Q. Which of the following statements about Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker are correct?
He challenged the domination of upper castes.
He established the first Kathakali Yogam.
He started Achippudava Samaram strike.
Choose the correct answer using the codes given below: Answer:
1, 2 & 3
Notes:
Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker was one of the most influential figures in the reformation movement in the state. He challenged the domination of upper castes or ‘Savarnas’ and brought about changes in the lives of both men and women.
Achippudava Samaram strike – to earn women belonging to oppressed groups the right to wear a lower garment that extended beyond the knees.
Ethappu Samaram – the struggle for the right to wear an upper body cloth by women belonging to backward castes.
Mukkuthi Samaram – for the rights of lower-caste women to wear ‘mukkuthi’ or nose-ring, and other gold ornaments.
He also established the first Kathakali Yogam (area-based schools for the classical dance form Kathakali) for the Ezhava community in 1861, which led to a Kathakali performance by Ezhavas and other backward communities, another first for them.
He was given the title of ‘Panicker’ by the then-king of Travancore in 1869.
In 2005, the Kerala government inaugurated the Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker Research Foundation and Cultural Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.