Ettumanoor: At 64, Narayanan Namboothiri realised his years-long dream, by marking his arangettam (maiden on-stage performance) in Kathakali.

Narayanan Namboothiri, a temple priest, of Puliyannoor near Pala in Kerala's Kottayam district performed at the Mahadeva Temple at Ettumanoor on Tuesday.

As a child, Narayanan Namboothiri had aspired to learn the classical art form. Once he got a chance to hold the curtain (thirashila) during a Kathakali performance, when he was 13. However, he could not learn Kathakali due to the circumstances in his life. Though he watched earnestly as artists performed during temple festivals, he often could not fully grasp the tales. But he held on to the wish to learn Kathakali for 55 years.

And finally, at 62, he became a disciple of Kalamandalam Bhagyanath, paving way for the realisation of his dream. Despite his age, he trained at the Nadyamandalam Kathakali training centre at Kudamaloor.

Narayanan Namboothiri performed the role of Krishnan in the Santhanagopalam Kathakali on Tuesday. His guru Kalamandalam Bhagyanath too joined him in the performance.

His wife Sheela, son Sreenath (an IT professional) and daughter-in-law Sandra (a musician) fully supported Narayanan Namboothiri in his pursuit to learn Kathakali.