathakali actor. Learning under a local guru, he started at the age of 10. Soon the elders noticed his singing talent, and took him to the singer Thiruvalla Chelappan Pillai – the last disciple of the reputed Iraavankar Neelakantan Unnithan (1885–1957). Senior Travancore musicians Cherthala Kuttappa Kurup, Thankappa Panikkar and Thakazhi Kuttan Pillai inspired Nair, who was 14 when he debuted as a Kathakali singer.
“Unlike the Northerners, we weren’t finicky about teamwork,” Nair expressed regret. “Poor casting and unfair compromises undermine Southern Kathakali music.” Such outspokenness invited resentment from mentors, notes aficionado Ivor Mohandas. “His statements were so clear that I used to note down the literature (for reference) when Nair sang on the radio,” says researcher Sajneev Ethithanam.
Nair, who wrote a Kathakali story titled ‘Chakkulathamma Charitam’ (2019), won the Kerala Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Gurupuja among other honours.
The author is a keen follower of the performing arts of Kerala.