# Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship

The Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship is an honour presented by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Government of Kerala. Instituted in 1972, the fellowships are given to outstanding artistes who have contributed to the performing arts in the state. The awardees are decided after a general body meeting conducted by the Akademi panel members and are presented by the Governor of Kerala.
From 2012, the fellows are known by the title "Kalarathna", which is also applied to the previous winners. The recipients will receive a statuette, a citation, and cash prize. The reward comprised ₹15,000 until 2012, it was raised to ₹25,000 from the next year onward.

## List of fellows

List of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellows, showing the year, and field(s) :
| Year | Image | Recipient | Field(s) |
| 1972 | – | Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar | Classical Music |
| 1972 | – | Manku Thampuran | Classical Music |
| 1972 | – | Guru Gopinath | Dance |
| 1975 | | Mani Madhava Chakyar | Koothu–Koodiyattam |
| 1975 | – | Kainikkara Kumara Pillai | Drama |
| 1975 | | Chenganoor Raman Pillai | Kathakali |
| 1977 | – | Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair | Kathakali |
| 1977 | – | Premji | Drama |
| 1979 | | K. J. Yesudas | Classical Music |
| 1979 | – | M. R. Sivaraman Nair | Classical Music |
| 1979 | – | Palghat R. Raghu | Classical Music |
| 1980 | | G. Devarajan | Classical Music |
| 1980 | – | Mavelikara Krishnankutty Nair | Classical Music |
| 1980 | – | Swamimalai K. Rajarathnam Pillai | Dance |
| 1980 | | V. Sambasivan | Kathaprasangam |
| 1981 | – | Thoppil Bhasi | Drama |
| 1981 | – | Pallassana Padmanabhan Marar | Keraleeya Vadyangal |
| 1981 | – | Kedamangalam Sadanandan | Kathaprasangam |
| 1981 | | K. Raghavan | Light Music |
| 1982 | | V. Dakshinamoorthy | Classical Music |
| 1982 | – | K. T. Muhammed | Drama |
| 1982 | – | Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair | Drama |
| 1982 | – | T. N. Gopinathan Nair | Drama |
| 1982 | – | Champakulam Pachu Pillai | Kathakali |
| 1983 | – | Poomully Raman Namboothiripad | Classical Music |
| 1983 | – | Thikkodiyan | Drama |
| 1983 | – | Kalamandalam Madhavan | Dance |
| 1983 | – | Kottakkal Kuttan Marar | Kathakali |
| 1983 | – | M. P. Manmadhan | Kathaprasangam |
| 1985 | – | Ananda Shivaram | Dance |
| 1985 | – | Joseph Kaimaparamban | Kathaprasangam |
| 1986 | – | Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduval | Kathakali |
| 1986 | | G. Sankara Pillai | Drama |
| 1987 | – | Chalakudy N. S. Narayanaswamy | Classical Music |
| 1987 | | Kalaikkal Kumaran | Drama |
| 1988 | | Mrinalini Sarabhai | Dance |
| 1988 | – | Eddy Master | Drama |
| 1989 | – | T. K. Murthy | Classical Music |
| 1989 | – | Neyyattinkara Vasudevan | Classical Music |
| 1990 | | Leela Omchery | Classical Music |
| 1990 | | Ammannur Madhava Chakyar | Koothu–Koodiyattam |
| 1991 | – | K. S. Narayanaswamy | Classical Music |
| 1991 | – | Jagathy N. K. Achary | Drama |
| 1992 | – | Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma | Dance |
| 1992 | | N. N. Pillai | Drama |
| 1993 | – | V. T. Aravindaksha Menon | Drama |
| 1993 | – | Mavelikkara Ponnamma | Drama |
| 1993 | – | N. Krishnamoorthi | Drama |
| 1994 | – | C. S. Krishna Iyer | Classical Music |
| 1994 | – | V. P. Dhananjayan | Dance |
| 1994 | – | Bharat Gopy | Drama |
| 1995 | – | S. L. Puram Sadanandan | Drama |
| 1996 | | O. Madhavan | Drama |
| 1996 | – | Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair | Kathakali |
| 1997 | – | Guruvayur S. Srikrishnan | Classical Music |
