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Veteran Kerala artist Namboothiri dies
KM Vasudevan Namboothiri, a renowned artist known for his literary illustrations and sculptures, passed away at the age of 97. He received widespread acclaim for his illustrations in the works of famous writers and was honored with various awards for his contributions to the field of art. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed their condolences.
A doyen in literary illustrations, sculptures and line sketches in Kerala, KM Vasudevan Namboothiri, commonly known as Artist Namboothiri, passed away at a private hospital in Kottakkal in the wee hours of Friday, his family said. He was 97.
According to the family, Namboothiri was under treatment for age-related illnesses, and his funeral rites were conducted late on Friday.
The master artist was born in 1925 in Ponnani to Parameshwaran Namboothiri and Sreedevi Antharjanam.
Even though he learnt Sanskrit and Vedic studies, his real interest lay in drawing and painting from a young age.
Recognising his talent, Varikkasseri Krishnan Namboothiri arranged for his admission to the Madras Fine Arts College, where he flourished under the guidance of esteemed artists such as Roy Chaudhary and KCS Panicker.
Throughout his career, Namboothiri contributed to literary publications including Mathrubhoomi, Kalakaumudi, and Samakalika Malayalam. He gained widespread acclaim for his impeccable illustrations of mythical characters in the literary works of renowned writers like MT Vasudevan Nair and VK Narayanankutty Nair. The latter even referred to Namboothiri as the ‘Paramasivan’ (supreme deity) of line sketches. Notably, his illustrations of ‘Bheema’ in MT’s ‘Randamoozham’ became particularly famous.
In 1974, Namboothiri received the Kerala State Film Award for his exceptional art direction in the film ‘Uttarayanam’. He also served as the president of the Kerala Lalitakala Akademi and was honoured with the Raja Ravi Varma Award by the Akademi for his contributions to the field.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan were among those who condoled his demise.
“He was widely respected for his creativity and efforts to popularise aspects relating to history and culture. Pained by his demise. My thoughts are with his family in this sad hour. Om Shanti,” the Prime Minister tweeted.
Condoling his death, Vijayan said the art community in the state had suffered an irreplaceable loss due to Namboothiri’s demise.
