Text Box: Story: Daksha Yagam by Irayimman Tampi (1783-1856) Daksha, the son of Brahma, and his wife Prasuti adopted a child whom they had discovered in a conch shell. The child was called Sati who finally got married to Siva. Daksha regarded Siva as his son-in-law and did not realize his greatness. Daksha treated Siva with contempt, and when he commenced to perform a yaga he proclaimed that the sacrificial offering would not be pre-offered to Siva. Sati went to witness the yaga and to see her family, but she was abused and sent away. She returned to Siva in shame and anger and requested Siva to punish Daksha. Siva sent two dreadful creatures, Virabhadra and Bhadrakali to destroy Daksha. They beheaded Daksha. On Brahma's request to be merciful, Siva relented and restored life to Daksha. Dancers Kottakal Chandra Sekhara Warrier: Kottakal Chandra Sekhara Warrier, the doyen of Kathakali is currently working as the principal of Natyasangham at Kottakal. He was the special invitee at the Asian games and also by the British council. The great exponent of Kathakali has donned the role of varied characters such as ‘Pacha’ (Bheema, Arjuna, Krishna & Nala), 'Kathi' (Kichaka, Narakasura, Duryodhana & Ravana), and 'Vellathadi' (Hanuman). He is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards such as Kaladarpanam medal, Veerasrunkhala,and Kerala Sangeeth Nataka Academy Award. Sadanam Krishnan Kutty: Sadanam Krishnan Kutty, popularly known as the maestro of Kathakali, has played many roles to perfection not just in traditional themes but in intercultural experiments with innovative themes. One such acclaimed role is Achilles in the Greek Play ‘The Illiad –the Trojan War and history of Achilles’ directed by Richard Tremblay. He won the prestigious Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Acadamy Award in 2003. Kavungal Divakara Panicker: Kavungal Divakara Panicker, the Kathakali connoisseur, was trained under the masters of Kathakali: Guru Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair and Kalamandalm Padmanabhan Nair. He is a graduate of Kalamandalam and Sadanam and hails from the famous Kathakali family Kavungal. His expertise lies in depicting the most aggressive and demoniac characters such as Rowdra Bheeman in Duroyodhana Vadham or Sugreevan in Bali Vadham. Margi Vijaya Kumar: A brilliant exponent of Kathakali, Margi Vijayakumar specializes in donning female characters (Minukku). He has given numerous performances under the aegis of Spic-Macay. Margi Raveendran: A well versed young Kathakali artiste not only dons veshams but also performs as a chutti artiste. He is a regular performer for Indian TV channels and currently is working as Kathakali instructor of Vesham at Margi Kathakali school. Chutti: Kalamandalam Satheesan: Kalamandalam Satheesan is known as the best Chutti artiste. He is currently working as a Chutti teacher at Kalamandalam. His art skills are very versatile and he does chutti for varied characters for different art forms such as Kathakali, Ottanthullal. He has also done Chutti for Kathakali based Kerala movies such as Vanaprastham and Parinayam. He has won Kerala state award for the movie Vanaprastham. Singers Kalamandalam Hyder Ali: Kalamandalam Hyder Ali, the connoisseur in Kathakali music, is known for his melodious rendering of padams. The musical element in Kathakali was systematically synchronized with the histrionic demands of Kathakali as a dance form. Kalamandalam Hyder Ali was mainly instrumental in introducing two great changes to this music. He gave an ostensibly Carnatic touch to the singing of padams and also started rendering padams in independent music programs without any visual background. Hyder Ali has performed in all over the world including the Kennedy Center USA. K.S. Rajeevan: Rajeevan, a young Kathakali musician, has already won laurels. He has been invited to perform at various cities in Europe. Chenda: Kalamandalam Raman Namboothiri: Kalamandalam Raman Namboothiri, a marvelous Chenda player, is currently working as Chenda Teacher in R.L.V Music College, Thripunithura, Kerala. He hails from a family of percussionists and took to playing Chenda at a very young age. He is renowned for his stellar performances during jugalbandies of carnatic music and sopana sangeetham. He has been invited to perform at various cities in Europe and Asia and has won many awards from local Kathakali clubs. He is known as the ‘Mela Kusalam’ ‘Percussion Champion’. Maddalam: Kalamandalam Narayanan Kutty: Kalamandalam Narayanan Kutty , a renowned Maddalam player, worked as the head of the department of Kathakali in Kalamandalam. A die-hard traditionalist, he is known for his powerful strokes on the maddalam, technically referred as the 'Melakozhuppu'. His performance is marked by the tonal restraint and uninterrupted support to the chenda. The knowledge of Kathakali literature in relation to its visual interpretation adds maturity to his performance.