Himvanta at 17:19, 14 March 2026

2026-03-14T17:19:18Z

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{{short description|Indian Mohiniyattam dancer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kalamandalam Sugandhi
| birth_name = Sugandhi
| alias = Sugandhi Prabhu
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1950|12|2}}
| birth_place = [[Thuravoor, Cherthala|Thuravoor]], [[Alappuzha district]], [[Kerala]], India
| parents = G. Sreenivasa Kamath Anandi Kamath
| spouse = K. R. Damodara Prabhu
| children = 2, Nanditha Prabhu and Naveen D. Prabhu
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Dancer, choreographer, Dance teacher
| known for = [[Indian Classical Dance]]/ [[Mohiniyattam]]
| awards = [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]] [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award]] Kerala Konkani Sahitya Academy Award Kerala Kalamandalam Award
}}

'''Kalamandalam Sugandhi''' is a [[Mohiniyattam]] dancer, choreographer and dance teacher from [[Kerala]], India. She received several awards including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award]], [[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]], Kerala Konkani Sahitya Academy Award and Kerala Kalamandalam Award.

==Biography==
Kalamandalam Sugandhi was born on 1950 December 2, in a [[Konkani people|Konkani]] family at Valamgalam near [[Thuravoor, Cherthala|Thuravoor]] in [[Alappuzha district]] to G. Sreenivasa Kamath and Anandi Kamath.<ref name="Mathrubhumi">{{Cite web|last=മധുസൂധനൻ|first=ഗായത്രി|title=തേങ്ങിക്കരഞ്ഞുകൊണ്ടാണ് അന്ന് പദുക്കയെ സാഷ്ടാംഗം പ്രണമിച്ചത്|url=https://www.mathrubhumi.com/women/interview/dr-kalamandalam-sugandhi-kerala-kalamandalam-mohiniyattom-bharatanatyam-1.6210721|access-date=2022-02-03|website=Mathrubhumi|language=ml|archive-date=3 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203021723/https://www.mathrubhumi.com/women/interview/dr-kalamandalam-sugandhi-kerala-kalamandalam-mohiniyattom-bharatanatyam-1.6210721|url-status=dead}}</ref> The family had given her considerable support in making her a dancer. She started learning [[Bharathanatyam]] at the age of seven from Sathidevi, a graduate of [[Thrippunithura]] [[RLV College of Music and Fine Arts]].<ref name="Hindu">{{Cite news|last=Kaladharan|first=V.|date=2012-07-05|title=Redefining Mohiniyattom|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/dance/redefining-mohiniyattom/article3606397.ece|access-date=2022-02-03|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> After two years, she trained Bharathanatyam under Palluruthy Surendranath.<ref name="Hindu" />

At the suggestion of K. N. Pisharody, [[Guru Gopinath]], Tripunithura Madhava Menon and [[Kavalam Narayana Panicker]], her father added Sugandhi to study in the [[Kerala Kalamandalam]].<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/><ref name="Hindu"/> At the time of joining, her basic interest was on Bharathanatyam. In Kalamandalam she studied under [[Kalamandalam Satyabhama]], Kalamandalam Chandrika and A. B. R. Bhaskar.<ref name="Akademi">{{cite web |title=Kalamandalam Sugandhi |url=https://sangeetnatak.gov.in/public/uploads/awardees/docs/Kalamandalam_Sugandhi.pdf |publisher=[[Sangeet Natak Akademi]]}}</ref> She studied Mohinayattam in 1968, as part of the last phase of the Bharathanatyam diploma course.<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/>

After completing the course in 1969, at the age of 19, [[M. K. K. Nair]] the then chairman of Kalamandalam, who was also the chairman of FACT, appointed her as Mohiniyattam teacher in the art department of FACT.<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/><ref name="IAR">{{cite web |title=Kalamandalam Sugandhi: Versatile Mohiniyattam Guru |url=https://indiaartreview.com/stories/kalamandalam-sugandhi-mohiniyattam/ |date=2 December 2020}}</ref> That is how she gets closer to Mohiniyattayam. Realizing Sugandhi's fascination with classical dance forms, Nair sent her to Vedanta Prahlad Sharma to study [[Kuchipudi]].<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/>

Sugandhi met Bharathanatyam exponent Padma Subramaniam at a dance event in FACT and their relationship turned into a deep friendship.

