She is one of the foremost exponents of Koodiyattam & Nangiarkoothu today. She is among the few practitioners who have completed all the training required for a female actor in koodiyattam.
Apart from being an active performer she is also a sought after authority on Nangiarkoothu. A Sanskrit professor with a PhD in Vedanta, she brings her erudition to the stage.
She was awarded the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar in 2023 by the Sangeet Natak Academy.
Aparna Nangiar is one of the foremost exponents of Koodiyattam & Nangiarkoothu today. She performs annually at all major temple theaters in Kerala.
Aparna Nangiar is one of the foremost exponents of Koodiyattam & Nangiarkoothu and one of the brightest stars among the young crop of performers today.
Born into the cradle of the modern koodiyattam renaissance in Irinjalakuda, Kerala, she literally inherits the illustrious legacy of her grand uncle and Guru, Padmabooshan Ammannur Madhava Chakyar who initiated her into training.
Having trained rigorously under her father and master performer Sri Ammannur Kuttan Chakyar and Smt. Usha Nangiar, she is among the few practitioners today to have completed all the training required for a female actor.
She performs all the major female roles in Koodiyattam and also gives solo performances of Nangiarkoothu. She was a trainer at the Ammannur Chachu Chakyar smaraka gurukulam and tours with the troupe.
A Sanskrit professor with a PhD in Vedanta, she brings her erudition to the stage.
She is committed to preserving the art in its true form and firmly believes that "presenting on the modern stage should not be at the cost of diluting classicism". She explores and experiments with new techniques and productions with her feet firmly rooted in tradition.
She has completed elaborate presentations of the 217 verse Sri Krishna Charitham, thrice! and is the only living nangiar to have performed the centuries old ritual of 'Dasama Koothu'.
She is acclaimed for her expressive recitation of 500+ verses of Anguliyankam and is among the few practitioners who are capable of doing it today.
The enactment of the dramatic hanging scene of Malayavathi in the play Nagananda(Keetinjäzhal) is one she has made her own forte.
She is now working on reviving 'Dasama Koothu' (an ancient ritual enacting the story of Lord Krishna as told in the 10th canto of Bhagavatham) and adapting it for the modern stage.
She is committed to preserving the art in its true form and firmly believes that "presenting on the modern stage should not be at the cost of diluting classicism". She explores and experiments with new techniques and productions with her feet firmly rooted in tradition.
She has completed elaborate presentations of the 217 verse Sri Krishna Charitham, thrice! and is the only living nangiar to have performed the centuries old ritual of 'Dasama Koothu'.
She is acclaimed for her expressive recitation of 500+ verses of Anguliyankam and is among the few practitioners who are capable of doing it today.
The enactment of the dramatic hanging scene of Malayavathi(Kettinjäzhal) in the play Nagananda is one she has made her own forte.
She is now working on reviving 'Dasama Koothu' (an ancient ritual enacting the story of Lord Krishna as told in the 10th canto of Bhagavatham) and adapting it for the modern stage.
Her lecture demonstrations are filled with impact and substance and she supports several Sangeet Natak academy initiatives in popularising the art among schools and colleges in Kerala. She regularly shares her experience at SPIC-Macay meetups.
Apart from being an active performer she is also a sought after authority on Nangiarkoothu. She was invited to the Warsaw university in 2016 by the European Association for South Asian Studies to present a paper on Nangiarkoothu.
She has presented papers on several distinguished podiums on the evolution of the 'Krishna concept' in Nangiarkoothu and the role of women in Koodiyattam.
She performs her 'kula-dharmam', with elaborate artistry and devotion, regularly at all major koothambalams in Kerala
Vadukkunathan
Koodalmanikyam
Chottanikkara
Thirumandhamkunnu
Kuzhur
Kattaikooth festival, Kanchipuram 1998
World Intangible Cultural Treasures, South Korea, 2001
Natyotsav, Hyderabad, 2001
Naganandam @Keli, Mumbai, 2002
Khajuraho dance festival, 2003
Reithberg Museum, Zurich 2003
Torino festival, Italy 2005
Hakushu festival, Japan 2005
Kerala festival, Geneva 2005
Chudamani festival, Thiruvananthapuram 2005
Koodiyattam @Palermo, Italy 2007
@Leon, 2007
Bharath Rang Mahotsav, NSD, 2007
Koodiyattam festival, Japan, 2008
Rangasankara Theatre, Bangalore 2010
Abhijnana Sakuntalam @ NSD, 2010
IKKF, Dubai, 2010, 2015 & 2017
North eastern cultural festival, Assam, 2015
Indian cultural festival, Uruguay & Argentina, 2018
She was awarded the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar in 2023 by the Sangeet Natak Academy.
For her contributions to Koodiyattam & Nangiarkoothu, she was picked by the Nepathya, center for excellence in Koodiyattam, for the Appukuttan Nair memorial award - 2017.
