'Talibanization of Kerala': Judge stopping Mohiniyattam performance sparks political row

The interruption of noted danseuse Neena Prasad's Mohiniyattam performance at a school in Kerala's Palakkad district has snowballed into a major controversy. 

The Mohiniyattam dancer's performance at a school came to an end after district judge Kalam Pasha residing nearby took offence to the sound of the loudspeakers from the venue.

Neena Prasad shared a post on Facebook detailing how the police interrupted her Mohiniyattam performance on Saturday evening. She had been called to perform at a Palakkad Lower Primary school as part of the launch of author Sreechitran MJ's book titled 'Ithihasangale Thedi' (In search of history). After the event started, the organisers came panicking and said that the police has asked the performance to be stopped as the loudspeaker sound was disturbing district judge Kalam Pasha. 

"As an artist, I have never been through such an experience," she wrote on her FB post. 

Activists and politicians have come out strongly against the incident. Several activists and politicians from Kerala have taken to social media to express their unhappiness about the incident. Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, shared Neena's experience on Twitter.

Muraleedharan termed the incident 'yet another example of Talibanization of Kerala under CM Pinarayi Vijayan's rule'.

Later speaking to media persons, Dr Prasad termed the incident of March 19 as the most bitter experience of her life as she was performing a  piece that is very "close to her heart" titled 'Sakhyam' (Friendship).  

It was very humiliating, she told media persons, adding that the incident, in fact, needed to be viewed as an insult to India's cultural fraternity and Kerala.

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