THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nangiarkoothu and Koodiyattam artiste Margi Sathi (53) passed away on Tuesday at the Regional Cancer Centre where she was undergoing treatment for the past two years.
Sathi is survived by son Devanarayanan and daughter Revathi, also a Nangyarkoothu performer. Her husband,Margi Subramanian Potti,an Edakka artiste,passed away in 2006.
Her last performance was Sita in ‘Soorpanankam,’ organised by the Centre for Koodiyattam at the Kalamandalam in September, Centre director K K Gopalakrishnan said.
“She had promised us a performance on November 18 in Thiruvananthapuram, but had to back out owing to her illness,” he said.
Born to Sanskrit scholar Subramanian Embranthiri and Parvathi Antharjanam in Cheruthuruthy, Sathi had joined Kerala Kalamandalam at the age of 11.
She had trained under Painkulam Rama Chakyar, Mani Madhava Chakyar and Ammannur Madhava Chakyar during an eight-year stint there.
In 1988 she joined Margi, Thiruvananthapuram, where she specialised in Nangiarkoothu under P K Nambiar.
One of the foremost exponents of the art form, she had been credited with popularising Nangiarkoothu and composing ‘Sree Ramacharitham Nangiarkoothu’.
Margi Sathi had also acted in two films,’Nottam’ and Sopanam.’