Kalamandalam Hyderali

🪔 About

Kalamandalam Hyderali (1946–2006) was a celebrated Indian Kathakali singer, recognized as one of the finest of his generation and notably the first non-Hindu artist to achieve prominence in the four-century-old classical dance-drama from Kerala, South India. Born Hyderali on September 5, 1946, in Ottupara, Wadakkanchery, Thrissur district, his father, Moidutty, was an exponent of Mappila Paattu. His talent was first noticed when he won a local competition singing a Malayalam film song. At the age of 11, around 1957, Hyderali joined Kerala Kalamandalam, a premier performing arts institute, with the assistance of a Hindu and a Christian, as he recounted in his autobiography. He received rigorous training in Kathakali music from esteemed gurus including Kalamandalam Neelakantan Nambisan, Sivaraman Nair, Kalamandalam Gangadharan, N.K.V.Dev, Thripunithura Sankara Warriar, and Madhusoodana Menon. His contemporaries at the institution included Madambi Subrahmanian Namboodiri, Kalamandalam Sankaran Embranthiri, and Kalamandalam Tirur Nambissan. After completing his studies, Hyderali was offered a position as a musician at the FACT Kathakali school in Ambalamedu, Kochi, by M. K. K. Nair, a patron of the arts. He, along with Kalamandalam Sankaran Embranthiri and Venmani Haridas, played a pivotal role in popularizing and remoulding the aesthetics of Kathakali music, infusing it with a Carnatic touch. Hyderali was also a pioneer in presenting Kathakali music as independent concerts, separate from the visual performance, an innovation that has since become a standard practice. He was renowned for his light, pliant, and sonorous voice, and his emotive singing earned him praise from masters like Kalamandalam Gopi. Despite his immense talent, Hyderali faced religious prejudice, with instances where temple authorities would break down compound walls or extend platforms to allow him to sing for performances without entering the temple premises. He authored two books, "Manjuthara" and "Orthaal Visamayam," and also performed as a vocal accompanist for Mohiniyattam. Kalamandalam Hyderali tragically passed away in a car accident near Mullurkara, Thrissur district, on January 5, 2006, at the age of 59. Awards & Honours: Kalamandalam Award, Thouryathrakam, Natyabharathi Award.