Kala Vijayan - Academy Award: Mohiniattam

-

VIDEO: SNA Award for Guru Kala Vijayan🙏

=============================================================================

Sunday 21, Sep 2025, 05:58.

Kala Vijayan: Born 8 May 1944, Desamangalam, Palakkad, Kerala, India.

Occupation Indian Classical Dancer

Known for Mohiniyattam

Spouse C.K. Vijayan

Children Ajith Vijayan

==========================================================================

Biography:

Kala Vijayan is an Indian classical dance performer, choreographer, author and actor. She is the daughter of the legendary Kathakali artist Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair and Mohiniyattam exponent Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma. Kala Vijayan is trained in Mohiniyattam, Bharatanatyam and Kathakali, however she is best known for her contributions to Mohiniyattam. She is the recipient of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award for Mohiniyattam (1998) and the Kerala State Award for Mohiniyattam (2019). She is the Principal Director and senior Guru at Kerala Kalalayam, a fine arts institute established by her parents at Thripunithura in 1952.

Family:

Kala Vijayan was born on 8 May 1944 at Desamangalam village, Shornur. Her father, Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair was a legendary Kathakali artist who popularized Kathakali within Kerala and beyond. Her mother, Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma, is remembered as the “Tharavattamma” or “Mother” of Mohiniyattam. She was a student of Mohiniyattam at Kerala Kalamandalam from 1937 to 1940 and played a pivotal role in the resurrection of Mohiniyattam to a classical dance form.

Kala's elder sister Sreedevi Rajan is a Mohiniyattam artist and instructor. Sreedevi Rajan has two daughters – Smitha Rajan and Sandhya Rajan both of whom are Mohiniyattam performers and instructors. Their brother, Kalasala Babu was an Indian stage, serial and film actor.

Kala is married to C.K. Vijayan, a retired FACT employee. Her son Ajith Vijayan is a film and television actor.

Education:

Vijayan did her pre-university education from Maharaja's College, Ernakulam. Growing up in a family of artists, she studied Mohiniyattam and Kathakali from her mother and father respectively. She started her Mohiniyattam training under her mother at an early age and did her Mohiniyattam arangettam (stage initiation) by the age of 4. She started learning Bharatanatyam under Guru Thanjavoor A.R.R. Bhaskar. Her arangettam in Bharatanatyam happened at the age of 10. Her Kathakali arangettam happened at the age of 10 with an hour-and-half long performance of Poonthanamoksham. Kala Vijayan further did her higher studies in Bharatanatyam from Kalakshetra under the institute's scholarship.

Career:

Vijayan was a child artist for a professional drama troupe. She Vijayan has been a performer of Mohiniyattam, Bharatanatyam and Kathakali. She has been performing Bharatanatyam from the age of 10 to 36 and Kathakali from the age of 10 to 25. She has been a performer of Mohiniyattam from the age of 4 to 52 and still performs Mohiniyattam for selected programs.

Vijayan started choreographing dance pieces from an early age and has choreographed dance items for Mohiniyattam and Bharatanatyam. She has choreographed a Mohiniyattam item based on the story of Job from The Bible. She has composed and choreographed dance dramas like Kannaki (based on the story from Chilapathikaram) and Kalam (about the changing seasons). She has also choreographed and performed experimental dance recitals collaborating Mohiniyattam, Kathakali and Bharatanatyam. Bhavayami Raghu Rama is one such dance piece. She advocates the Katcheri tradition that has been introduced into Mohiniyattam by her mother. Vijayan has composed and choreographed one such Katcheri recital. She has choreographed 2 Chollukettu, 11 Padam, 5 Varnam, 1 Thillana and 3 Saptham.

Vijayan ventured into teaching Mohiniyattam and Bharatanatyam at the age of 14. She has taught Mohiniyattam.[9] In an interview, Deepti Omcheri, a Mohiniyattam exponent, recollected her initial training days under Vijayan. Vijayan is the Principal Director of Kalyani-Krishna Fine Arts Academy Kerala Kalalayam and teaches Mohiniyattam and Bharatanatyam there.

Based on the scientific and classical theories introduced by Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma, Vijayan has created 25 new adavus (steps) for Mohiniyattam. Vijayan has conducted research in Tantric and Gramya Mudra, which have been published in her book. Vijayan hosts and conducts a Mohiniyattam theoretical and practical video series through her YouTube channel - Kerala Kalalayam.

Awards:

1978 - Natyakalarathnam Award by Sahrudaya Samithi, Tripunithura.

