Vallathol Narayana Menon, who founded the Kerala Kalamandalam, was a:

Explanation

Vallathol Narayana Menon (1878-1958) was one of the greatest Malayalam poets of the 20th century. Together with Kumaran Asan and Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer, he is counted among the "modern triumvirate" of Malayalam poetry. He is also remembered for founding the Kerala Kalamandalam and reviving Kathakali and Mohiniyattam.

Vallathol was born in Chennara, in the Malappuram district of Kerala. He studied Sanskrit and became a scholar and poet. His poetry deals with themes such as patriotism, social reform, devotion, nature and the culture of Kerala, and he wrote in a clear and graceful style. His famous works include the epic "Chitrayogam", the poems collected in "Sahityamanjari", and long poems such as "Magdalana Mariyam" and "Bandhanasthanaya Anirudhan". He also translated the Rigveda and the Valmiki Ramayana into Malayalam. He was a strong supporter of the Indian freedom movement and of Mahatma Gandhi. He became completely deaf in his youth, but this did not stop his work.

In 1930, Vallathol founded the Kerala Kalamandalam, with the support of Manakkulam Mukunda Raja, to save Kathakali, which was then in decline. The institution later moved to Cheruthuruthy, near the Bharathapuzha river in Thrissur district. It trained students in Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Koodiyattam, Thullal and music, and it became the most important centre for Kerala's classical arts. Vallathol also took Kathakali troupes abroad, introducing the art to international audiences. He received the Padma Bhushan (1954). The Kerala Kalamandalam is now a deemed university for art and culture.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Kathakali actor: Vallathol revived Kathakali but was not himself a Kathakali actor.
• ✗Carnatic singer: he was not known as a singer.
• ✗Sanskrit grammarian: he was a Sanskrit scholar and translator, but he is known mainly as a Malayalam poet.