Kunchan Nambiar

Kunchan Nambiar The First Proletarian Among Malalayalam Poets

First time a poet sung in Malayalam the regional language of Kerala in the 18^th century.

As Malayalam is a language several centuries old in what language so far the other poets sung is the question that arises. This article is an attempt to explain the same along with a brief description of the biography of one of the greatest poet as well as that of the first proletarian performing art in the history of Kerala.

Kunchan Nambiar (1700 -1770) was born at Kalakkath Tharavad in Killikurisimangalam of Palakkad district in the beginning of the 18^th century. (There is no record to prove the exact date of birth of this artist and it is presumed that his birth would have been around 1700 or so). Most part of his life was spent as a poet in the palaces of kings and houses of feudal land lords. Thus Nambiar had lot of exposure to the way day to day affairs of the rich were carried out. Being an observer the corruption, cruelties, fooleries existed there were all studied deeply by this bard who was better known as a satirist.

His creations have dealt severe blows to the Obsolete systems prevailed in those times no wrong doer was left uninjured by this pen wielding one man army. As his attacks were sugar coated with sweet satire even the injured joined among the laughing brigade.

17^th and 18^th centuries were bad times for Malayalam language as well known writers considered pure Malayalam as an inferior one. Hence they wrote in Sanskrit which was then considered as a divine language. This phenomenon created a wide gap between the learned and the ordinary people. The laymen did not understand what the writers write. And they simply kept away from the literary field.

Major part of Kunjan Nambiar’s life was spent at Ambalapuzha (then capital of Chempakassery kingdom) where he reached from his native land Killikurissimangalam after a short stay at Kottayam. It is while he was staying at Ambalapuzha he created the popular performing art “Thullal”. The story runs like this. In Ambalapuzha temple during festivals as a ritual a performing art by name “Koothu” was conducted. The performer of this art is known as “Chakyar”. Sri Kunjan Nambiar was the player of “Mizhavu” (a local percussion instrument). As the play was going on at night, poor Kunjan Nambiar just dozed off while playing the mizhavu!

The koothu is a program in which the performer narrates the mythological stories and in between talk about social events in satirical style. The dialect used is half prose and half verse. When the chakyar saw Kunjan Nambiar dozing he started telling stories humiliating the dozing Nambiar. And the viewers where enjoying the scene and they were in great applause. Hearing this noise Kunjan Nambiar woke and was ashamed. A great artist of satire became a laughing stock!

Kunchan Nambiar was thinking how to snub this chakyar for what he did last night. Rest of the night and next day he was engaged in giving birth to a new form of performing art which could attract the crowds gathered before the chakyar. Next night when chakyar was performing as usual opposite to that there was commotion people were seen gathered at the center was Nambiar with a strange crown and a colorful skirt decorated with a lace tender leaves. His face was made up with “manayola” (a local coloring material). There were brass rings decorating his hands and neck with big beaded local laces.

His art was simple and the language any laymen, could follow. That was the first time people saw such an art in their life as they were bored of the old rituals playing for generations without any innovations. As the artist stretched his hands on both sides as he sung the songs, people called it thullal (thullal mean jumping, dancing or just shivering! What the people meant is left to guess).

The story was “Kallyana Sougandhikam” an extract from Mahabharata where Lord Bhima travels to collect a rare flower by name kallyana sougandhikam. And see his elder brother Hanuman on the way and got engaged in lengthy conversations as Bhima does not recognizes his brother etc. It was the language people heard for the first time in a performance which had none of the unusual intricacies of Sanskrit. People were thrilled to hear the verses in the plain language they use in their day today life.

Kunchan Nambiar lavishly used the similes to insult the land lords and other so called very reputed personalities of that time as Bhima’s image was pictured like them foolish and arrogant landlord. People were thrilled but the chakyar was not. He went to the king and complained against Nambiar. The king of Chembakassery who knew about the pranks of Kunjan Nambiar and ordered that from that day onwards no “thullal” will be performed in the Ambalapuza temple compound.(even now this order is obeyed by the temple).

