In 2017, she received Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award.
[1][2] Meenakshi Amma's family is from a Thiyya community in Vadakara, a town in northern Kerala.
[3] At the behest of her father, Meenakshi Amma joined Raghavan Gurukkal's Kalari at the age of seven to study Kalarippayattu.
[6] She is well-versed in using all the weapons ranging from the stick to the urumi, which even the experts find difficult to master.
There is no fee for the classes and money is accepted in the form of dakshina and expenses for the oil used in Kalari.