Keeleri Kunhikannan (Malayalam:കീലേരി കുഞ്ഞിക്കണ്ണൻ) was a martial arts trainer and Gymnast. He is known as the father of Kerala Circus[1].
Kunhikannan was born in Thalassery in 1858[2]. He was the gymnastic instructor of BEMP school, Thalassery. His fascination with circus started with the visit to Great Indian Circus in 1888. He started giving Circus training at a Kalari in Pulambil so that the trainees could work with the Great Indian Circus.
In 1901 he started a circus school in Chirakkara, the first of its kind in Kerala and the second in India[3]. Kerala's first circus company wasMalabar Grand Circus, founded at Chirakkara in 1904 by Pariyali Kannan, one of Kunhikannan's students. Other circus companies founded by his students include Whiteway Circus, Fairy Circus, Great Rayman Circus, Eastern Circus, Oriental Circus, Kamala Three Ring Circus,Gemini Circus, Great Bombay Circus and Great Lion Circus[4].
Kunhikannan died in 1939. Two years later his disciple M.K. Raman founded the Keeleri Kunhikannan Teacher Memorial Circus and Gymnastic Training Centre at Chirakkara which functions even today. In 2008 The Kerala government announced that a circus academy would be set up in Thalasseri in his memory[4]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeleri_Kunhikannan]
When Bertram Mills Circus was showing at Berlin Adolf Hitler came and witnessed Kannan’s rope dance. Hitler exclaimed and examined the shoes of Kannan was wearing. Then Hitler wrote in Kannan’s autograph that “You are the Jumping Devil of India”.[http://sreedharanchampad.blogspot.com]
THALASSERY AND CIRCUS.
Circus in India started in Maharashtra by Vishnupanth Moreshwar Chathrey in the year 1880. Name of that Circus was Chathrey's Great Indian Circus. Chathrey's Circus Came to Thalassery in 1887. Chathrey met Prof; Keeleri Kunhikannan who had a fascinating interest in Circus Art. The meeting of the two dynamic personalities,fired with the spirit of physical culture, produced a desire to start an institution at Thalassery to train youngsters. Prof; Keeleri was then a gymnastic instructor in BEMP high School, Thalassery. He was marvelous example of perfect physique and people who saw him said that he even surpassed the famous muscle man of the time, Ergene Sandow.
Prof; Keeleri started a Circus Training Centre in the year 1888, but it was not in vain. Even though some outstanding artistes came from this institution like Pariyali Kannan, Poovadan Kunhambu and M. Krishnan. They couldn't get chance in Chathrey's Circus as he promissed to Prof: Keeleri at their first meeting. So, Pariyali Kannan joined in Sawmill at Kozhikode as a clerk. During that period a Europen Bioscope Company came to Kozhikode.
After some years Pariyali and his colleagues returned to thalassery with an intension of starting a Circus. So, Prof: Keeleri started an institution again in the year 1901. He trained some girls and boys for new Circus Company. Kunnath Yashoda was the first lady artist from kerala entered in Indian Circus Ring.
The artistes of Malabar Grand Circus joined in Chathrey's Circus on request of Kashinath Chathrey who was the brother of Vishnupanth Chanthrey. Thus the Malayalees entered in the Indian Circus ring and with in few years they changed the face of Indian Circus in and out of the ring . [info:http://www.visionvatakara.com/circus_event.php]
