Rahul Gandhi tries hand at Kalaripayattu at Kerala college
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Idukki/Kerala: Dinashree, a student of Marian College, Kuttikkanam, is yet to recover from the excitement after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi joined her to perform a few steps of Kalaripayattu, the traditional martial art form of Kerala, here on Friday, PTI reports.
Gandhi visited the College as part of an interactive program.
Dinashree, a native of Tripunithura, is pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work at the college.
Speaking to PTI, Dinashree said she volunteered when the college invited students to raise questions during the interaction with Gandhi.
Later, teachers asked if any students trained in martial arts could demonstrate it, as Gandhi was known to be interested in it, and Dinashree got the opportunity to perform before the Congress leader.
"When Rahul Gandhi arrived, I got a brief opportunity to interact with him about martial arts and asked him about Judo, which he likes. During the interaction, I remembered a picture of former President A P J Abdul Kalam speaking to students that I had studied about in school," she said.
At her invitation, Gandhi stepped down from the stage and joined Dinashree in performing a few Kalaripayattu moves.
At Gandhi's insistence, Congress MPs K C Venugopal and Dean Kuriakose also joined them, but were unable to complete the moves.
Gandhi followed Dinashree's moves, including stretching his leg high in the air to touch his hands.
"Even though he said he is not very flexible, he did it well. I also learnt that apart from martial arts, he practises yoga to stay fit," Dinashree said.
She has been practising the northern style of Kalaripayattu for the past eight years under her guru Vikas in Tripunithura.
"Surely, I will draw inspiration from this and continue practising Kalari," she added.
Gandhi also shared the video of Kalaripayatthu on his social media accounts.
He said that when a young friend asks him to try martial arts, he is definitely saying yes.
"Tried my hand at Kalaripayattu with a student at Marian College, Kuttikkanam. An incredible reminder that Kalaripayattu is truly the mother of all martial arts. Keralam's traditions carry immense strength, discipline, and grace," he said.
R J Janil, a media studies student of the college, also posted a reel about his brief interaction with Gandhi on his social media accounts.
Janil, a Tamil-speaking student, later took to social media to thank Gandhi for the interaction and for visiting the college.
"This is a historic moment for me and our Marian College," he said.