S. Ganesa Iyer

🪔 About

Sankaranarayana Iyer Ganesa Iyer, commonly known as S. Ganesa Iyer, was a significant figure in the classical arts of Kerala, particularly renowned for his contributions to Kathakali. Born on December 24, 1912, in Varkala, Travancore, he was the 8th descendant of Subbayyan Dalawa. He passed away on May 25, 2005, in Thiruvananthapuram at the age of 92. S. Ganesa Iyer held a keen interest in the classical arts of Kerala, focusing on Kathakali, Koodiyattam, and Carnatic Classical Music. He was one of the three visionary founder Directors of Margi, a prominent institution in Thiruvananthapuram dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Kerala's traditional performing arts. His co-founders were Rama P. Iyer and D. Appukkuttan Nair. His literary contributions to Kathakali are notable; he authored "Aattaprakaaram," which detailed the performance of characters in Kathakali for various Attakatha, and ensured their performance at Margi. He also co-authored the first book on Kathakali in French, titled "Kathakali: Théâtre Traditionnel Vivant Du Kerala," with his disciple Martine Chemana Kendra. Additionally, he wrote "Kathakalideepika," an anthology, and the Sahitya Academy, India, published a book by him, which was a collection of abridged selected works of notable Malayalam littérateurs. For his comprehensive contributions to Kathakali, S. Ganesa Iyer received an award from Kerala Kalamandalam. Before dedicating himself fully to the arts post-retirement, S. Ganesa Iyer had a distinguished career in education, starting as a teacher and eventually rising to the position of Deputy Director of Public Instruction in Kerala. He is credited with initiating the idea of a state-level school youth festival, which has since evolved into the globally recognized Kerala State Youth Festival. He was married to T.K. Seethalakshmi Ammal and had six children: G.S. Iyer, G. Lakshmi Ammal, G. Radha, Dr. G. Krishnan, Dr. G. Parvathi, and G. Anand. Awards & Honours: Award for comprehensive contribution to Kathakali.