Damodara Chakyar (nephew)

🪔 About

Mani Damodara Chakyar (born 1946 in Kozhikode, Kerala) was a distinguished artist of Koodiyattam and Chakyar Koothu, traditional Sanskrit theatre forms of Kerala. He was the nephew and a devoted disciple of the legendary guru Nātyāchārya Vidūshakaratnam Padma Shri Māni Mādhava Chākyār, under whom he trained in the gurukula method for 25 years. His rigorous training, spanning over 30 years, encompassed Chakyar Koothu, Koodiyattam, Sanskrit, and Nātyasāstra. He also held a Master's degree in Sanskrit literature and served as a high school Sanskrit teacher in Kozhikode. Chakyar made his debut performance at the age of 11 as Sutradhara in Balacharitam at the Karivellur temple near Kannur. A significant milestone in his career was in 1962 when he was part of his guru Mani Madhava Chakyar's troupe, which staged Koodiyattam outside Kerala for the first time in Madras. In this historic performance of Thoranayuddham Koodiyattam, he played the role of Vibhishana alongside his guru. He was an exponent of various traditional devotional Koothus and Koodiyattams, including Anguliyanka, Mattavilasa Prahasana, Mantranka, and Ezhamanka. He also presented refined Prabandhakoothu monologues based on mythology, notably verbal narrations of Subhadraharanam, Dakshayagam, Dootu, and the Ramayana. He performed extensively, including over 150 conventional Adiyantiram performances annually at ancient temples across Kerala. He also authored an interpretation of Ramayanam Prabandham in 2010. Mani Damodara Chakyar passed away in early February 2022 at the age of 76. Awards & Honours: Junior Fellowship (1982), Senior Fellowship (1989), Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award (2001), Kerala Kalamandalam V S Sharma endowment award (2007).