R-Day Parade: ‘Nari Shakti’ Dominates Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra & Tripura Tableaux

GG News Bureau

New Delhi. 26th Jan. The theme of “Nari shakti” and women empowerment dominated the tableaux of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Tripura at Thursday’s Republic Day parade here.

Kerala presented the tableau “Nari Shakti and Folk Traditions of Women Empowerment,” which included Kalaripayattu, a 2,000-year-old martial art, percussion, and tribal traditions.

Kerala has the highest rate of female literacy in the country and Kudumbashree, the world’s largest women’s self-help network.

The tableau linked women’s empowerment and the literacy mission

The tractor depicted Karthyayani Amma, the 2020 Nari Shakti Puraskar winner who topped the literacy exam at the age of 96. Nanchiyamma, the first tribal woman to win the national film award for best playback singing in 2022, is seen saluting the country.

Women are performing Kalaripayattu, and the legendary Unni Archa, known in Kerala folklore for her expertise in Kalaripayattu, is depicted at the top.

The Irula community’s tribal dance is shown on the sides, and Kudumbashree activities are shown in the back.

The tableau in Karnataka also celebrated the power of nari shakti. Due to their selfless contributions to society, Sulagitti Narasamma, a midwife, Tulsi Gowda Halakki, known as Vruksha Maate (mother of trees), and Salumarada Thimmakka (Thimmakka of a row of trees), have become well-known names.

For their outstanding achievement, the Centre awarded them the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth highest civilian award.

Sulagitti Narasamma, a midwife, was in the foreground of the tableau, rocking the cradle with a baby in it and playing with the children in her arms.

In the absence of skilled doctors, Narasamma is an expert at performing traditional deliveries. In the last seven decades, she has performed over two thousand such deliveries.

Tulsi Gowda Halakki tended to the plants in the center of the tableau. Tulsi specializes in identifying and cultivating rare plant species. She is credited with planting over 30,000 saplings. This is demonstrated by her sitting among the plants and nurturing them.

The last part of the tableau showed Salumarada Thimmakka, a tree planter, who planted 8,000 trees and watered them with the help of her husband along highways.

Tamil Nadu’s tableau was based on women empowerment and culture of the state which prevailed from the Sangam era to the present day.

The front portion of the tableau showcased a statue of poet Avvaiyar, an icon for intellectual women. She wrote “Aathichoodi” and “Kondraiventhan” amongst several other finest poems. She is also known as a noble and worshipable saint of exponential morality.

On either side of the front portion, the statue of Veeramangal Velu Naachiar riding on a horse is placed. She was the queen of Sivaganga (1780-90), who stood as an epitome of bravery and waged war against the East India Company.

The middle portion of the tableau showcased statues of eminent women personalities namely Carnatic singer M S Subbulakhsmi, the great Bharatanatyam exponent Tanjore Balasaraswati, social reformer and doctor Muthulakhmi Reddy, author and political activist of the Dravidian Movement Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar and Pappammal, a popular organic farmer still active at the age of 105 in her agriculture field.

The rear portion of the tableau showcased the replica of Thanjavur Brihadeeswarar Temple built by Chola King Rajaraja Chozhan.

The temple is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On ground, the artistes were seen performing Karagaattam, along with a group of musicians in traditional attire playing Kombu (Horn), Naadaswaram and Thavil.

The tableau of Maharashtra on the background of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav presented “Sade Tin Shaktipithe and Nari Shakti”.

Goddesses are considered as sources of power, reflected through this tableau. In the front part of the tableau, the Ghondali associated with the goddess can be seen playing the instrument sambal. On the main body, one can see replicas of three and a half Shaktipeeths.

At the centre of the tableau there is a folk art form Potraj and Aaradhi, associated with the goddess. A Maharashtrian woman depicted on the back side of the tableau represented feminine power.

Apart from that, folk art forms such as Bhop Bhutye, Jogwa are also shown on tableau.

Tripura tableau’s theme also revolved around women’s power. It highlighted sustainable livelihood through tourism and organic farming in Tripura with active participation of women.

The tableau depicted the Mahamuni Pagoda (Buddhist stupa) at the front. The middle part showed various indigenous performing art forms of Tripura such as homgiri momitete.

The composite culture of Tripura and participation of women in different fields were depicted through self-help groups of women at work, women with baskets of pineapples, cottage, tea plantation workers and women dressed in colourful traditional costumes walking alongside the tableau.