‘A woman is like a teabag. You can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water’, goes the famous quote by Eleanor Roosevelt. And with the same quote began the inaugural function of the Self Help Empowerment(SHE) programme organised by Vidyodaya School, Thevakkal.
The event was marked by a curtain raiser which served as the icing on the cake. The crowd watched in awe as groups of students came, one after the other, decked up in martial arts attires. The students demonstrated different moves from kalari, judo, karate and taekwondo, while Stan Bush’ ‘You’ve got the touch, you’ve got the power’ played in the background. The act culminated in a final blend of the martial arts.
Esther Agnes, the principal said, “Through this programme, we are planning to equip the students to face atrocities. We will be teaching them a minimal set of moves which they could use in case of any untoward situation. Students right from first standard till twelfth standard can participate in the sessions which has been organised through a properly structured syllabus.”
The event was presided over by Sheela Thomas, IAS officer and former District Collector, Kottayam. She inaugurated the event by lighting a bhadradeepam to mark the occasion. “ The attitude of the society towards girls and women have to change in general. She said, “Women have always been taught to remain submissive. However I feel that rather than that, we should know where to draw the line between service-minded, courageous and disciplined,”
The idea to start such a programme was conceptualised last year itself during a meeting, says Aji Viswanath, vice-principal. She added,“We are planning to group students into two and teach them on a monthly basis, i.e handle a class of two groups every week, thus going through one session for a group each week. The martial arts experts will be conducting the sessions assisted by teachers.”
“The one-hour long sessions will not require any additional fees, nor is it compulsory for all girl students,” Said Dr P Sreekumar, executive trustee.
“Each session will be a blend of moves from all the martial arts,” elaborated Narayanan, the Kalari instructor.
The event concluded with the presentation of the programme logo by the chief guest.