Tragic: 25-year-old Kathakali artist collapses and dies during temple performance.

In a tragic incident at the Maruthorvattom Dhanwantari Temple in Cherthala, Alappuzha district, a young Kathakali artiste named Raghunath Mahipal, 25, passed away during his performance on Sunday night. While enacting the role of Vasudevar in the dance-drama ‘Gurudakshina’, he suddenly felt uneasy and collapsed on stage.

Despite immediate efforts to save him, he couldn’t be saved and was rushed to a nearby hospital. Hailing from Kanjiramattom, Ernakulam district, Raghunath was a second-year MA Kathakali student at the RLV College of Music and Fine Arts in Thrippunithura. His untimely demise has left the arts community in mourning.