Later, in her 50s, she studied B.A in [[Malayalam]] from [[University of Calicut]], and M.A in Mohiniyattam from Kerala Kalamandalam.<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/> At the age of 71, Sugandhi done her Doctorate in "Development of Pedagogy for Mohiniyattam Based on Natya Sastra" from Thanjavur Sastra University under Padma Subramaniam.<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/> Currently she is working as the Academic Dean in Kerala Kalamandalam.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kalamandalam Sugandhi- Speaker in Kerala literature Festival KLF –2022{{!}} Keralaliteraturefestival.com |url=https://www.keralaliteraturefestival.com/speakers_more.aspx?id=MTg3Mw== |website=www.keralaliteraturefestival.com}}</ref>

===Personal life===
Sugandhi and her husband K. R. Damodara Prabhu have two children, Nanditha Prabhu, who is the founder of Mythri Centre for Arts, [[Chennai]], and Naveen D. Prabhu who is a colonel in [[Indian Army]].<ref name="narthaki">{{cite web |title=Profile - Kalamandalam Sugandhi - Venugopal SK |url=https://narthaki.com/info/profiles/profl237.html |website=narthaki.com}}</ref> Prabhu was an employee of FACT where she first joined as a Mohiniyattam teacher.<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/> They reside in Vidyanagar, near [[Cochin University of Science and Technology|Cochin University]] campus in [[Ernakulam district]].<ref name="narthaki"/>

==Noted performances==
Some of her performances include a full-length Mohiniyattam concert based on works of [[Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma]], ''Radha Madhavam'' based on [[Ashtapadi]] and ''Chithrangam'', a dance Self-composed and taught to over a thousand dancers, on the occasion of the arrival of [[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar]] to Kerala.<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/>

==Notable disciples==
Her disciples include [[Neena Prasad]], [[Gopika Varma]], Pallavi Krishnan, Swetha Mangalath, Priya Nair.<ref name="narthaki"/>

==Books written==
*Bharata Kala Lakshanam (Malayalam translation of [[Padma Subrahmanyam]]'s [[Tamil language|Tamil]] book ''Bharata Kalai Kotpadu'')<ref name="narthaki"/>
*Natyavedu-Panchovo Vedu (in [[Konkani language|Konkani]])<ref name="narthaki"/>
*Now she is writing a book ''Hasta Ratnakaram'' which deals with hand gestures in Mohiniyattam<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/>

==Awards and honours==
*Kerala State Schools Youth Festival 1962, First in Bharathanatyam<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/>
*First in Kerala Kalamandakam Bharathanatyam competition 1962<ref name="Mathrubhumi"/>
*Pundareenath Bhuvanendra Award of the Kerala Konkani Sahitya Academy 1971<ref name="Akademi"/>
*[[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award]] 1985<ref name="narthaki"/>
*ITC Golden Greats Award 1990<ref name="narthaki"/>
*Senior Fellowship from Human Resource Development Ministry, Govt of India 1990<ref name="narthaki"/>
*Pundareenath Bhuvanendra Puraskar from Kerala Konkini Sahithya Academy 1997<ref name="narthaki"/>
*Award from Tapasya Sahithya Vedi and New Delhi Samskrita Bharati 1997<ref name="narthaki"/>
*Kerala Kalamandalam Award 1999<ref name="narthaki"/>
*Senior Fellowship from Ministry of Culture, [[Govt. of India]] 2003<ref name="narthaki"/>
*Dr.T.M.A Pai Foundation Award 2003<ref name="narthaki"/>
*[[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] 2004<ref name="narthaki"/>
*[[Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]] 2011<ref>{{cite web |title=Dance, Fellowship List, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi |url=http://www.keralaculture.org/dance-ksna/458 |website=www.keralaculture.org |language=en}}</ref>
*Kalaratna award from Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi 2012<ref name="narthaki"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Winners of Kerala}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sugandhi, Kalamandalam}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]
[[Category:Indian female classical dancers]]
[[Category:Mohiniyattam dancers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Dancers from Kerala]]
[[Category:Women artists from Kerala]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian dancers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women artists]]
[[Category:Indian dance teachers]]
[[Category:Indian classical choreographers]]
[[Category:Indian women choreographers]]
[[Category:Konkani people]]
[[Category:People from Alappuzha district]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award]]

Kalamandalam Sugandhi - Revision history

Himvanta at 17:19, 14 March 2026