Kolkkali

Kolkkali

'Kolkkali' by Vaghbhadananda Vanitha Kolkali Sangam at Vylopilli Samskriti bhavan

The folk art of Kolkkali is of recent origin, believed to be only about 200 years old. I have heard about Muslim men Kolkkali - made popular by the various school arts festivals. Last Saturday,  I happened to see a Kolkkali performance by a group of Hindu women at the Vylopilli Samskriti bhavan. 9 women and one man performed the dance. I do not know if the man was  a 'fill-in' for an absentee. Though he appeared to be a senior performer, the lone male in a group of women looked odd. The lead singer,of course was a male who stood in the centre. This was similar to the 'kolaattam' popular among the young women of Tamil Nadu.  I was glad that the Bhavan was encouraging such art forms. It was pity that there were only a handful of people in the audience. 

Women Power

A procession of panchayat women in traditional saris was a treat to watch. But it held up traffic on the National Highway near Kaniyapuram for nearly 20 minutes.

Attukal Pongala 2012

The Attukal Pongala which entered the Guinness Book of Records with 27 lakh women devotees is set to break the records this year with 35 lakh participants expected. This is evident from the early morning crowd today captured in these images. The lines have extended to Bakery Junction and interior of Thycaud - a good 5-6 kilometers from the Attukal temple. There are also many clusters near other temples in extended areas. I am also impressed by the discipline and cleanliness of the devotees, compared to pilgrims elsewhere in India. 
More pictures at: http://bit.ly/xhX4E7

Local body elections and Woman Power

The elections to the local bodies of Kerala will be 23rd October. 50% of seats are reserved for women.

Wall posters of candidates in my ward.