Kalamandalam Saseendran

🪔 About

Kalamandalam Saseendran, a Kathakali artist, was born on September 21, 1951. He commenced his Kathakali training at the age of 11 under Panavalli Padmanabha Pilla, studying with him for two years. His debut performance took place at the Perumthuruth SreeKrishna Swamy Temple, where he portrayed 'Sreekrishnan'. Following this, he continued his education under Nattakam Velu Pilla and also gained experience working under Thottakam Gopala Pilla. After completing his SSLC, Saseendran enrolled in Kerala Kalamandalam, a prominent institution for performing arts. There, he successfully completed a six-year Diploma in Kathakali and subsequently pursued two additional years of study with an India Government Scholarship. During his comprehensive training at Kalamandalam, he had the opportunity to practice Kathakali under several distinguished gurus, including Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair, Kalamandalam Raman Kutty Nair, Kalamandalam Gopi, and Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair. Kalamandalam Saseendran is particularly skilled in performing "Pacha", "Kathi", and "Thadi" characters, which are distinct categories in Kathakali. His performance career has taken him across Kerala and other parts of India, and he has also performed internationally in countries such as China, Hongkong, and Korea. He is married to Rugmini and has two children, a daughter named Resmi and a son named Sarath Kumar. Currently, he is employed as a Forest Guard.