Kerala: Kathakali maestro Mathoor Govindankutty passes away

KOTTAYAM

:

Kathakali

artiste Mathoor Govindankutty, 81, passed away on Thursday.

The Kathakali maestro had over a six-decade long career in which he became popular for the female characters he portrayed. He was under treatment at the government medical college hospital here for Covid-19. The body was cremated with state honours at the premises of the residence of his

younger son Muralikrishnan

in

Kudamaloor

near here on Thursday evening.

Late Rajeswari, the daughter of renowned Kathakali artiste Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair, was his wife. He had relocated to Kudamaloor after marriage and remained here till the end.

Mathoor was born in 1940 in Nedumudi village in Kerala. He received his initial training in Kathakali from Nedumudi Kuttappa Panicker and subsequently studied the traditional theatre art under Kurichi Kunjan Panicker at the Mathoor kalari. He specialized in portraying women characters under Kudamaloor Kurunakaran Nair.

Among the foremost exponents of the Gurukulam, Mathoor gained wide respect as a teacher and has trained a number of Kathakali performers at the Kudamaloor Kalakendra. He has performed extensively in India and abroad. Some of his notable performances include those at the opening ceremony of Asiad in 1982 and at Kathakali Mahotsav organised by

Sangeet Natak Akademi

in 1993.

He has performed in European countries and is the recipient of many awards and accolades. His last performance was in Kollam two weeks back. The characters which he portrayed that turned popular are that of Kunthi of Karnasapatham,

Damayanthi

of Nalacharitham and Panchali of Duryodhana Vadham. Unnikrishnan is his another son. Rajalakshmi and Manjusha are daughters-in-law.