Tamil Nadu - Dindigul   

Making waves with her `karagattam' moves

K. Raju

NCC cadet A. Vasanthi.

DINDIGUL: Sheer willpower, strenuous practice and massive moral support from well-wishers helped girls from rural areas surpass urban competitors and not only clinch gold medals for the TN 14 Battalion of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) but also popularise the traditional folk dance of southern Tamil Nadu among the people in North India.

A TN 14 battalion NCC cadet, A. Vasanthi, native of Usilampatti, bagged the gold medal in the cultural programme organised at the NCC National Integration Camp held in Kurushetra recently.

Her scintillating karagattam performance, a traditional dance form of southern Tamil Nadu, brought laurels to the battalion.

Sharing her experience in Kurushetra, the highly talented Ms. Vasanthi said that she had to supersede several competitors representing 16 NCC directorates in the country to clinch the medal.

North Indian spectators enjoyed folk music supported by percussion instruments, she said.

Talking about the girl's performance, Lellis Thivagar, associated NCC officer, who took the team to Kurushetra said that to achieve this feat she had to practice for six months.

Her glittering multi-coloured costume and aesthetically decorated karagam (a small metallic vessel covered with flowers and capped with a parrot) attracted the spectators. Her subtle twists and turns and tough dance movements left everybody watching her stupefied. NCC senior under officer S.R. Divakar of Arulanandhar College led the team comprising six girls and 10 boys.

Appreciating the young cadet, the battalion commander, Colonel. R. Suresh, said NCC spotted talented girls and gave intensive training to help them develop their skills. It was a great opportunity for rural girls to display their skills at national level competitions.

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Making waves with her `karagattam' moves

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