The story of Nangeli

The Mulakkaram was a ridiculous tax imposed on lower-caste women. The story of Nangeli tells us about a brave woman who fought against oppression and became a local legend in the village of Mulachiparambu.

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It was the year 1803. Travancore’s Brahmanical patriarchy found new ways to subjugate the lower castes. They introduced ludicrous policies to police and segregate the Ezhavas, Nadars and the other scheduled castes of the community such as levying taxes for sporting moustaches, wearing ornaments, etc. There was also added pressure on them due to colonial forces. Local kings were frequently forced to pay huge taxes as fealty to the British empire. Monarchs had to find new ways to find revenue and it was the lower castes who had to bear the brunt of this.

The Mulakkaram was one of them. It was a tax imposed upon the lower caste women, forbidding them from covering their upper body in public. Covering themselves up would result in heavy taxation. This policy was implemented to degrade the women of the lower strata and to burden them with futile obligations to retain their state of poverty. There were 'Parvathiyars' in every village, who would implement these ridiculous policies and were responsible for tax collection. It was found documented that the women would have their breasts checked by these men and they would have to pay taxes according to the size of their breasts.

Many people choose to convert to Christianity to escape the horror, shame and heavy taxes imposed upon them due to their caste. But there were a few brave souls who were fed up with the regressive customs inflicted upon them. They choose to take a stand. One of these women was Nangeli, an Ezhava who resided in the village of Chertala in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, along with her husband, Chirukandan. She would frequently help other lower-caste women, which came at a heavy social cost for Nangeli and her husband.

One fateful day, Nangeli had worn a blouse in public and was unafraid. She was then harassed by a horde of upper-caste members. They demanded that she undress in public and tried fighting them off with a knife. The Parvathiyar heard of this incident and decided to take matters into his own hands. He showed up on her doorstep. The tax was collected in the form of rice, which was served on a plantain leaf. Nangeli was swelling with anger. She was destitute and tired of the humiliation and injustice she was subjected to on a daily basis. Her bodily autonomy was stripped of her and her dignity and privacy were constantly invaded. She raised a sickle to her breasts and chopped them off. She was presented the parvathiyar with her offerings, before collapsing and ultimately dying of blood loss. Her husband was grief-stricken and jumped into her funeral pyre. This is one of the few instances recorded in the history of male sati. The area where she lived was named Mulachiparambu, meaning land of the breasted woman.

This incited several protests. A struggle ensued between the lower caste women and the monarchy, known today as the Channar Revolt or Maru Marakkal Samaram. The fight for a dignified existence, free of control, dragged on for another century. This story is deemed so controversial that it was revoked from the curriculum in schools as it was deemed to be ‘Objectionable Content'. Many academics deem this to be a foolish decision, as this deprives students of an understanding of the historical influence that women have had on the caste system which is still deeply rooted in India.

Most people are completely ignorant of Nangeli’s existence. Some of the people who have heard of her are convinced she’s a legend. However, there are a few people who have preserved her memory. Artist Murali T depicted the gruesome incident through his work as a heroic and poignant sacrifice. Her tale has been preserved in the memories of the locals of Mulachiparambu and her story is an inspiration to the contemporary Dalit Movement.