VADAKARA, Kerala -- Seated in her mud and tiled-roof training center filled with swords, shields, daggers and spears hanging on the walls, Meenakshi Amma, a grandmother and master swordswoman, is a picture of poise and equanimity. In a corner of the spacious, high-ceilinged room with slit windows, a few students -- mainly young women -- are practicing martial art moves with wooden staffs.
