Kottayam: When a woman's hands first struck the thakil - a heavy percussion instrument long considered a male bastion - she didn't just play a new rhythm; she scripted history as the first female thakil artist of the Travancore Devaswom Board. Today, that rhythm remains as timeless as ever. Even at the ripe age of 76, Pathiyoor Kamalam’s fingers continue to dance effortlessly across the drumhead.

Kamalam secured her job with the Devaswom Board at the age of 27. It was T N Upendranatha Kurup, the then-President of the Board, who recommended her for the post after being mesmerised by her exceptional skill during a concert at the Thadiyoor Temple in Thiruvalla.

Her first posting was at the Kurichi Sachivothamapuram Sree Rama Temple, where her husband, Gopalakrishna Panicker, was also employed. The couple married in 1968.

Kamalam’s first guru was her father, Gopalakrishna Panicker, who was himself a thakil maestro with the Devaswom Board. Recognising his young daughter's interest, he fashioned a lightweight thakil for her to practice on. She made her stage debut (arangettam) at the tender age of eight. Her career gained momentum after she performed at Sabarimala alongside her father, which opened doors to numerous opportunities.

Her breakthrough performance at the Thaipooyam festival of the Perunna Subramanya Temple led to a flurry of invitations from various temples across Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Her husband, Gopalakrishna Panicker, is an idakka (another traditional percussion instrument) artist.

Born as the third of eight children to Maroor Gopalakrishna Panicker and Thankamma, Kamalam has received several accolades over her long career. In 2019, she was honoured with the prestigious Gurupooja Award by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi. Carrying forward the family legacy, her son, Pradeep G Panicker, is also a thakil artist. Sreelatha R Moorthi, is her daughter.

A documentary on Kamalam's life and artistic journey, written by Aryad Sanal Kumar, is set to be screened this December to mark her birthday. The documentary features warm reminiscences and tributes from cultural icons, including the late Nedumudi Venu, KPAC Lalitha, and music director M Jayachandran.