Veteran theatreperson Thankam Vasudevan Nair’s birth centenary falls today

Thankam Vasudevan Nair was one of the early stars of the drama and music scene of Kerala

Thankam Vasudevan Nair spent her twilight years trudging between oblivion and memory. Most of her reflections were on her glorious days on stage, music, songs she had sung and her husband who had thrown open this world for her. Most of the time, they were disjointed images, which she laboriously tried to glue together. July 23, 2021, marks the birth centenary of this once famous actor-singer of Kerala. This generation may not have heard of Thankam. But the history of early Malayalam musical dramas and films will not be complete without documenting the contributions of of this actor-singer and her husband, Vaikom Vasudevan Nair. There was a time when packed audiences waited with bated breath, as Thankam came on stage and sang soul-stirring songs, in her full-throated, high-pitched voice. For almost two decades, beginning in the late 1930s, this couple was a rage in the drama and music stage. When Thankam spoke, she was vibrant, emotional. Often the anecdotes would get repetitive and confusing. But there were a handful of moments that she could always recall. And, often, they acted as a catalyst for the light to seep through the misty haze of her later life. Thankam would then talk animatedly, sing snatches of her songs, even as the story of her life unfolded.