Another legend departs

Kalamandalam Kesavan, whose exploits on the chenda made many a Kathakali recital delectable, passed away in Kochi this morning. Prominent among the disciples of the legendary Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduwal, he has played the chenda for a variety of veshas (characters) brought alive by artistes such as Kalamandalam Raman Kutty Nair, Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair, Kalamandalam Gopi and Nelliyode Vasudevan Nampoothiri.
“He wasn’t a mere accompanying percussionist, but one who knew the substance of the attakatha (the literary text). His expertise and all-round knowledge contributed immensely to the recitals,” recalls Nelliyode.
Perhaps there is no feature in Kathakali that Kesavan hasn’t tried his hands at, or better, mastered. He was a percussionist, a vocalist, an attakkathakaran (a Kathakali litterateur) and an actor. In fact, his versatility went beyond the kaliyarangu where he donned with élan the roles of a poet and a movie actor.
But he always reserved his best for the chenda on which he generated the subtleties of emotions embodied by various characters-- from the serene to the most demonic--with characteristic ease. Nelliyode vividly recollects the understated humour that Kesavan’s chenda would evoke, forcing the performer to match up. “Whenever we met, our chats would revolve around the literary aspects of Kathakali texts. Especially so on our trips abroad. I still remember the interesting discussion we had about the nuances of the vile queen’s character in ‘Hima Sundari’ that was set to Kathakali text by Kesavan himself, based on the European fairy tale of Snow White,” says Nelliyode.
Notable among his numerous compositions are ‘Ekalavyacharitham’ and ‘Sohrab and Rustom’, which won back the audience to the kaliyarangu. They also got rave reviews.
Of his veshas in Kathakali, he seemed to have a liking for kathi (depicting wicked characters). On the silver screen, his character in G. Aravindan’s 'Marattam' caught the eyeballs.
“He was already ailing when he provided accompaniment for my titular role in ‘Kalakeyavadham’ Kathakali about a year ago in Kochi. Even so, his expertise and class still stood apart,” says Nelliyode.

S. Anandan
Photo courtesy : Vipin Chandran