Five Kerala women dressed in identical traditional mundum veshti begin in a circle facing each other, their palms folded in a ‘namaste’.
Anybody familiar with Kerala’s thiruvathirakkali, the traditional dance performed at Onam, will know that this is how the form traditionally begins.
But this dance is no Onam celebration, it’s a protest against bad roads. A parody of the popular 'Veeravirada' song, the performance was organised with the backing of the CPI(M) district committee to protest the delay in repairing the Elamankara-Pottakuzhi-Freedom Road in Eranakulam district.
If you don’t get carried away by the dance and pay attention to the lyrics, you’ll notice the song isn’t glorifying King Mahabali or Kerala.
Instead, the lyrics read:
"A lot of potholes on this road... nobody's repairing them, the Mayor’s not willing to fix them. The people are suffering. The Mayor should come and fix it, so we can celebrate Onam without hassles. May this protest dance open your eyes. Women and children, all of us will protest."
Besides generating curiosity among the locals, the protest performance was attended by Malayalam actor and producer Sandra Thomas.