Kerala: Watch this 76-yr-old woman performs martial arts with man half her age

New Delhi: 76-year-old Meenakshiamma from Vatakara, Kerala became a recent viral posts on Facebook. She is the teacher of ancient Indian martial art form Kalaripayattu. The video shows her taking on a man half her age, with no signs of slowing down, using both offensive and defensive tactics brilliantly. Meenakshi Gurukul has been involved with Kalaripayattu for the past 66 years at Kadathanadan Kalari Sangam. She is  responsible for training hundreds of students, out of which, many of them are now teachers themselves. This form of martial art demands exercise and requires utmost devotion, discipline and commitment. Hence, it clearly explains her fitness, flexibility and strength at her age. Meenakshiamma is humble about her skills and has vowed to practice Kalaripayattu — which she considers her true calling in life — for as long as she can. Meanwhile, the internet has gone gaga over her skills with the video being posted that has already crossed the 12-lakh-views mark. One Facebook user had also commented as to show his happiness towards kalaripayattu regaining it’s long lost glory and also added there used to be a time in ancient Kerala, when kalaripayattu training was imparted compulsorily to all. He hopes that one day the lawmakers in Kerala would realize the importance of the same even now and start kalaripayattu training as a part of physical education in the schools. Another user was dumbstruck and impressed by the fitness of this 76-year-old lady. After much debate about women’s safety and need for self-defence education, one user brought the focus back on Meenakshiamma and commented that how amazed he was to see that a video about martial arts (self empowerment) becomes a debate about how men should treat women and adds that how women’s desire to learn the martial arts implies that the society at large is violent or disdainful towards women. He summed up by saying,” Seriously people! I would cheer her on like a champ!!! Give me a skirt and some pomp pomps!!!! I’ll be her cheerleader!!!”