| 1997 | – | K. P. A. C. Sulochana | Drama |
| 1998 | | Mavelikkara Velukkutty Nair | Classical Music |
| 1998 | – | P. K. Venukuttan Nair | Drama |
| 1999 | – | Mavelikkara S. R. Raju | Classical Music |
| 1999 | – | Kunjandi | Drama |
| 1999 | | Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair | Kathakali |
| 2000 | | Thiruvizha Jayashankar | Classical Music |
| 2000 | | Kavalam Narayana Panicker | Drama |
| 2000 | – | Thevarthottam Sukumaran | Kathaprasangam |
| 2001 | | B. Sasikumar | Classical Music |
| 2001 | – | Nellai Krishnamurthy | Classical Music |
| 2001 | – | Mavelikkara Sankarankutty Nair | Classical Music |
| 2002 | | Parassala B. Ponnammal | Classical Music |
| 2002 | – | S. Ramanujam | Drama |
| 2002 | – | Kalamandalam Sankaran Embranthiri | Kathakali |
| 2003 | – | K. P. Udayabhanu | Classical Music |
| 2003 | – | Santha Devi | Drama |
| 2003 | – | Kavungal Chathunni Panicker | Kathakali |
| 2004 | – | M. G. Radhakrishnan | Classical Music |
| 2004 | – | Kalamandalam Sumathi | Dance |
| 2004 | – | Pappukutty Bhagavathar | Drama |
| 2005 | – | Santha P. Nair | Classical Music |
| 2005 | – | Ennakkad Narayanankutty | Dance |
| 2005 | | Vijayakumari | Drama |
| 2006 | | T. V. Gopalakrishnan | Classical Music |
| 2006 | – | K. P. A. C. Khan | Drama |
| 2006 | | Kalamandalam Gopi | Kathakali |
| 2007 | – | M. S. Gopalakrishnan | Classical Music |
| 2007 | – | Kalamandalam Satyabhama | Dance |
| 2007 | | Thilakan | Drama |
| 2008 | | M. K. Arjunan | Classical Music |
| 2008 | – | Kottakkal Sivaraman | Kathakali |
| 2008 | – | Kadaikodu Viswambharan | Kathaprasangam |
| 2009 | – | Pala C. K. Ramachandran | Classical Music |
| 2009 | – | T. K. John | Drama |
| 2009 | | Peruvanam Kuttan Marar | Keraleeya Vadyangal |
| 2010 | – | Palkulangara Ambika Devi | Classical Music |
| 2010 | – | Vayala Vasudevan Pillai | Drama |
| 2010 | – | Annamanada Parameswara Marar | Keraleeya Vadyangal |
| 2011 | – | Ananthalakshmi Venkitaraman | Classical Music |
| 2011 | – | Kalamandalam Sugandhi | Dance |
| 2011 | – | Artist Sujathan | Drama |
| 2012 | – | K. Omanakutty | Classical Music |
| 2012 | – | N. V. Krishnan Payyannur | Dance |
| 2012 | – | C. L. Jose | Drama |
| 2013 | – | Mangad K. Natesan | Classical Music |
| 2013 | – | Shobana | Dance |
| 2013 | – | Nelson Fernandez | Drama |
| 2014 | – | M. Subramania Sharma | Classical Music |
| 2014 | – | Kalamandalam Vimala Menon | Dance |
| 2014 | | K. P. A. C. Lalitha | Drama |
| 2015 | – | Rugmini Gopalakrishnan | Classical Music |
| 2015 | | Kalamandalam Kshemavathy | Dance |
| 2015 | – | K. M. Dharman | Drama |
| 2016 | – | P. R. Kumara Keralavarma | Classical Music |
| 2016 | – | Nirmala Panicker | Dance |
| 2016 | – | G. Kumara Varma | Drama |
| 2017 | | Perumbavoor G. Raveendranath | Classical Music |
| 2017 | – | K. M. Raghavan Nambiar | Drama |
| 2017 | | Gopinath Muthukad | Magic |
| 2018 | – | Maradu Joseph | Drama |
| 2018 | | Nelliyode Vasudevan Namboodiri | Kathakali |
| 2018 | | C. S. Radhadevi | Prakshepana Kala |
| 2019 | – | Trivandrum V. Surendran | Classical Music |
| 2019 | – | K. P. A. C. Beatrice | Drama |
| 2019 | – | Sadanam Vasudevan | Keraleeya Vadyangal |
| 2020 | – | Tripunithura N. Radhakrishnan | Classical Music |
| 2020 | | Pirappancode Murali | Drama |
| 2020 | | Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody | Kathakali |
| 2021 | – | Mavelikkara P. Subramaniam | Classical Music |
| 2021 | | Karivellur Murali | Drama |
| 2021 | – | V. Harshakumar | Kathaprasangam |
| 2022 | – | Gopinath Kozhikode | Drama |
| 2022 | – | Vidyadharan | Music |
| 2022 | – | Kalamandalam Unnikrishnan | Keraleeya Vadyangal |