A Muslim girl set to debut at Kerala Kalamandalam, first time in institute's history

THRISSUR: A Muslim girl will perform the classical dance form Kathakali at the Kerala Kalamandalam here, for the first time in 95 years since the deemed university was first established in 1930. Sabri, 16-year-old daughter of photographer Nizam Ammas, will be performing the 'Krishna vesham' -- her favourite -- when she makes her debut on the Kalamandalam stage along with several of her classmates in the evening.

Speaking to PTI, the 16-year-old said that her "dream was going to become a reality" and that it was difficult to find words to express her excitement. "I am happy I am getting to perform the dance that I always wanted to," she added. Sabri, whose day starts at 4.30 am and ends 12 hours later at the institute, is excited to be there and intends to pursue a career in dance, especially Kathakali. She is also interested in learning 'chutti', the intricate facial makeup of Kathakali performers.

"It will be there as a subject next year," she said. Sabri said that initially things were a bit tough, but now her dance and academic studies were going on smoothly. She is the first Muslim girl to be enrolled in the dance institution after it opened its doors to girls in 2021.

However, it was due to her father's relentless efforts and the insistence of Kalamandalam Gopi, a famed dance instructor at the institution, that she gained admission to the Kerala Kalamandalam.

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Sabri's interest in arts

Nizam, a Kollam native, said that he noticed his daughter's inquisitiveness about the art forms and colours used in the dance makeup when she used to accompany him on some of his photo-assignments related to cultural activities. As she grew, he asked her whether she would be interested in studying Kathakali and Sabri enthusiastically agreed, Nizam recalls.

"So, I carried out some research as to which would be the best place for her to learn dance and that year, 2021, came across a circular which said that the Kerala Kalamandalam was going to open its doors to girls," he said.

But, Sabari was in class 6 back then and the institute admits students only from class 8, he said. Besides that, some preparatory work had to be done prior to joining there and therefore, Nizam looked for and found a dance instructor to give a preliminary training in dance to his daughter.

Sabri's dance practise

"She practised under him for six months, then everything was closed due to Covid and after the lockdown was lifted, she again studied under him for some more time. In 2023, she was ready for class 8 and we applied for admission to the institute," he told PTI. As the institute gets numerous applicants and the seats are few, it turns away many students on technical grounds, Nizam said.

The institute had cited Sabri's age as a ground to reject her application, but Gopi 'ashaan' (teacher) told the institute that as she comes from a different community, she should be admitted. "It is due to his insistence that my daughter was admitted. He was also the one to teach her the initial 'mudras'," Nizam said.

Her daily routine

Giving details about his daughter's daily routine at the institute, he said that her day starts at 4.30 am and the practice and study would go on till around 1 pm. From 1 pm to 4.30 pm, they would engage in regular academic studies, he said.

There was no objection from their family against her studying the dance form, he added. "In any case, as far as I am concerned, since she was interested in learning the dance form, I wanted to let her study it. I believe there is no need to bring religion into art. I just see all this as part of her studies," Nizam said. Sabri will be undergoing an hour-long makeup and costume process before she takes to the stage in the evening around 8 pm, her father added.