ALAPPUZHA: Hailing from Kavalam in Alappuzha’s pastoral Kuttanad region, Kavalam Narayana Panicker was born into the illustrious Chalayil family on April 28, 1920. And he was a nephew of Sardar Kavalam Madhava Panikkar and a cousin of Dr K Ayyappa Panicker, acclaimed litterateur and an authority on English language and literature.
After obtaining a degree in Economics from S D College, Alappuzha, and later a Bachelor of Law Degree from Madras Law College, Kavalam started his career as a lawyer in 1955 and read law for six years before plunging headlong into the world of art and literature. He relocated to Thrissur in 1961 after being nominated as secretary of Kerala Sangeetha Nadaka Academy. The leit motifs of Kerala’s classical and folk traditions have been a hallmark of Kavalam’s works.
In 1974, Kavalam moved to Thiruvananthapuram. It was during this period that his play ‘Avanavan Kadamba’ was filmed by maestro G Aravindan. He has worked in many countries, including the erstwhile USSR. In Greece, he worked with Greek artists on a production of ‘Ilyayana’, a fusion of ‘Ramayana’ and Homer’s epic ‘Iliad’. Kavalam’s sons are Kavalam Harikrishnan-- who predeceased him-- and Kavalam Sreekumar.