Guru Gopi Nath: The Making of a Legend

Mr. Gopinath played a major role in the renaissance of Indian classical dance. He was born in Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala, crisscrossed by rivers, streams, and backwaters, and famous for its boat races, Kathakali dance, and artists, with Gopinath being the prime among them. He was both the artist and the ambassador who trained countless students in the discipline of his highly evolved dance form using the techniques of Kathakali and other dance traditions of Kerala. After 12 years of rigorous learning, he went to Kerala’s Kalamandalam to polish his art under great masters. Here he met the American dancer Esther Luella Sherman, known as Ragini Devi, with whom he partnered in Bombay and presented the nuances of Kathakali in stages outside Kerala. Gopinath’s mesmerising dance movements cast a spell on his audience. Maharaja Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma—the last king of Travancore—and Moolam Thirunal Sethu Parvati Bayi, better known as Amma Maharani, conferred on him the Veera Srinkhala award. He travelled extensively inside and outside the country, winning accolades everywhere. Guru Gopinath married Thankamani, the first student of Kerala kalamandalam. She was an inspiration to Guruji for all his creative work. His dance costumes were based on historical sculptures and frescos. Besides scriptural themes, he based his productions on social concerns too. To the poet Rabindranath Tagore, he brought glimpses of a past when dance was a treasured art.