Narayanan Nair, a native of Kavalappara east of Shoranur in Palakkad district, was primarily trained under his guru Puthenveettil Sekhara Menon at the local Kaliyogam (Kathakali school) run by the Kavalappara palace. He had been an instructor with leading performing arts institutes like Kerala Kalamandalam, PSV Natyasangham in Kottakkal and Kadathanattu Kaliyogam.
