Kunchan Nambiar

Kunchan Nambiar
Kalakkathu Bhavanam - House of Kunchan Nambiar
Native name	കുഞ്ചൻ നമ്പ്യാർ
Born	c.1700
Died	c.1770
Occupation	poet, performer, satirist
Language	Malayalam
Nationality	Indian

Kalakkathu Kunchan Nambiar (Malayalam: കുഞ്ചൻ നമ്പ്യാർ, kuñcan Nampyār) was an early Malayalam poet, performer, satirist and the inventor of local art form Ottamtullal. He is often considered as the master of Malayalam satirist poetry.

Kunchan Nambiar spent his early childhood at Killikkurussimangalam, his boyhood at Kudamalur and youth at Ambalappuzha. In 1748 he moved to the court of King Marttanda Varma of Travancore Kingdom and later to the court of his successor Dharma Raja. He had already written several of his works before leaving Aluva. Scholars like Mani Madhava Chakyar have the opinion that he and the Sanskrit poet Rama Pānivāda are the same. ("Pānivāda" means "Nambiar" in Sanskrit).

Nambiar's poetry lacks the high seriousness such as we find in Ezhuthachan. The difference here is significant. The two are complementary. Just as Kilipattu seems to express the total personality of a writer like Ezhuthachan, the Thullal brings out the characteristic features of the personality of Nambiar. Between them they cover the entire spectrum of humanity, the entire gamut of human emotions.

Chief contribution of Kunchan Nambiar is the popularisation of a performing art known as Tullal. The word literally means "dance", but under this name Nambiar devised a new style of verse narration with a little background music and dance-like swinging movement to wean the people away from the Chakyar Kuttu, which was the art form popular till then.

He used pure Malayalam as opposed to the stylised and Sanskritized Malayalam language of Chakyar Kuttu. He also adopted many elements from Padayani and Kolam Tullal and certain other local folk arts. It is reasonable to assume that he was himself a Tullal performer and writer. The first hand knowledge of the various talas and ragas (and even the practices of drummers) is a pre-requisite for the writing of a Tullal. Each Tullal composition consists of a local Puranic tale retold in simple rhythmic verse, fit for loud recitation before a local audience.