1993 - Junior Fellowship from the Cultural Department of Govt. of India (Also received Senior Fellowship from the Cultural Department of the Government of India a few years later)

1998 - Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award for Mohiniyattam

2006 - Swathithirunal Performing Arts Trust's Award for Mohiniyattam

2019 - State Award for Mohiniyattam by the Govt. of Kerala

2022 - Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (Mohiniyattam) 

2024 - Kerala Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship 

Books:

Vijayan has authored a book on Mohiniyattam titled Mohiniyattam: Ariyendath Ellam. It was brought out by DC Publishers in 2012. This book is included in the syllabus for Mohiniyattam in R.L.V. College, Tripunithura and Sree Sankara College, Kallady.

Filmography:

Lead character in Joshy Mathew’s film Angu Doore Oru Deshath (2017) which won the Best Children's Film title in Kerala Film Critics Award (2018)

Portrayed the role of Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma in the documentary produced by her niece Smitha Rajan, "Mother of Mohiniyattam" (2019) directed by Dr. Vinod Mankara.

******

=================================================================================


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

S Aishwarya and S Saundarya, great grand-daughters of Bharat Ratna M.S. Subbulakshmi meets PM : September 19, 2017 : PMINDIA.

-
Image
*"S Aishwarya and S Saundarya, great grand-daughters of Bharat Ratna M.S. Subbulakshmi meets PM"  S Aishwarya and S Saundarya, great grand-daughters of Bharat Ratna M.S. Subbulakshmi, today called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with their parents, V Shrinivasan and Geetha Shrinivasan. Ms. Aishwarya and Ms. Saundarya briefly performed the "Maithreem Bhajatha." This is a benediction which was also rendered by M.S. Subbulakshmi herself in October 1966, at the United Nations.  benediction was composed in Sanskrit by Acharya Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati of Kanchi. It is an anthem for universal friendship and world peace, which was sung by M.S. Subbulakshmi, in most of her subsequent concerts, after the UN concert. It ends with the words “Srey o bhooyat sakala jananam” - Let grace and happiness abound for all mankind. =============================================================== 1. S.Aishwarya & 2. S Saundarya ( Sisters ) 1. Profile : Birth name S.Aishw...
Read more

1. Saroja Vaidyanathan (born 19 September 1937) is a choreographer, guru and a notable exponent of Bharatanatyam. She was conferred the Padma Shri in 2002 and the Padma Bhushan in 2013 by the Government of India. 2. Rama Vaidyanathan is an Indian Bharatanatyam artist from Delhi. She is married to C. V. Kamesh, CXO at Hitachi India, and son of "Saroja Vaidyanathan"

-
Image
*Pratibha Devisingh Patil presenting the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award-08 to Saroja Vaidyanathan for her contribution to Bharatanatyam 16/02.2019 Saroja  Vaidyanathan 1. Introduction :- Saroja Vaidyanathan (born 19 September 1937) is a choreographer, guru and a notable exponent of Bharatanatyam. She was conferred the Padma Shri in 2002 and the Padma Bhushan in 2013 by the Government of India. 2. Early life and education :- Saroja was born in Bellary, Karnataka in 1937. She received her initial training in Bharatanatyam at the Saraswati Gana Nilayam in Chennai and later studied under guru Kattumannar Muthukumaran Pillai of Thanjavur. She has also studied Carnatic music under Professor P. Sambamoorthy at Madras University and has a D.Litt in dance from the Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh. 3. Bharatanatyam career :- Saroja gave up dancing after her marriage following conservative and adverse reactions to her performing in public venues and took...
Read more

Deepika Reddy is recognized as an accomplished performer, a creative choreographer, a cultural ambassador and a dedicated Guru. She is acknowledged as one of the leading exponents of the Kuchipudi art form in the present times and is relentlessly striving to propagate the classical dance form of Kuchipudi. Recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for the Year 2017 : For Kuchipudi, from President of India.

-
Image
02/03/2019 Deepika Reddy Kuchipudi Dancer : President of India to confer Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for the Year 2017 : For Kuchipudi. 1. Profile :- Deepika Reddy is recognized as an accomplished performer, a creative choreographer, a cultural ambassador and a dedicated Guru. She is acknowledged as one of the leading exponents of the Kuchipudi art form in the present times and is relentlessly striving to propagate the classical dance form of Kuchipudi. Thoroughly groomed by the legendary Guru Padma Bhushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam, she mirrors his exclusive technique with ease and élan. Deepika has performed extensively in prestigious dance festivals in the country and has also been a cultural ambassador for ICCR. Some of her memorable performances abroad are: performing at Rashtrapathi Bhavan in the presence of President of India, Prime Minister of India and the Russian President; the privilege she had to perform in the Sri Lankan Parliam...
Read more