Kavalam Narayana Panicker passes away

Playwright Kavalam Narayana Panicker, who brought native idiom into Malayalam theatre, passed away on Sunday at the age of 88. The Padma Bhushan-winning theatre doyen, a trailblazer at a time when proscenium theatre held the centre stage, has given to Malayalam literature and theatre such fine works asAvanavan Kadamba, Daivathar, Kaikkuttappad, Ottayaan, and many productions based on major Sanskrit works.

He had worked closely with such stalwarts of theatre as C.N. Sreekantan Nair and G. Aravindan, bringing a new rhythm and grammar of acting to theatre.

He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2007. He is survived by his wife Saradamani and son Kavalam Sreekumar.