When 23-year-old Athira, a Hindu woman from Kerala's Kasargod district, spoke to media in July, she was clad in a hijab and confidently said that she had converted to Islam upon her own free will.

Months later on Thursday, Athira addressed the media a second time. This time, the hijab was gone, and Athira appeared with a bindi and kumkum on her forehead. She was no longer the Islam convert who took the name Ayesha, but Athira, who believes in Hindu religion, she said.

"Om Namah Sivaya," Athira began, while addressing the press meet in Kochi on Thursday.