Breast Tax

Set against the backdrop of 18th–19th century Travancore, Kerala, this project explores the entwined violence of caste and gender through the lens of the Mulakkaram—a tax imposed on lower-caste women for covering their chests. At its center is the story of Nangeli, a woman from the Ezhava community whose act of defiance became a lasting symbol of resistance.

 

Through this work, Breast Tax reclaims a silenced history, exposing how systems of caste and patriarchy have sought to control the female body—and how protest can be inscribed through sacrifice, memory, and the flesh itself.

Source: The Hindu