kalarippayattu

her life

How these rural women shatter stereotypes

Women, who once played traditional gender roles, are now working to uplift not just their own lives but also those of their communities. This International Women’s Day, we revisit inspiring rural women featured on Village Square.

her life

She wields a kalarippayattu sword, clad in a six-yard saree

Octogenarian Meenakshi Amma wields a shield and a sword with ease, practising Kerala’s traditional martial art wearing a saree. Defying age and stereotypes, she inspires youth, especially women, to take up the art, as it instils courage and strength.