SHAKTHI :THE FEARLESS FEMININE

Author Gurukkal Dr. S Mahesh  – The Warrior Monk

 Indian Martial Arts Guru | Spiritual Visionary | Founder, Agasthyam Foundation | Author & Filmmaker 

There comes a moment in every teacher’s journey when a student’s silence speaks louder than any scream. I still remember that moment in Mumbai. A young girl sat quietly at the edge of the training space. Her body was tense, her shoulders drawn inward, her eyes fixed on the floor. It was the first day of a SHAKTHI workshop, and I sensed something inside her had already been broken. She wouldn’t meet anyone’s gaze, not even mine.

 On the third day, after a simple breathing exercise, she stayed back. Her voice trembled as she spoke: “I was molested two years ago. I never told anyone. I blamed myself. I still live in fear every time I leave the house. I didn’t come here to learn how to fight. I came here hoping to feel normal again.”

 In that moment, I realized that SHAKTHI was never just about teaching techniques. It was about returning a girl’s breath back to her body. It was about helping her reclaim the space she had been pushed out of. It was about reminding her that she was never meant to be small or silent.

SHAKTHI – Fearless Feminine was born from a deep conviction that women deserve to walk this world without shrinking themselves. It’s a response to a global crisis, one that hides behind closed doors and walks freely in open streets. Every day in India, and around the world, women face violence that is both physical and invisible. Harassment, molestation, assault, rape these are not distant stories. They are our sisters, daughters, mothers, students, neighbours.

 And yet, what I saw over and over again was that women did not want to be seen as victims. They were looking for something else not just safety, but strength. They wanted to know that they could trust their own bodies again. That they could speak without apology. That they could fight if they had to, and walk away with dignity if they chose to.

 Through Agasthyam Kalaripayattu, I envisioned SHAKTHI not just as a program, but as a movement. A structured system grounded in Kalari tradition, but adapted to the needs of modern women. SHAKTHI became a space where young girls and elderly women alike could discover what power feels like not power over others, but power over fear.

By 2025, over twelve thousand women have been trained across India. From small villages in Kerala to the skyscrapers of Mumbai, from university campuses to silent survivors’ shelters, the reach of SHAKTHI has spread. Each session is a healing journey. Some women cry after the first session. Others laugh nervously when they learn to shout, to strike, to escape a grip. But by the end, they walk differently. Their eyes are brighter. Their shoulders lift.

The girl from Mumbai who once couldn’t speak sent me a message months later. She had faced another incident a man following her on a crowded street. But this time, she turned and s looked him in the eyes. She told him to stop. He did. She told me: “I didn’t feel brave. But I didn’t feel helpless either. That’s never happened to me before.”That is what SHAKTHI gives. Not perfection. Not aggression. But readiness.

My role in all this is not just as a Gurukkal or martial artist. I have become a listener, a witness, a guide. I’ve seen how trauma settles in the body, and how movement can release it. I’ve seen mothers and daughters train together. I’ve seen survivors hold each other after a session in silent solidarity. SHAKTHI is not about becoming someone new it’s about remembering who you were before fear was taught to you.

This initiative is deeply personal to me. Because Kalari itself, as I have structured it at Agasthyam, is not a martial art frozen in history. It is a living, breathing force that must adapt to the times. Through SHAKTHI, Kalari has become a lifeline. It has become relevant to the world’s most urgent need the need for women to feel safe, free, and powerful in their own skin. 

I do not claim that SHAKTHI solves everything. But I do know this: a woman who has walked through her fear will never walk the same way again. And that, to me, is victory, and we are continuing..

ABOUT AUTHOR

Gurukkal Dr. S Mahesh, is a fifth-generation Kalaripayattu master, celebrated as a “Warrior Monk”,a self-realized spiritual leader and founder of Agasthyam kalaripayattu. Deeply rooted in a 129-year-old lineage, his journey is marked by profound self-awakening and dedication to Kalaripayattu. His teachings unify physical mastery, mental clarity, and spiritual insight, making Kalaripayattu a global path for holistic well-being. As co-principal investigator of the IKS Center for Kalaripayattu and Siddhar Tradition, he promotes Kalaripayattu’s healing wisdom as vital for modern life. An author and filmmaker, Dr. Mahesh’s legacy inspires resilience, self-discovery, and unity in seekers worldwide