Namakkal (Tamil Nadu): In an impressive feat, a seven-month pregnant woman from Tamil Nadu's Namakkal district set a record in Tamil Nadu's martial art Silambam. She played Silambam for an hour using both hands to enter into Kalam Book of Records recently.
A year ago, Sneha from Kanavaipatti got married to Naveen, a Silambam teacher. Naveen runs Ekalaiva Art Gallery in the village with the help of his friends. He also teaches Silambam for the interested students at the gallery.
Sneha took to Silambam after the marriage. Naveen taught her Silambam from the basics. She wanted to set a record of performing Silambam with both hands for an hour non-stop but she got pregnant.
However, it did not deter her and after thorough practicing, Sneha performed Silambam for Kalam Book of Records on Sept. 26.
Sneha said she was fascinated by Silambam right from her childhood as she watched the experts playing it during the village festivals. After marriage, she started learning from her husband. Commenting on her record performance, Sneha said, "thirst and dizziness were problems but I managed to pull it off."
She suggested that all women should learn Silambam for self-defense. The sport gives confidence and is useful for self-protection, she said. The family members were very apprehensive when she suggested going for a record while she was pregnant. "But I developed my body for the performance and it worked out", she added.
Her husband and mentor Naveen said that it was hard convincing the family members since it was their first child and they feared for the risk involved. But Naveen said that women a few decades ago used to do strenuous works while carrying. "Sneha was trained gradually. We started with ten minutes and we decided to go for the record only after she managed to cross performing an hour without a break," he said.
Naveen also welcomed the Central Government recognizing Silambam under the Khelo India initiative. He urged the Tamil Nadu government to introduce Silambam in schools and appoint trained tutors to teach Silambam.
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