Sadanam M N Harikumar

🪔 About

Sadanam M. N. Harikumar, also known as Sadanam K. Harikumaran, is a highly celebrated and multifaceted Indian classical artiste from Kerala, renowned for his profound contributions to Kathakali and other art forms. Born on February 8, 1958, in Peroor village of Palakkad district, Kerala, he is the son of freedom fighter K. Kumaran, who founded the Gandhi Seva Sadanam (1946) and Sadanam Kathakali Academy (1953). His mother was Sarojini Amma, daughter of Kakkad Karanavappad, one of the founders of Kerala Kalamandalam. Harikumar began his Kathakali training at the age of eight at Sadanam, under legendary gurus such as Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, Sadanam Balakrishnan, and Sadanam Raman Kutty. He received a diploma and scholarship from the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of India, for advanced studies in Kathakali. He also pursued formal education, earning a B.Sc. and B.Ed., and a Master's in Malayalam Language and Literature from Calicut University. His artistic versatility extends to Carnatic music, where he was guided by C.S. Krishna Iyer, and he is an All India Radio-certified Carnatic musician. He also learned Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam from Kalamandalam Leelamma during his college days. His career includes serving as a professor in the Kathakali department at Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, from 1989 to 1994. He later rejoined Sadanam and became its Principal, and currently serves as the Secretary of Gandhi Seva Sadanam Kathakali Academy. Harikumar is an accomplished performer, musician, playwright (with 19 to 24 Kathakali plays to his credit), costume designer, sculptor, and painter. He earned a Doctorate from Calicut University in 2010 for his thesis "Structural Components of Kathakali". He has innovated in Kathakali by directing and choreographing new works and incorporating stagecraft for diverse characters. Awards & Honours: Kerala Lalithakala Akademi award for sculpture (2020), Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award (2014), Thauryathrika Award (sangeetam) (2017), Kerala Kalamandalam V S Sharma Endowment, Edapally Kathakali Club's Kalamandalam Kesavan Smaraka Puraskaram, Kottakkal Krishnan Kutty Nair Endowment, Irinjalakuda Punnapally Vasudevan Smaraka Endowment, Scholarship for higher studies in Kathakali.