CISF women steal the show with Kalaripayattu demo at Raising Day event

Hyderabad: A Kalaripayattu demonstration by an all-women team of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was the highlight of the 54th Raising Day event held on the National Industrial Security Academy (NISA) campus in Hakimpet on Sunday.

The martial art form, native to India, also marked the first time that an all-women team held a demonstration at the CISF’s Raising Day. Women showcased their expertise with nedhu vadi (long sticks), kuru vadi (short sticks), cherma kambu (narrow sticks) and fire.

Previously, a Kalaripayattu demonstration was held at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia of Gujarat in 2019.

Officials said that while CISF personnel are already trained in Krav Maga, an Israeli martial art form used for armed combat in emergencies, they have been training in Kalaripayattu as a martial art form that does not require the use of arms.

They said that a woman contingent working with the Delhi Metro is fully trained in the art form, which comes in handy while dealing with eve teasers and trouble-mongers in public places, as the use of arms is not feasible in crowded places.

They are planning to expand this component to all deployments in the country, wherever there is more civilian interface.

Among other notable events was a demonstration by the CISF’s Special Tactics and Training Wing (STTW) of a Naxal attack, for which they deployed canine squads, assault teams, bomb detection and diffusion teams, mine-proof vehicles and deploying marksman, a custom armoured capsule-based bulletproof vehicle used at airports.

Currently, marksman vehicles are deployed at the Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai international airports.

The fire team also demonstrated its action in handling a blazing chemical unit using support from multiple agencies and ensuring there was no casualty.