English: Kavalam Narayana Panicker (or Panikkar) (born 28 April 1928) is an Indian dramatist, theatre director and poet. He has written over 26 Malayalam plays, many adapted from classical Sanskrit drama and Shakespeare, notably Madhyamavyayogam (1979), Kalidasa's Vikramorvasiyam (1981, 1996), Shakuntalam (1982), Karnabharam (1984, 2001), Bhasa's Uru Bhangam (1988), Swapnavasavadattam and Dootavakyam (1996). He is the founder-director of theatre troupe, Sopanam, which led to the foundation of 'Bhashabharati: Centre for Performing Arts, Training and Research, in Trivandrum