74-Year-Old Kalaripayattu Granny Wields a Mean Sword
She has been practising the ancient martial art for the last 68 years and trains nearly 150 students today.
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Meenakshi Gurukkal crouches low, her sword poised, and her eyes unblinking as she faced her opponent in the mud-paved ‘kalari’ or arena. From the tree tops, a mynah’s call resonates in the silence. In a flash she moved to attack, twirling her sword, metal clashing loudly as it makes contact with a shield.
At 74, she is possibly the oldest female exponent of Kalaripayattu, the ancient martial arts from Kerala. She has been practising Kalaripayattu for sixty-eight years, training and teaching students, of whom more than a third are girls.
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Video Editor: Mohd Ibrahim
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