A small step for women, a big crack in tradition

September 18, 2016 04:01 am | Updated November 01, 2016 07:21 pm IST - Thrissur

Women participate in the Pulikali dance in Thrissur for the first time as part of Onam celebrations.

Breaking into a 200-year-old male bastion, four women stormed into the Pulikkali performance arena with a resounding roar in Thrissur on Saturday.

History was written by the four women, who had painted the stripes of the big cats over body-hugging costumes and danced along with male ‘tigers’ as part of the Onam celebrations.

Rousing welcome

Three of the women — N.A. Vinaya, an ASI at the Kerala Police Academy, Divya Divakar, a school teacher from Nilamboor, Sakkeena, a fashion designer from Kozhikode — were part of the Viyyur Desam Pulikkali team. The fourth, Rahna Fatima joined the Ayyanthole Desam contingent. The presence of the women in what has been a male preserve elicited both surprise and appreciation from the festival crowds. Pulikkali fans including women welcomed them with applause as the ‘tigresses’ pranced through city to the traditional drum beats.

While Ms Vinaya and Ms Fatima were dressed as leopards, Ms Divakar and Ms Sakkeena chose to be tigers. Artists Sreedevi and Sheela of Viyyur did the body painting.

Members of Women Integration and Growth Through Sports (WINGS ) which promotes sports activities among women, said they wanted to break gender barriers in public festivals.

“Many public festivals become just men’s celebrations due to lack of creative intervention by women. We wanted to acquire our rightful space in society. We took it as a challenge,” said Ms. Vinaya, State President of the WINGS. WINGS plans an exclusive women’s Pulikkali team for next Onam.

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