বাংলায় পড়ুন
Tyagraj Hall witnessed the Platinum Jubilee celebration of the Keraleeya Mahila Samaj on the 17th of February. Belonging to a matrilineal culture, the women behind this initiative can be called “Feminists of the 20th century”, as 1941 marked the beginning of this Samaj. It was founded by Mrs. Ammini S. Mennon lady Madahvan Nair and other prominent Malayali women who chose to form a home away from Kerala, in Kolkata. One of the members said, “We often laugh at the term women empowerment, because we are already empowered as a result of our cultural nurture”. Nobel Prize nominated Poetess Kamala Surayya, better known by her pseudonyms “Madhavikutty” and “Kamala Das” had also been a part of this coterie.
The programme began with an invocation by The Keraleeya Mahila Samaj members as the crowd filled in. Popular female vocalist, Padma Shri Smt. Usha Uthup was the guest of honour along with chief guest Guru Dr. G. Thankamani Kutty, the revered dance icon. After the Inaugural speech by President Smt. Prabha Menon, the Welcome speech by Treasurer Smt. Prasanna Panicker and Secretary Smt. Rajlakshmi Lakshman’s report of the yearly activities and achievements of the group, the special guests lit the Kuthuvilakku, or the ceremonial lamp, after which they were felicitated along with the rest of the guests. Then with a vote of thanks began the celebration of the occasion with the cultural segment of the night.
Kalamandalam, the institute founded by Mrs. Kutti, orchestrated the whole evening with percussion and dance performances by their students and faculty. The first act was “Kaikottali”, a beautiful dance choreographed and performed by the members of KMS, is a prayer to Lord Shiva, usually performed as a prayer for a good marriage. Next up on the repertoire was “Kelikottu” which is a declaration that Kathakali is about to begin. Sri Gopakumar and his group performed with erumpent energy. A classical dance performance followed with varying dance forms such as Bharatnatyam and Mohiniatyam that seemed magical as the beautiful dancers of Kalamandalam gracefully staged their act. The final performance of the night was Kathakali - The Story of how Arjun gained the “Gandiv” bow from Lord Shiva by gaining his favour through tapasya. Venkit and his group of profound actors left the crowd in awe with their breathtaking adaptation of the Mahabharata story.
With the conclusion of the final performance, the Platinum Jubilee Celebration of The Keraleeya Mahila Samaj came to a close. Through years KMS has presented us with their endeavours of celebrating their culture in the heart of Kolkata, by bringing artists of great repute such as K. J. Yeshudas, P. Leela, Uma Mennon along with a long list of other such names. Kolkata, the cultural capital of India, is proud to have such independent women bringing forth the culture and teachings of Kerala in our city.
