Curbs on admitting men for 'Mohiniyattam' lifted

Thiruvananthapuram: Close on the heels of the row over racist and discriminatory remarks of a known female dancer against males performing 'Mohiniyattam' dance, the Kerala Kalamandalam has decided to lift the ban on males studying 'Mohiniyattam'.

Kerala Kalamandalam, a deemed to be university under the Kerala government situated in Thrissur district, was so far allowing only women to learn 'Mohiniyattam'.

However, in view of the widespread criticism against the recent remark by dancer Kalamandalam Sathyabhama against males performing 'Mohiniyattam' the Kalamandalam governing body on Wednesday decided to admit men also for 'Mohiniyattam'.

Mohiniyattam artist R L V Ramakrishnan, who is the brother of late actor Kalabhavan Mani, had alleged that Sathyabhama's remarks were targeted at him and she had made insulting remarks against him earlier also.

Renowned artiste Mallika Sarabhai was appointed as the chancellor of the university by the Kerala government in 2022.