Independent India turns 75 this year and no celebration would be complete without honouring the women whose work and passion takes the nation to greater heights every day. This series is News18’s salute to the women who have broken barriers to elevate India economically, socially and politically.
Today, we celebrate Kalaripayattu expert Meenakshi Amma, licensed deep sea fisherwoman Rekha Karthikeyan and travelling librarian Radhamani KP
The movie Look Back revolves around the story of a young girl who is vulnerable, complex, self-destructive and then transforms into a mature and positive woman. The movie heroes the Kalaripayattu martial arts form and stars Meenakshi Amma, who, at 89 years, is its oldest practitioner.
Camera-shy, Meenakshi Amma was at first sceptical of doing the movie. What convinced the 2017 Padma Shri recipient was the prospect of the project helping popularise Kalaripayattu, which artfully fuses yoga with swords and shields.
Meenakshi Amma herself didn’t need a movie to be famous. Kadathanadan Kalari Sangam is the most famous landmark in the sleepy town of Vatkara near Kannur in Kerala. The school was set up in 1949, where now more than 150 students from across the globe come to learn Kalari.
It takes a lot to make Meenakshi Amma open up. But mention Kalari, and her eyes light up. Her physique belies her age. She sits back straight on a wooden chair and says, “I began learning Kalari when I was seven-years-old. I married a Kalari master and took charge of this school when he died.”
Her husband’s photo is placed prominently in the small wooden building, which is lined with swords and shields. Another dear-to-heart possession adorning the walls is Meenakshi Amma’s Padma Shri award received in 2017.
“I have received many awards like Mother India, Nari Shakti but the Padma I received is special. I met the Prime Minister. He gestured to me that he is impressed with my Kalari art,” the 89-year-old tells News18.
Meenakshi Amma manages the school single-handedly and her mission is to make it popular across the country. Today, thanks to her efforts, Kalaripayattu has come to be recognised as a sport and she hopes that it will one day be adopted in school and college curricula.
“I hear stories everyday of violence against women and I think it’s important that they learn Kalari. Around 70% of my students now are girls and I am happy that I have been able to make this popular and acceptable. Otherwise, it would have ended up as a dying art,” Meenakshi Amma adds.
Her granddaughter, too, is now into Kalari but the young girl has some catching up to do. For Meenakshi Amma, 89 is just a number.
Rekha: Tamer of the Ocean
Not too far from Thrissur is the kadal or the deep ocean. And in the ocean, Rekha Karthikeyan can be seen managing the deep sea trawlers. She is the first licensed deep sea fisherwomen in Kerala, working out of a small village called Chavakkad.
Her husband was the original fisherman in the family. But when he suffered a heart ailment onboard a vessel and collapsed, the responsibility of looking after him and their four daughters fell to Rekha. Left with no choice, she hit the seas.
“I leave home at 3:30am and am back late evening. I have little choice and I am scared at times, but I am now getting used to it. It’s tiring and I have to work long hours. But I don’t want my daughters to do this. I want them to study which is why I slog it out,” she says.
Rekha desires a government job and has sent multiple petitions to the state government, but is yet to receive a response. “A government job means I will have stability, will earn more and my daughters can study. They, too, worry about me.”
Navigating the ocean to survive was a compulsion for Rekha but the stormy seas were bearable compared to waves of objections and ridicule she faced from her extended family and the fishing community.
“Many fishermen on the seas would stare at me and make fun of me. They said I would get no catch. But as I started returning with more catch than them, they started to wonder. Slowly, the villagers began to respect me,” she tells News18.
The villagers now know her by name and she has received several awards, but the start was rough for Rekha. She vomited at sea for days and had to spend nights on the waters as well.
“All I did was pray to sea goddess Kadalamma. When I would walk back home, villagers would tell my husband that this was not the job of a woman and that I should stay at home. But I never gave up and now everyone is silenced.”
But getting the licence was a struggle, right from when she approached for an application. “The official did not even look at me. He said this was not the job for women. Eventually, my work and catch earned me the licence.”
Having broken the proverbial glass ceiling, Rekha has lined up another mission. And that’s access to toilets. “I spend hours in the ocean and fishing remains a man’s world. No one understands the need for me to go to a toilet. So I am left with no choice but to control myself for hours. It’s another struggle I will overcome,” she says.
But that’s No.2 on Rekha’s to-do list. For now, the main mission is to get a government job for the sake of her daughters.
Radhamani: The Travelling Librarian
It’s been a long walk for Radhamani KP, one that she began in 2012, walking from village to village in Wayanad district, distributing books to children and women.
“I love reading and I had access to books, but I would notice that most women who were caught up in household work had no access to books nor the time to read. So I decided to help them out. I go to them, walk at least 7 to 9 km a day to deliver the books,” she tells News18.
From earning Rs 800 to Rs 4,000, Radhamani has covered a long distance. Called the ‘Travelling Librarian’, she hopes to open a library of her own soon. For now, she has managed to educate women or provide them with access to books in at least 20 villages of the district.
“Initially, no one would take books. The men would make fun of me or forbid the women from taking books from me. They thought I only wanted to make money. But when they saw that I would not take money from them, they opened up. Even the state government has helped me now to procure books and earn some funds.”
Radhamani has many more miles in her, but for now, it’s a path well walked.
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