Artist Namboothiri, the master illustrator, no more

K M Vasudevan Namboothiri, the master illustrator known for his unique line sketches, died in the early hours of Friday, family sources said. He was 98.

Popularly known as Artist Namboothiri among his admirers, he had been one of the most prolific literary illustrators in the country for decades.

Besides line sketches, he was also known for his amusing paintings, sculptures and art direction in movies.

Namboothiri's end came at a private hospital in nearby Kottakkal at 12.20 am while undergoing treatment for age-related ailments, his family said.

During his several-decades-long career, Namboothiri illustrated many popular characters for literary publications in the state.

The distinctive line sketches, which he drew for the characters of doyens of Malayalam literature like Jnanpith laureates M T Vasudevan Nair, Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai and S K Pottakkad and legends like Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, were as popular as their literary works.

On the illustration of the characters of his well-known work 'Randamoozham' which was based on the epic Mahabharata, an impressed MT even said that the readers saw in the book not his Bhima but that of Namboothiri's.

His illustrations left an indelible imprint in the minds of readers of renowned writers like VKN (Vadakkke Koottala Narayanankutty Nair), who had once described Namboothiri as the 'Paramashivan' of line sketches.

There is even a usage in Malayalam that goes: "It is as beautiful as a Namboothiri sketch." Born in 1925 in Kerala's Ponnani, Namboothiri entered the world of painting and sculpture in his childhood, influenced by the sculptures at a temple near his house.

A disciple of renowned artist K C S Paniker, he also drew inspiration from prominent painters like Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhury and S Dhanapal. He studied painting at the Madras School of Fine Arts.

Namboothiri's contribution stands out as he has done illustrations for almost all important literary works, starting from the 1960s to 2010.

He entered the art scene of the state with his simple but brilliant sketches at a time when it was dominated by conventional artists and painters. Cutting across differences, he won a huge fan following in various strata of society.

Eminent actor Mohanlal was one among his huge fans.

Namboothiri was a winner of several recognitions including the Raja Ravi Varma Award.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, State Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer, actor Mohanlal and other were among those who condoled his demise.

In his condolence message, Modi said Namboothiri would be remembered through his iconic artworks.

"He was widely respected for his creativity and efforts to popularise aspects relating to history and culture. Pained by his demise. My thoughts are with his family in this sad hour. Om Shanti," the PM tweeted.

Condoling his death, Vijayan said the art community in the state had suffered an irreplaceable loss due to Namboothiri's demise.

Expressing his profound grief over the artist's death, Mohanlal said, "Today is a very painful day (for me)".

In a touching Facebook post, the actor said he had enjoyed a brother-like attachment with the legendary artist for years. He also said he cherished like a treasure many of the paintings gifted to him by Namboothiri.

In the FB post, he specifically mentioned 'Saundaryalahari', an iconic painting that Namboothiri had painted for the actor.