Parvathi Menon and Radhika Ajayan of the Tripunithura Vanitha Kathakali Sangham performing in Bangalore. | Photo Credit: Varsha Yeshwant Kumar
On a particularly muggy afternoon in June, six women, aged between 50 and 60, embark on a trip down memory lane. The memories meander through the time — some from when they were schoolgirls, then college girls, and now, grown women, with life happening along the way. The ambience in the cool, dimly lit dining room of Deepthi Palace in Tripunithura livens up with the laughter of the women, all members of the Tripunithura Vanitha Kathakali Sangham. Formed in May-June 1975, this year marks the 50th anniversary of Kerala’s first women’s only Kathakali troupe.
The first and senior most member of the troupe, Radhika Varma, recalls how her father, KTR Varma, a Kathakali aficionado, mooted the idea, which was supported by Radhika’s guru, Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair. Although women were performing Kathakali then, it was not mainstream yet.
SOURCE: THE HINDU
