She started dancing at a very tender age. Hailing from Kerala’s Malapurram district, she excelled time and again in classical dance forms, however, when it came to appreciation, the 22-year-old dancer had to face a lot of criticism. Born into a Muslim family, Mansiya (22) and her sister Rubiya (27) were boycotted from most of the community members as the duo learned and performed “Hindu dance forms.”
According to a report in The News Minute, Mansiya says that throughout her life, she and her sister have faced criticism. Their teachers at school or any others from the community never praised them for their achievements. Recalling the discrimination, she says that she still remembers the time when teachers at school would congratulate a student who came third in the dance competition, but not her, despite winning the contest.
Despite all the criticism and boycott, Mansiya’s dedication is paying off, as she would soon join for MPhil in the prestigious Kerala Kalamandalam, after recently bagging the first rank for MA in Bharatnatyam from the University of Madras.
The sisters started training in Bharatnatyam from the young age of three, while Rubiya went on to become a dance teacher, Mansiya looks forward to setting up a dance school.
Over the years, both the sisters have learned Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, Kerala Nadanam and Kathakali. Notably, Mansiya managed to win the first prize in the Kerala School Kalolsavam continuously from Class VIII to Class XII.
The girls were always backed by their parents
Despite all the opposition from the community, Alivikutty and his wife Amina always supported their daughters and even encouraged them to learn classical dance. While Amina succumbed to cancer a couple of years ago, Alivikutty continues to be their pillar of strength.
According to the report, the community members would ignore Mansiya and her sister for not wearing a burkha and performing Hindu dance forms on stage. Alivikutty was a theatre artist during his youth, this was another reason for the community members to despise them.
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Mansiya says that religion is no barrier to learning any dance form and her parents always taught that all religions are the same. She says that they were not sent to madrassa for any religious studies, but to get a perspective of what Quran says. At home, they had already read Hindu and Christian religious texts.
Mother’s death came as a shock!
Mansiya’s mother Amina’s death is something she can’t forget. When Amina died, the community members refused to bury her at the mosque, citing that they were not included in Mahal. Mahal, is a community of Muslims and only people who are part of Mahal are included in community matters. And for Amina to be buried in the mosque cemetery, the family had to be included in Mahal, which they were not.
The hate for their family was such, that when Mansiya wanted to avail financial aid for Amina’s treatment, they realised that they were being kept away from Mahal, and therefore, the financial aid was refused to them.
But in all this, Mansiya says that she is thankful to the people who opposed her. She says that she is grateful to the people who tried to pull them down, as it has only helped her to increase her dedication and follow her dreams.
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