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Over 200 Rajput women decked up in colourful outfits participated in ''Talwar Raas'', a traditional dance form of Rajasthan which is performed using swords. The Royal Family of Rajkot is organising the five-day event to showcase the bravery and valour of women in the Rajput community. The folk dance is quite popular in Gujarat and Rajasthan. History shows that Rajput women have been a key part of the battlefield and this event aims to send a message that these women are just as powerful as they were years back and can go to the battlefield for their country.
Kadambari Devi, princess of the Royal Family of Rajkot described the history of Talwar Raas, the tradition of Shastra Puja and the importance of swords in the Rajput community. "Talwar Raas has been held for the last 12 years. Every year there is a new group and women participate with full enthusiasm. These women also made a Guinness World Record at my husband''s coronation. Women prepare for this event for a month," Devi told ANI. Devi further said that swords are an extremely important part of the Rajput community and that the community''s association with the weapon dates back centuries. "The sword is like a goddess and that is why we do Shastra Puja. Women are today displaying their prowess with the sword but they also performed this puja for the first time. In older times, women used to perform this puja and hand over the weapons to their men who went out to fight wars. This part of a tradition that is being revived yet again," she added. Women who participated in the ''Talwar Raas'' said they were extremely happy to be part of the programme. "Today we proved that women can do anything by participating in the Talwar Raas. Swords have an extremely important place in our community and without it, a Rajput is incomplete," said Kirtiba, who participated in the sword display. Another participant Sonaliba said that princess Kadambri Devi had made the event possible. "Wars have been fought using swords and it''s a part of Rajput society. Talwar Raas programmes has been organised for a long time. It is believed that Rajput women stay veiled inside their houses and do not come out of too often out of fear, but today these Rajput women are displaying their sword skills without any fear," another participant Jankiba said. (ANI)
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