M. R. D. Dattan Explained

M R D Dattan (7 July 1935 – 1 August 2006) was a famous artist and sculptor in the state of Kerala, India. Dattan's works include statues of Mahatma Gandhi,^[1] Swami Vivekananda and Sree Narayana Guru.^[2] He had created more than 200 statues of Sree Narayana Guru alone.

He was the son of Raman (who was the Palace painter of Kochi royal family) and Kavootti. After his studies at Madras School of Art, he returned to Kerala to become the director of Cochin School of Art that his father established.^[3]

His other works include statues of C. Kesavan, Vallathol Narayanamenon, Dr. Ambedkar, Panambilli Govindamenon, R. Venkata Raman and "Guruvayur Kesavan".^{[4] [5]} He was also the recipient of the Lalith Kala Akademi fellowship.^{[2] [6]}

Notes and References

1. News: Pasts converge, history unfurls anAsuya Menon . The Hindu. 27 September 2013. 22 January 2019.
2. Web site: Artist and sculptor M R D Dattan passes away, The Hindu . 2006-08-02 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181604/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/406200608011540.htm . 30 September 2007 .
3. News: The artists we forgot. K. Pradeep. The Hindu. 11 March 2013. 22 January 2019.
4. Web site: Guruvayur Kesavan, a standing monument to Dathan . 25 November 2020.
5. Web site: Guruvayoor. Keshavan. Guruvayoor Keshavan. tourismindiatoday.com.
6. News: Kerala Lalithakala Akademi - Fellowships Awarded. Kerala Lalithakala Akademi.