Master storyteller and veteran dramatist Koothapiran, fondly known as ‘Vanoli Anna’, died on Tuesday morning. He was 83.
According to his son, N. Ganesan, Mr. Koothapiran suffered a heart attack at a relative’s residence in Hyderabad. Even on Sunday, December 21, he had acted in the play Oru Robo Vin Diary by N. Rathnam, his other son, in Chennai.
Mr. Koothapiran was born Nagapattinam Vittal Iyer Natarajan in Chidambaram, and assumed the pen name after his wife, Lalitha, suggested it. His penchant for children’s literature began during his school days. Born in August 1932, he moved to Chennai before Independence and studied theatre here.
He joined All India Radio as an announcer in the 1960s, and later started assisting with the production of children’s programmes when R. Aiyaswamy was ‘Radio Anna’.
Mr. Koothapiran was ‘Vanoli Anna’, the voice behind the programme Siruvar Solai , for over 30 years. He also gained popularity as a cricket commentator in Tamil.
He authored over 20 books, novels and plays for children. He acted in over 6,500 stage plays and adapted many stories for the stage including Kalki’s Devaki yi Kanavan and Amara Dhara .
