Neelakandan Namboothiri was born on 8 February 1903 (Makaram 26, 1078 on Makyeeryam nakshatra as per Malayalam calendar) in Vaazhakunnath Mana in Thiruvegappura, near Pattambi, in Palakkad district of the south Indian state of Kerala to Raman Atithiripad, a witty Brahmin popularly known as Vaazhakkunnam Ateeri and Arya Pathanaadi, as their fourth son.
[1] His early schooling included Othu (study of vedas) after which his elder brother, Vasudevan Namboothiri, himself known as a Bhagavata scholar, taught him Sanskrit and he learned English under the tutelage of Pattambi Narayana Iyer.
He developed a liking to magic at an early age when he watched a local magician by name, Mundaya Eachara Varier, performing at his home.
[5] Several poets such as Vallathol Narayana Menon, Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer and Kunjunni Mash have written poems, praising him.
[9] Gopinath Muthukad's Magic Academy has made a 12-minute documentary on the life and art of Vazhakunnam, which has an introduction by O. N. V. Kurup and the magician's children, K. C. Thulasidas, and K. C. Sumathi talk about their father.