Kalamandalam Haridas
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| Kalamandalam Haridas | |
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 Kalamandalam Haridas
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kalamandalam Haridas |
| Genre(s) | Kathakali |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
Kalamandalam Haridas, also known as Vennmani Haridas. He was born on 15 September 1946 in Venmani Mana. He was the best Kathakali singer of all time.
His interest in Kathakali was probably kindled by seeing many Kathakali performances in the neighbor Akavoor Mana. He was taught the basics in music by Mudakkal Sankaran Nair.
In 1960 he joined the famous Kathakali school in Kerala, Kalamandalam. He learned music under many greats of the time, like Sri Neelakantan Nambeesan and Kalamandalam Gangadharan.
In 1968, he joined Darpana, the dance troupe of the famous danseuse Mrinalini Sarabahi, as a music teacher. There he learned many styles of music such as Hindustani music. His music was admired by all and he accompanied the troupe for all performances in India and abroad.
However, he yearned for the sound of the Chenda and the Chengala and wanted to return to the Kathakali world. In 1978, Venmani Haridas’s wish was fulfilled when he was offered the post of Music teacher at Margi in Thiruvanathapuram. He worked at Margi for the following three decades.
When he returned to the world of Kathakali, he realized he was out of touch for a decade and he sang as Shinkiti (second singer) to many and even his juniors. His friends who knew his real potential insisted on his becoming Ponnani (first singer). It was only then he could bring out his full potential. His voice was beyond melodious, and he also had clear pronunciations of the words due to his scholarly background. It would be a dishonor to him to say that what he did was just merely music. He went to great depths of art, reaching levels that only one could dream of.
On 17, September, 2005, Kalamandalam Haridas died of an acute liver problem in a hospital in Thiruvanathapuram. Thus Kathakali lost an eminent and irreplaceable Ponnani Bagawather.
Kalamandalam Haridas, being very gentle and mild mannered, failed to make many friends and influence people which explains why he was not given his due recognition for his immense talents. He is an idol to all the younger generation Kathakali singers. One feels that one could never write enough about Kalamandalam Haridas. His biography "Bhava Gayakan" published by Rainbow Books was written by Dr. N.P. Vijayakrishnan.
Haridas is survived by his wife Saraswathi and two sons Sharath and Harith.
[http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2005/05/06/stories/2005050602790200.htm
