https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Guru_Kunju_KurupGuru Kunju Kurup - Revision history2026-07-31T17:34:58ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Guru_Kunju_Kurup&diff=501571&oldid=prevAmit00 at 11:07, 11 April 20262026-04-11T11:07:13Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Kathakali dancer from south Kerala}}<br />
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{{Infobox person<br />
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| birth_place = [[Central Division (Travancore)|Central Travancore]], Kerala<br />
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| relatives = [[Guru Gopinath|Perumanoor Gopinathan Pillai]]<br />
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'''Guru Kunju Kurup''' (1881–1970) was a Kathakali dancer from south Kerala, India.<br />
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==Life==<br />
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Born in a Poypallilkulam family of [[Thakazhi]] village of [[Kuttanad]] in present-day [[Alappuzha]] district, Kurup was initiated into [[Kathakali]] at the age of 13 by his uncles Kochappi Panikker and Rama Panikker.{{citation needed|date= August 2022}}<br />
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He later joined the famous Kaliyogam (repertory) of [[Mathur Kunhu Pillai Panikker]], and subsequently had tutelage under gurus Champakulam Sankara Pillai and [[Thottam Sankaran Namboodiri]]. His grooming later under Vechur Ayyappa Kurup paved the way for his entry into the [[Kochi, India|Kochi]] and [[Malabar (Northern Kerala)|Malabar]] belts.{{Citation needed|date= April 2022}}<br />
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Kunju Kurup's marriage with a relative of Palayil Karunakara Menon, a Kathakali exponent living near [[Palakkad]] in 1910, cemented his ties with central Kerala. Soon, he was made a tutor at the famous [[Kerala Kalamandalam]] following an invitation from its co-founder, poet [[Vallathol Narayana Menon]]. He later had brief stints as a Kathakali guru in [[Bangalore]] (1943) and [[Madras]] (or [[Chennai]], in 1914, during which [[Mrinalini Sarabhai]] was his student), and later (1948–52) at Chembakassery Natana Kalamandalam in [[Ambalappuzha]], his home territory.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}<br />
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Kurup was awarded the [[Padma Bhushan]] award of 1971.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web | url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf | title=Padma Awards | publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India | date=2015 | access-date=21 July 2015 | archive-date=15 October 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref> He tutord [[Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair]]. He succeeded in creating the fresh [[aesthetics]] of Kathakali [[acting]]-[[dancing]] through a sublime presentation of rasa and bhava [[abhinaya]]. Kurup was renowned for his varied roles like [[Nala]], Hamsam (swan), [[Rugmangada]], [[Arjuna]] and [[Krishna]] besides minukku veshams such as Kuchelan, Brahmanan and Sundara Brahmanan. He also excelled in anti-hero roles like [[Ravana]] and [[Keechaka]], besides the black-bearded Kaatalan.<br />
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Kurup was honoured with the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] for Kathakali in 1956 for his unique contributions to the four-century old classical dance-drama from the southern Indian state.<ref name="SNA Awardees' List">{{cite web | url=http://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/awardeeslist.htm | title=SNA Awardees' List | publisher=Sangeet Natak Akademi | date=2016 | access-date=5 February 2016 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331060603/http://www.sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/awardeeslist.htm | archive-date=31 March 2016 }}</ref> He also won the [[Central Sangeet Natak Akademi]] fellowship in 1969.<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1970–79}}<br />
{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Art}}<br />
{{Padma Award winners of Kerala}}<br />
{{SangeetNatakAkademiFellowship}}<br />
{{Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Winners of Kerala}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kunchu Kurup, Guru}}<br />
[[Category:Kathakali dancers]]<br />
[[Category:1881 births]]<br />
[[Category:1970 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Malayali people]]<br />
[[Category:Dancers from Kerala]]<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts]]<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship]]<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]<br />
[[Category:People from Alappuzha district]]<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian dancers]]<br />
[[Category:19th-century Indian dancers]]<br />
[[Category:Indian male dancers]]<br />
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