Sadanam P. V. Balakrishnan

Sadanam Puthiya Veettil Balakrishnan popularly known as Sadanam Balakrishnan is an exponent of Kathakali, a form of Indian classical dance, from Kerala, India. He has received several notable awards, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2003, Kerala state Kathakali award in 2020, and Kerala Kalamandalam fellowship in 2017. Balakrishnan taught Kathakali at the International Center for Kathakali in Delhi from 1974 to 2006 and became the Principal of Perur Gandhi Seva Sadanam in 1980. He has written four books. In 2024, he received Padma Shri the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India.

Biography Puthiya Veettil Balakrishnan was born in 1944 in Taliparamba, Kannur district to A. V. Krishnan and Umayamma. His Kathakali training began at the age of eleven, when he was a seventh-grade student at Kurumathur School. His first teacher was Kondiveetil Narayanan Nair.

Kurumathur Narayanan Namboothiripad, the manager of the school where he studied and the landlord of his native place, played a major role in encouraging and nurturing him from the very beginning.

Personal life Balakrishnan is married to Janaki. They have two son, Prasad and Pradeep. After the retirement of Keezpadam Kumaran Nair in 1980, he became the Principal of Perur Gandhi Seva Sadanam.

Books written Balakrishnan has also written four books. Among the published books, Kathakali is part of a series on the six classical Indian dances, published by Wisdom Tree and another Kathakali: A Practitioner’s Perspective was published by Poorna Publications. Two books are about to publish soon. One is a compilation of 14 Aattakatha texts and other is about his Guru Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair. Kerala Kalamandalam fellowship 2017 Kerala Kalamandalam Award 2007 Swathi Thirunal Nadalaya Award 1986