Hijab-wearing students dance at Kerala Onam celebrations, video goes viral

A short video clip of hijab-wearing students dancing during Onam celebrations at a high school in Kerala's Wandoor has gone viral on social media.

The video, going viral on various social media platforms, shows several hijab-wearing students at a school wearing traditional Kerala sarees and dancing along with their other schoolmates.

This was part of the Onam celebrations at the Wandoor Government Girls Higher Secondary School, PTI reported.


The video was shared widely on social media, with veteran Congress leader Shashi Tharoor 'liking' a tweet about it. His party colleague and MLA from Wandoor, AP Anil Kumar shared the viral video on his Facebook page.

Some users saw it as a message to the right wing, especially in the neighbouring state of Karnataka.

Others saw it as an act of defiance against the orthodoxy in their own community, Meanwhile, Times Now reported a senior member of the AIMPLB as saying that dancing in hijab defeats its very purpose.

But going by the sheer joy and energy with which those girls danced, it looked as if sending any sort of political message was the last thing on their minds. Local reports said the teachers of the school also joined in the dance.

The harvest festival of Onam is celebrated with fervour in Kerala this year after festivities were restricted for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The festival celebrates the legend of the Asura king Mahabali, during whose rule the land was said to be prosperous and all people were treated equal.

People of Kerala believe that Onam is the time the king makes an annual visit to his former kingdom after being banished to the netherworlds by Vamana, the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Though it's traditionally a Hindu festival, people from other communities are a part of the festivities and competitions held during the season.