C l a s s i f i e d s

Of all the states in the Indian sub-continent Kerala is perhaps the only one endowed with a spectacular heritage of performing, ritual, folk and classical arts.  The time - honored values lie dormant in the living traditions of these performing arts. The feudal chieftains and provincial landlords who patronized these visual and devotional arts for centuries were not only encouraging them as entertainment but were also upholding their moral and ethical messages. Towards the fag end of the nineteenth century the traditional arts of Kerala happened to be on the verge of extinction.The social, political and cultural factors which contributed to the downfall of the art forms are many and varied.  This was but an ephemeral phenomenon.The dawn of the twentieth century witnessed a cultural renaissance all over India.  In Kerala among those who spearheaded the cultural renaissance poet Vallathol Narayana Menon is an immortal name.  Besides being an outstanding poet and scholar, Vallathol was a passionate lover of Kathakali and other similar classical dance-theatre traditions of  Kerala.  Against all odds he took up the task of saving Kathakali and other stylized art-forms from the eclipse.

artists were more or less the aesthetic victims of the society.  They were silent sufferers of caste hierarchy.  With the establishment of Kalamandalam the social and cultural emancipation of traditional artists became a reality.  At the same time Kathakali and Mohiniyattam, the two major art-forms heading to extinction for want of patronage ensured their existence and progress under the newly evolved institutional set-up.  The poet spared no attempts to see that Kathakali the  classical dance-theatre and Mohiniyattam, the classical female dance of Kerala flourished in the fertile land of Kalamandalam. He invited titans in the field to the

The Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Kalamandalam were an unforgettable event in its history.  Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India inaugurated the jubilee celebrations in 1955.  Nehru commended the contributions of Poet Vallathol to Indian arts and culture and donated  Rs. One lakh to Kalamandalam for its developmental activities.  The affection between the statesman and the poet grew.  Vallathol visited China and Russia as India's cultural ambassador.  Govt. of India awarded Padmabhooshan to the Poet in recognition of his services to art and literature.

In 1980 the then Prime Minister of India Smt. Indira Gandhi inaugurated the Golden Jubilee of Kalamandalam.  Celebrations included dance-recitals, music-concerts, Kathakali, Koodiyattam, Symposiums and Lecture Demonstrations.  The Diamond Jubilee was inaugurated in 1990 by the then Prime Minister Shri.V.P. Singh.  The presence of stalwarts in the field of dance, music, theatre, poetry and literature made the jubilee the greatest event in the history of Kalamandalam.  Pandit Ravi Sankar, Dr. L. Subramaniam, Ustad Allaragha, Pandit Brij Maharaj, Sonal Mansigh, Dr. Padma Subramaniam, Malavika Sarukai, Dr. T.N. Krishnan, Dr.N.Rajam, M.S. Gopalakrishnan, Umayalpuram Sivaraman, Karaikudy Mani, Mandolin Srinivasan and equally distinguished artists performed in Kalalmandalam.  For most of them it was the fulfillment of a dream.  This temple of arts kindled their spirits.