Kathakali, one of India's major dance-drama traditions that dates back to the sixteenth century, was recently presented in a four day festival in Mumbai. During this festival, 83-year-old Kathakali artist, Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair was felicitated for his valuable contribution to this field.
Kumaran Nair is from the village Vellinezhi, Kerala which is a cradle of Kathakali artist. Following the northern style of Kathakali, he has been learning this dance from the age of nine. He says," Nobody in my family was interested in this field and was hesitant to let me take it as a career. But I was very keen on it and therefore I continued learning it."
Kathakali is an integration of several arts, evolving from a confluence of rituals, folk, classical and martial sources. It is primarily a dance form taken up by male performers and few female performers would take this up. However, today there are a number of female enthusiasts who are learning this dance form.Techniques and conventions of kathakali are in close conformity with the ancient treatise on dramaturgy such as Natyashastra and Hasta Lakshana Deepika. But strong elements of folk and ritual traditions have also been absorbed into its classical mould. The result is that a strong ritualistic under tone pervades this dance form.
As an artist, Kumaran Nair has contributed a lot a this field. He says, "My guru inspired me to take individual contributions by way of interpreting various character in my own way." Kathakali is based on stories from the Indian epics. And Kumaran Nair explains, "It takes lot of devotion to God and the dance form in order to give new dimensions to the characters." After so many years of discovering new dimensions and finding new ways of interpretation, Kumaran feels that he still has to do more. " I am still in the learning stage," says this artist.

On December 10, he performed at the Birla Kreeda Kendra to the amazement of the audience. Playing the role of Hanuman in one of the Kottayam stories, Kalyanasougandhikam, his experience and talent was obvious as he performed. Kumaran has learnt Bharat Natyam and Kathak too which have broadened his perspective as an artist. Learning other disciplines have shown him possibilities in Kathak and he has been successful in choreographing new compositions. An important elements of Kathak is the make up. The dramatic make-up that artists apply adds a u unique dimension in narration. There has been little change in the kind of make up used by the Kathakali artists. Kumaran Nair says that there has been only one significant change in this area, "Earlier the white mask worn on the cheeks used to be made of several layers of rice paste. Since this was a time consuming process, the mask is now made of paper, which is tailor cut to the face and stuck to the skin. But the colours used to paint the face are still the same." In India, the traditional way of learning any form or art was through the Guru Shishya Parampara which in now nearly non-existent.

Commenting on this issue Kumaran Nair says "Guru Shishia Parampara is rare these days because of the limitations in the system. The economic and social conditions have changed with time. Today students aren't ready to serve Gurus as they would earlier. Moreover, gurus are not ready to keep a student with him over the learning years because cannot survive without monitory remuneration.
" However, Kathakali is prominent among Indian dances and as long as we have performers like Kumaran Nair who at 83 says that he does not have any problem in performing, It's future is not bleak.