But the king did not ban the art as it is in the case of the present ministers. The thullal performances and the lyrics used in it spread like wild fire it became an essential performance in all temple festivals barring the Ambalapuzha temple.

The art of thullal was not created from the vacuum. Kunjan Nambiar adopted much from the existing tribal performances and gave it a great shape adding his sarcastic style of lyrics as an icing on it. He later improved it in to three styles “oattan”, “seethankan”, and “Parayan”, the three had minor changes in its dress and style they were derived from the performances observed by castes like “Kanian, Pulaya and Paraya” respecively.

In thullal the performer himself sings and says the story. The troop which accompanies the main artist repeats the same when each sentence is completed. This gives the people a chance to clearly follow what is said and enjoy the satire to the maximum.

Later when Ambalapuzha was conquered by Travancore, Kunjan Nambiar moved to Thiruvananthapuram, there he happened to meet and befriend with great artists in Malayalam literature like Unnayi Varier and Ramapurathu Varier etc.

Some of his two liners run like this

Embranalpam kattubujichal, (If the chief of the temple steal and eat a little)

Ambalavasikalokke kakkum. (All the dependants of the temple will steal)

Asanaksharamonnu pizhachal (If teacher commits one mistake)

Ambathettu pizhakkum sishyanu. (the student will commit fifty eight mistakes)

It was Sri Mathur Panikker who was the mentor of Kunjan Nambiar and he did great job in getting the various works of Kunchan Nambiar consolidated and made them available to modern world. Nambiar was first introduced to Sri kulasekhar Perumal the king of Chembakassery also was none other than Sri Mathur Panikker.

Sri Kunjan Nambiar has laughed at the cowardice of the “Nayar pada” (army constituted by Nairs) for their cowardice (in his work thottodunna pada = the retreating army). At that time army was lacking modern training and people served it for mere livelihood and deserting the army at time of war was common. His most famous work is Kallyana Sougandhikam Thullal pattu.

Sri Kunjan Nambiar was allowed pension from treasury and enjoyed free meals from the temple. The end of Kunjan Nambiar was not a happy one. It is believed that he was bitten by a mad dog and died of hydrophobia.

It is believed that Kunchan Nambiar has written more than forty works. He has used many old sayings and folklores in his works. His sarcasm did not even spare the Brahmins (at that time Brahmins being of the upper strata nobody dared to insult and humiliate them) Kunchan Nambiar was an exception he laughed at any thing that deserved to be laughed at. Whther it is Pattar (Brahmin) or Nair did not matter.

The doyen of Malayalam Drama

The doyen of Malayalam Drama - Or a Saint With Name Satan.

Kerala has a lot of contradictions. To put it plainly these contradictions give Kerala its uniqueness. Here lives a saintly old man who is popularly known as Satan. The funny thing is that he himself had gladly accepted that name. This article is about that extra ordinary man. Mr. Satan Joseph was once the part and parcel of Malayalam drama in its prime time.

Not long back just before the onslaught of television, drama was so dear and near to people. They flocked to the temporary stages where drama was staged and spent whole night savoring each scene and every dialogue.

Mr. Satan Joseph is a many splendoured genius; he was an industrialist (He had a flourishing coir business with about a hundred employees). His company was in the business of production and export of coir products. Mr. Satan Joseph was elected and has functioned as the secretary of All Kerala Small Scale Coir Manufacturers’ Association.

He is a firm Congress Party loyalist and was in active politics for more than two decades (was Municipal Councilor almost for eleven years). Before retirement, Mr. Satan Joseph was an A to Z as far as Malayalam drama was concerned, Dramatist, script writer, actor and above all a drama company proprietor

The drama company he had founded (The Alleppey Theatres) has given birth to about fifty dramas. Half of them were of social themes. These plays contained strong messages for the eradication of evils prevailed in society at that time.

But “Alleppey theatres” is better known for the Bible based dramas it staged through out Kerala. It all started with “thirty silver coins” the drama was a resounding success, and has been played innumerable times throughout Kerala as well as in other states.

