Remembering Kavalam Narayana Panicker

'He was like a wheel that kept rolling despite his age. He was always young at heart,' recalls director Fazil, about theatre doyen Kavalam Narayana Panicker who succumbed to kidney-related ailments at his residence in Trivandrum on Sunday. He was 88.
The playwright, lyricist and poet will forever be remembered as the man who was pivotal in Kerala's regional theatre movement.From the 60s, the lawyer-turned-dramatist along with theatre exponents C N Sreekandan Nair, G Sankara Pillai and Ayyappa Paniker propagated indigenous theatre using Kerala's folk traditions. He also took inspiration from the Sanskrit plays of Kalidasa to Shakespeare's plays for his works, for which artistes were trained at his 'kalari' named Sopanam in Thrikkanapuram.
The legend, who was elemental in keeping Kerala's folk theatre tradition alive, has written over 26 plays including Avanavan Kadamba and Sakshi that are considered milestones in Malayalam theatre.
Despite his age, Kavalam was always passionate when it came to theatre and was incidentally planning to stage a Sanskrit play Shakunthalam with Manju Warrier later this year. He believed in presenting plays in its true form and adapted several Sanskrit plays including Karnabharam and Vikramorvasheeyam without diluting it for the audience.
'Sanskrit is not a tough language. It is our Pithr Bhasha, and directing productions in that language keeps the purity of the epic stories intact,' he had earlier told us.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan says it best when he described Kavalam as 'a man who lived his life as a theatre person'. 'Even at his age, he was active and passionate about theatre. I respect him for his original works and total involvement in theatre,' the filmmaker told us.
The dramatist is survived by his wife Saradamani and sons Kavalam Sreekumar and Kavalam Harikrishnan. His funeral will be at Kavalam, Alappuzha, today evening.
Prashant Narayanan, playwrIght
His works respected the thought of Kerala and its rich folk culture. It wasn't just theatre but he was also part of music, koodiyattam, padayani and mohiniyattam. He introduced a new texture and style to plays and this had attracted people including actor Murali and Nedumudi Venu. His is a name that took Indian theatre to the world. His fame was not just limited to Kerala as theatre enthusiasts all over India respected his work.
Manju Warrier, actor
I stepped into theatre for the first time through his Shakunthalam, with his blessings. In those two weeks when I trained under him, I saw him transform into a legend. But even while he corrected my mistakes, it was with love, and I called him 'grandpa' in my mind. It was his greatest dream during his last days that Shakunthalam be recreated on stage.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan, filmmaker
'I respected him for his original work and his total and passionate involvement in theatre. Avanavan Kadamba was a remarkable change in the landscape of regional theatre. He brought in the folk elements into theatre and did regular Sanskrit theatre.'
Fazil, filmmaker
'I had worked with him in the 70s along with Nedumudi Venu. Back then he used to stress on the importance of our folk theatre tradition instead of veering towards contemporary theatre and street plays. I was lucky our paths crossed in the 80s when he wrote songs for my movie Eettillam which also had Venu.'
Ramesh Narayanan, music director
'He was a creative artist with a divine touch ' a man who dedicated his life to art, music, theatre and cinema. I had last worked with him in the film Manjadikkuru. He penned the lyrics for the song AriyaVazhikalil sung by K J Yesudas. That itself was a big treasure for me. He was spontaneous and highly talented.'
George Onakkoor, novelist
'We have travelled together a lot, especially for UNICEF programmes. I don't think there is anyone in Kerala who has used visual art so effectively. He was knowledgeable and extremely proficient in rejuvenating the folk arts of Kerala.'
Bidding farewell to a legend
The setting was sombre as people from all walks of life gathered at Kavalam Narayanan Panicker's residence in Thrikkanapuram in Trivandrum to pay their respects to the theatre doyen. V S Achuthanandan said that 'Kavalam exhibited master prowess while working in the culture scene of Kerala for a long span.' As tribute to the master, Kavalam's son Sreekumar along with disciple and confidante Nedumudi Venu sang some of his popular folk tunes.