Kalaripayattu Gurukkal Meenakshi Amma says all women must learn the martial art form of Kerala

Kalari Gurukkal Meenakshi Amma flashes a faint smile when she recalls the caning she used to get as a student of Kalaripayattu several decades ago. “I don’t teach like that. That was an anachronism. All women must learn Kalaripayattu to defend themselves. It is one of the best forms of self-defence,” says the 80-year-old, perhaps the oldest practitioner of Kalaripyattu, the martial art form of Kerala.

Dressed in a grey-and-pink sari and with her hair tied tightly in a demure bun, she resembles a benevolent matriarch until she steps into the Kalari, the red earth-packed arena where the students practise, to teach or to showcase the art of Kalaripayattu. Agile and light on her feet, she takes on her much younger disciples with ease, whether it be with the stick, sword or the urumi (a flexible double-bladed sword). Concentrating on every move of her opponent, she matches him/her, move for move, in an amazing display of dexterity.

Student days

Recipient of the Padma Shri in 2017, Meenakshi runs the Kadathanad Kalari Sangham at Vadakara in Kozhikode district with the help of her four children, all trained in Kalaripayattu. Founded by her guru Raghavan Gurukkal, the institution has been training students in the art of Kalaripayattu for more than 70 years. Meenakshi herself began learning there at the age of seven.

“It was almost next to my house in Vadakara and the Gurukkal requested my father, P Damodaran, to enrol me as a student. I was learning dance from class one. The next year, I began studying Kalari as well,” she recalls. She remembers going for classes with a bottle of oil with the boys in the neighbourhood.

A progressive man, her father did not prevent his daughter from continuing her classes even after she attained puberty as was the practice then.

“I loved to dance and was pusuing dance and Kalaripayyattu. When I was 17, my Gurukkal said I had to choose one as he could not wait for me to finish my dance classes and then come for Kalari lessons. I decided to continue my Kalripayyattu classes. My Gurukkal married me when I was 18. It was not a love marriage as they show in the films now,” she maintains with a broad smile. Since then, her life has been dedicated to the running of the institution. The institution now has four branches in Kerala.

Principal of the newly-opened Kalari at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village at Vellar, near Kovalam in the city, she says she is happy that several women are learning Kalaripayattu.

Self-confidence and courage

“That gives them self-confidence and the physical and mental stamina to face difficult situations. My students are not intimidated by stalkers or men who can’t help keep their hands to themselves. In fact, I tell them that they should use the art to protect themselves and not to attack.”

Although she and the Gurukkal’s sister were the only female students when they began learning the first steps of the rigourous martial training from Raghavan Gurukkal, now her students include men, many women, and foreigners, who want to learn Kalaripayattu.

Once the Malayalam month of Karkittakam (July-August) sets in, she knows she would have her work cut out. “My senior disciples and children will be there to help. But June and July are extremely busy months for us as we do uzhichil (massage) and marma chikita during those months. We are completely booked months ahead. Everything, including making the oils used in massage and treatment, are made on our premises in Vadakara.”

According to her, six is the right age to begin learning Kalaripayattu as the body is flexible. After that, there might be aches and pains but practice and massage will get rid of all that, she adds.

“However, there have been several changes in the way we teach. When I was a student, Kalaripayattu used to be taught only during the monsoon months for about four months and then we used to take a break. The students would practise during the rest of the months. Now, we have classes all the year around.”

In Vellar, a 14-day preliminary course was conducted for students who came from different places in India. Some of them were dancers, theatre practitioners, academics…. “Enquiries have been coming in for our classes.”

As a former dance student, the octogenarian is all for dancers learning Kalari as well. However, she says 14 days are not enough to learn Kalari. It only gives one an idea of the moves and exercises. “Kalaripayattu is an ideal way to maintain physical fitness and mental health if one were to practise it sincerely.”