KOCHI: Shocked by the untimely demise of kathakali artist Hari R Nair, who ended his life on Saturday, the kathakali fraternity, including artists and connoisseurs of the art have decided to provide counselling to the artists suffering from stress.
The life of a kathakali artist is a paradox as he will be playing the role of noble and valiant kings, divine characters and evil demons on stage while he will be struggling to support the family in real life. The fans who eulogise the artists rarely understand their mental stress.
Hari, the most distinguished among the senior artists, was the most-celebrated performer who was noted for his deep knowledge of the nuances of the art and epics.
His performance as Parasurama, Dussasana, Jarasandha, Veerabhadra, Trigartha and Narasimha had won accolades and had a huge fan following across the state.
While immortalising ferocious evil characters on stage, he had faced some issues in personal life which pushed him into depression. Friends say while keeping intimacy with co-artists and inspiring them, he never opened up about his personal issues.
“The tragedy of Hari is an eye opener for us. There are many artists who suffer from mental stress,” said Kalamandalam Prasanth, state president of Kathakali Artists Association.
“A senior artist had attempted suicide in December 2025. Though he survived, he refused to return to the stage as he wanted to avoid discussions. We gave him counselling and were able to bring him back to the profession. It was this incident that prompted us to form a counselling cell. We launched ‘Swaira Vachanam’ on December 15, 2025, but it was not active. Now we have decided to revive the cell,” he added.
The panel members of Swaira Vachanam include Dr Akavoor Santhosh, an ayurveda doctor, kathakali aesthete and programme organiser Nisha Menon Chembakassery, psychiatric social worker and kathakali artist Aarcha Gouri Varma, Kalamandalam Prasanth and Dr Sanju Palassery, a medical officer and kathakali buff.
“Hari’s death is a huge loss to the kathakali world. We would have helped him overcome the stress if he had shared his issues. As a kathakali programme organiser, I know many artists who are suffering from emotional stress.
There are artists who get addicted to alcohol unable to cope up with the stress. Some of them become introverts while a few turn quick tempered. They vent their frustration in the family which strain the relations. So we felt the need of a counselling cell to identify such people, soothe them and help to solve their issues,” said Nisha Menon.
Traditionally the season for kathakali programmes start with the Vrischikolsavam at Tripunithura Poornathrayeesa temple and extend up to May. But now there are kathakali clubs across the state that organise monthly programmes. This has helped to ensure a steady income for leading artists. But the plight of others is miserable.
“We are planning to reach out to artists who suffer from stress with the help of the artists’ fraternity. We have a responsibility to protect and secure their lives,” added Nisha.