THRISSUR: As part of the International Women’s Day celebration, Sarvamangala Trust — an Abu Dhabi-based cultural NGO — is all set to host an all-woman kathakali event on March 8. The event will begin with ‘Kirmmeeravadham (Lalitha Paanchai) performance at 2 pm. Kathakali artist Bhadra Rajeev will portray the character of Panchali, while artist Roshni Pillai will play the character of Lalitha.
At 3.45 pm on the same day, Seethaswayamvaram, will be performed by artists Priya Namboothiri (Parasuraman), Archa Gouri Varma (Sree Raman), Bilahari Harikumar (Dasarathan), Vaishnavi Vadakkedom (Seetha) and Heera Sanju (Lakshmanan). A public gathering will also be held as part of the celebration at 5pm.
Acclaimed dancer Methil Devika will inaugurate the gathering while Mohiniyattam maestro Kalamandalam Kshemavathy will be the chief guest. Senior Kathakali women artists Chelanatt Subhadra and Sadanam Lakshmikutty will be felicitated in the ceremony.
“In the olden days, women were not allowed to learn kathakali as it was a temple art form. Later, reformation happened and more and more women are pursuing it. We decided to stage the kathakali event to celebrate the success of women in the field of art,” said Rajeev Menon, event coordinator.