KANNUR: Doyen of folklore research and Folklore Academy former chief M V Vishnu Namboothiri, 79, passed away at Payyannur on Saturday. He is considered an authority on theyyam and other traditional art forms of North Malabar. Vishnu Namboothiri had published over 60 books on folklore.
He is recipient of several awards, including Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award (2008), Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award (1998), P K Kalan Award of (2009) and the first award of Kerala Folklore Academy Vishnu Namboothiri is survived by wife Suvarnini and children Subramanian, Lalithambika and Muralidharan. The funeral will be held at his ancestral home at Kunnaru at 9am on Sunday.