'Colour of a crow...' Kalamandalam Sathyabhama's casteist slur against male Mohiniyattam dancer sparks outrage
Kalamandalam Sathyabhama triggered controversy after she made a casteist slur against dancer Dr RLV Ramakrishnan in an interview on a YouTube Channel.
FollowThrissur: Kalamandalam Sathyabhama Jr directed caste-based insults at Dr. RLV Ramakrishnan, the brother of Kalabhavan Mani and a renowned dancer. She disparagingly remarked that Ramakrishnan had the complexion of a crow and was unfit for Mohiniyattam. She made the controversial remark during a YouTube channel interview. Prominent people came forward with Facebook posts in support of Dr RLV Ramakrishnan in the incident. Dr. RLV Ramakrishnan said that he will take legal action in the matter.
Ramakrishnan said that there would be a big terror situation if people with such upper-class thinking established themselves in the cultural field and that people including late actor Kalabhavan Mani had faced such abuse. Meanwhile, Kalamandalam Sathyabhama Jr, in a statement to Asianet News, maintained that while she did not specifically name anyone, she stands by her remarks.
Sathyabhama's controversial remark:
"Performers of Mohiniyattam should possess the graceful and captivating figure reminiscent of Mohini. If you look at him, he has the colour of a crow. Mohiniyattam is an art form with parted feet. There is nothing more awkward than a man playing with his legs crossed. According to me, men who play Mohiniyattam must have beauty. Are there no beautiful men? If you see him, the God and his mother won't be able to tolerate this."
Kalamandalam Sathyabhama Jr also said that black people should do the work accordingly. Sathyabhama questioned how she should respond to an artist who caused her to lose her job, highlighting a period during 2017-18 when she served on the board of Kalamandam and filed a case against an artist for involving children in numerous competitions.
