Mavelikkara Velukkutty Nair Biography 
Mavelikkara Velukkutty Nair was a legendary mridangam player from Mavelikkara, Kerala. He received Sangeetha Kalaacharya title from Madras Music Academy in 2008. He received Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award in 1981 and Fellowship in 1998. He was honoured with Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi "Tagore Samman" in 2012. Regularly performed for Doordarshan and All India Radio, he was a top grade artist for AIR. He was the first Mridangam teacher of Swathi Thirunal College of Music, and continued as faculty for long 23 years. He retired as Head of the department. Velukkutty Nair also made syllabus to be followed for Mridangam students, which is still followed by all the three music colleges of Kerala.
Chettikulangara, near Mavelikka was his native place which belongs to Alappuzha district of Kerala. His first lessons in Mridangam were given by his father, Muthukulam S. Kumara Pillai and later continued training from the legendary Palghat Mani Iyer under Gurukula system for a period of 8 years. Famous musicians Palghat R. Raghu and Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman were in the Gurukulam then. In 1959 he joined Swathi Thirunal College of Music as a music teacher. He was the first mridangam teacher of the college, who continued his teaching career in the same college till his retirement in 1982. Yet he continued as a visiting professor of the college.
Velukkutty Nair is credited to accompanying four generation of music vocalists for live concerts. He got privilege to accompany the doyens of Carnatic music - Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Alathur Brothers and G. N. Balasubramaniam to the youngest generation musicians. He is the recipient of music titles such as Layavadya Ratna, Mridanga Ratnam, Tansen Sangeetha Kalanidhi, Layavadya Praveena, Gayaka Ratna, Mridanga Kalashiromani and many more.
Published: N/A
Updated: March 12, 2016