As a responsible artist he firmly believes that it is the duty of an artist to use his talent for the betterment of the society. His dramas based of Bible were rich in messages from the holy book. Lay men who used to see drama for entertainment spontaneously absorbed the messages all though they were not aware of it.

He was bourn in 30th January 1925 at Kanjiramchira a place near Alappuzha town. His parents were Kallupurakkal Anthrayes and Lucy Anthrayes. The grand parents of Satan Joseph were of Kochi origin and they had to migrate to Alleppey during the war time.

Kallupurakkal Thampi the grand father of Satan Joseph was a native of Kochi, he was an industrialist as well as an artist. He conducted a school for teaching a local performing drama called “Chavittu natakam”. This form of art was a very simple and interesting one in which stories from the Bible were played the dialects were of crude mixture of Tamil and Malayalam.

Mr. Anthrayes the father of Joseph was also a student in that drama school and who became a great performer in the art. The role played by him as Satan in the Bible story won many accolades. The surname Satan was thus added to his name, christening him as Satan Anthrayes. Mr. Joseph, who also was an artist, was not spared either by the public; they called him in the pet name Satan Joseph. Mr. Joseph gladly accepted the “pet name” as an ancestral possession.

Of the fifty dramas the Alleppey Theatres has staged about fifty percent was of social themes some of the most famous ones are as follows. “Anchu centu bhoomi” (5 cents of land- which pictured the feudal systems prevailed) Kadalinte makkal (Sons of the sea) (portrayed the strife of fishermen of Kerala) “Ezham swargam” (Seventh paradise, “Malanadin makkal” (children of the high ranges), Jalolsavam (featuring the life of people of the waterlogged Kuttanad), “kayar” (coir), Hiroshima etc.

Ezham swargam was the only drama he has done which was based the life of Kerala Muslims. The drama Kayar was based on the laborers engaged in the coir industry at Alappuzha. As he himself was a coir industry man, the theme was one where he was at home.

Some of the Bible dramas are as follows. “Muppathu vellikkasu” (30 silver coins), Benhur, St. Paul, Quavadis, Ten commandments, Moses, Thobias, Apostles of India, Joseph the son of Jacob etc. The drama “thirty silver coins” ran in packed crowds for many years. How many times it had been staged, no body knows as there was no time to count.

Mr. Joseph has written and published an autobiography by name “ Ente Natakanubhavangal” (My experiences with drama), which is the history of the Malayalam drama itself. The book written in simple and plain language is enough to make one understand the strains and tensions of one engaged in the field of the great performing art, that is drama.

The book a must read for any student of drama, which was published by the author himself and distributed by “Current Books” Kottayam. It is a pity that the book has not got the due attention it deserved. English translation of the same is not available.

Mr. Joseph the winner of many awards like The Kerala Governments Professional Drama Award, Chavara Award, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award etc, now leads a secluded life, the death of his beloved wife Smt. Mary on March 9, 1997 was something the poor soul could not withstand. Mary has mothered eight children for him. Two of them died young.

This octogenarian, who had earned a tidy sum through his hard work, was known for his humanitarian activities. He donated liberally for noble causes. After dividing his wealth to his legal heirs he was only happy to donate his entire assets to the church. The land and buildings where “The Alleppey Theatres” once functioned is the property of the church which was given as a gift by Mr. Joseph to it whole heartedly.


To the queries regarding this sort of extra ordinary generosity, he has a simple answer, “I made all these assets spreading the preaching of the god, now in this old age I return a portion of it to him”. Noble words from a noble man, cruelly called as Satan Joseph. However people of Kerala will unanimously agree “This Satan is more lovable than any saint, but as he himself has accepted the name with joy we will continue calling him by that name.

Even though he was blessed with eight children, the absence of a male child is some thing which makes him feel sad, as there is no one to carry the “beautiful surname” bestowed on his father by the public. He got it by virtue of being the son of Satan Anthrayes, but no one to carry it to the next generation.

May God bless him and make the rest of his life a happy and contented one.