Vazhakkunnam (8 February 1903 – 9 February 1983), born Vazhakkunnam Neelakandan Namboothiri and better known as Professor Vazhakkunnam, was an Indian performing magician and illusionist from the state of Kerala. He is widely regarded as one of the earliest practitioners of magic in India and the pioneer of the art in Kerala, earning him the moniker "the Father of Magic in Kerala."
Biography
Neelakandan Namboothiri was born on 8 February 1903 in Vaazhakunnath Mana in Thiruvegappura, near Pattambi, in the Palakkad district of Kerala, to Raman Atithiripad (known as Vaazhakkunnam Ateeri) and Arya Pathanaadi, as their fourth son. His early education included the study of the Vedas (Othu), after which he learned Sanskrit from his elder brother Vasudevan Namboothiri, a noted Bhagavata scholar, and English under Pattambi Narayana Iyer.
He developed an interest in magic at a young age after watching a local magician, Mundaya Eachara Varier, perform at his home. He later studied Matanga Lila, a Sanskrit treatise on elephants, under Kochunni Thampuran of Kodungallur Kovilakam, where he encountered another magic performance by Pallatheri Nambyathan Namboodiri. With his teacher's permission, he began learning magic under Pallatheri. He subsequently learned the Bullet trick and Hair trick from a magician named Baker.
Career and Legacy
Vazhakkunnam was known for impromptu magic, particularly a trick called Cheppum Panthum (using small cups and balls), though he also occasionally performed mesmerism and hypnotism. His first public stage performance was in 1940.
He trained numerous students who became notable magicians in their own right, including R. K. Malayath, Joy Oliver, K. P. Krishnan Bhattathiripad, Kuttiyadi Nanu, K. S. Manoharan, K. J. Nair, and Vadakkeppad Parameswaran. The Magic Academy, established by Gopinath Muthukad in collaboration with the Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi, holds an annual magic competition at Thalassery named the Vazhakunnam Memorial State-level Magic Competition in his honor. The Vazhakunnam Namboothiri Academy of Magical Sciences, a school of magic, was established by the Dutch magician and mentalist Ramana. An all-India annual magic competition called Vazhakkunnam Yugami is also organized in his memory.
Personal Life
Vazhakkunnam was married to K. C. Anujathi Thampuratty of Kottakkal Kovilakam. The couple had two sons, Aravindakshan Raja and Thulasidas Raja, and a daughter, Sumathy. His wife predeceased him in 1980. He died on 9 February 1983, a day after his 80th birthday.
