Gandhi Seva Sadan

Gandhi Seva Sadan is a Kathakali institution located in Perur village, some 12 kilometres east of Ottapalam in Palakkad district of north-central Kerala in southern India. It was founded in 1953 by the (late) Gandhian and freedom fighter K. Kumaran, equally known for his unflagging devotion to the promotion of the arts.

Having celebrated its golden jubilee, Sadanam Kathakali and Classic Arts Academy is one of the four oldest schools providing training in the classical dance-drama of Kathakali in the traditional residential (gurukula) style. The most prominent among today's Kathakali exponents from Sadanam have all had tutelage under Padma Shri Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair.

Located in a green, silent locality on the banks of the river Bharatapuzha, Sadanam has groomed several artistes who have gained acclaim in the field as actor-dancers, musicians, percussionists, make-up men and greenroom assistants. Among them are Sadanam Krishnankutty, Balakrishnan, Ramankutty, Narippatta Narayanan Namboodiri, Pariyanampatta Divakaran, Sadanam K. Harikumaran, Bhasi, Manikantan, Sreenathan, Rahul and Kiran (all actor-dancers), besides musicians like Sadanam Jyothi Radhakrishnan, Rajagopalan, Shyamalan and Sivadas; chenda artistes like Sadanam Vasu, Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar, Sadanam Divakaran, Gopalakrishnan, Ramakrishnan, Sivakumar and Sreekumar; maddalam artistes like Cherpulasseri Sivan, Sadanam Sreedharan, Ramachandran, Murukajyothi, Rajan, Devadas and Bharatharajan; make-up (chutti) artistes Sadanam Sreenivasan and Saju; and greenroom artistes Kunjan and Govindan.

Not far away from its main campus, the academy has an impressive indoor-cum-outdoor auditorium that plays the venue for Sadanam's functions during special occasions like anniversary celebrations and the Pattikkamthodi Jayanti (September 28).

Sadanam has been listed in the official tourism sites of the Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, India. Details of the courses offered by the traditional Kathakali training centre can be accessed at http://trainingcentres.keralatourism.org/centre_details.php?id=19. Its contributions to the culture of Kerala and its history figure in performance videos that have been documented as a heritage in association with UNESCO. These videos can be accessed at http://www.indiavideo.org/kerala/heritage/performing-arts/kathakali/gandhi-seva-sadan-503.php. Its long-standing reputation and contributions to the traditional art form has also earned it recognition as an institution of higher learning by the Government of India.

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