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Meenakshi Amma, 82, recently went viral after posting a video on social media of her mock battle with Emirati influencer Khalid Al Ameri.
“This is Meenakshi Amar; she’s 80 years old and an expert in[theIndianmartialart’Kalari””AmeripostedsomeemojisduringavisittoKerala”Thisisashortvideoofherturningmeintoashawarma”[at[theIndianmartialartof’Kalari'”AmerihadpostedalongwithsomeemojisduringhisvisittoKerala”Hereisashortvideoofherturningmeintoashawarma”[印度武术‘Kalari’的专家”，Ameri在访问喀拉拉邦期间发布了一些表情符号。“这是一个她把我变成沙瓦玛的短视频。”[at[theIndianmartialartof‘Kalari’”AmerihadpostedalongwithsomeemojisduringhisvisittoKerala”Hereisashortvideoofherturningmeintoashawarma”
However, when Ameri came to her Kalari school, she didn’t know who he was.
“I have a lot of people from all over the world,” Amma said. “So, I didn’t know he was a celebrity.” She didn’t realize she was famous too until she came to Dubai and started getting stopped for selfies.
Inaugurating the new branch of VKM Kalari School in Dubai, Meenakshi Amma spoke to Khaleej Times about her childhood, life and passion.
early learners
Amma started Kalari at the age of 7 and has been diligently learning martial arts for over a decade, slowly going through four stages in her own time.
At the age of 17, she married her gurunaathan (Master). “My husband is a master in Kalari and became a teacher at 14,” she said.
“He started a Kalari school in our hometown that has been running for over 73 years and has taught thousands of students.”
After their marriage, Amma had four children, but even during the busiest times of her life, she always found time to spend with Kalari. “It’s my passion,” she said.
“Also, Kalari School is in my backyard, so it’s easy for me to balance housework and martial arts.”
Her son used to run a Kalari school in Dubai until her husband died in 2009. “After my husband died, my son came home to help me keep my husband’s school running,” she said.
“Today, we teach children in Kerala. I have been to every state in India for Kerala, and frequent Gulf countries like Oman, Bahrain and the UAE.”
Even at her age, Amma makes sure to maintain a healthy lifestyle, practicing Kalari every morning at 5am. “I got to school early in the morning and started teaching students,” she said.
“I pay attention to my diet and don’t eat unnecessarily. So far, by God’s grace, I don’t have any sickness or pain. I just hope it stays that way.”
The eighty-year-old was awarded India’s fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, in 2017.
Rise of Karari
Kalari is considered the oldest of all martial arts, and it is divided into four stages: Meipayattu (training poses), Kolthari (practicing wooden weapons), Angathari (practising metal weapons) and Verum kaipraogam (unarmed combat).
According to Amma, Kalari’s popularity has grown exponentially over the past few years. “Our school has more students every day, many of them from all over the world,” she said.
Amma also believes that all children, especially girls, should learn Kalaripayattu.
“It helps their mental health and physical development,” she explained. “In my school I had girls, their mothers and grandmothers learning kalari. It would be better if you could learn martial arts at a young age, but there is no age ‘too old’ for kalari.
If someone tells you that you are too old to learn, don’t listen to them. “
Manikandan, the patron of VKM Kalari, who has taught more than 400 students in the UAE, admits that he has more female students than male students. “It’s really heartening that more women than men are learning martial arts,” he said.
“However, if you look at the history of Kerala, women warriors have always been an integral part of our history. So I think it has always been our culture to encourage women and their sense of fighting.”
Copyright © 2022 Khaleej Times. all rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndicate information).
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