Playwright Kavalam Narayana Panicker, who brought native idiom into Malayalam theatre, passed away on Sunday at the age of 88. The Padma Bhushan-winning theatre doyen, a trailblazer at a time when proscenium theatre held the centre stage, has given to Malayalam literature and theatre such fine works as Avanavan Kadamba, Daivathar, Kaikkuttappad, Ottayaan , and many productions based on major Sanskrit works. He had worked closely with such stalwarts of theatre as C.N. Sreekantan Nair and G. Aravindan, bringing a new rhythm and grammar of acting to theatre.
He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2007. He is survived by his wife Saradamani and son Kavalam Sreekumar.