Our Time Desk
Did you know that at one point in history the women of Kerala were subject to heavy taxes known as mulakkaram or breast tax if they covered their bust. This was the norm in the 17th century coastal town of Cherthala in Kerala, the larger their breasts the heavier the tax. A woman named Nangeli overturned this inhuman marginalizing of women.
We often hear the names of warriors and social activists, from leaders to dictators in our history books, but small names like that of Nangeli’s is often hard to find unless you are looking for it!
Here is her story. Nangeli was a young woman in her thirties, when she decided that enough was enough. The day the tax collector (parvathiyar), came to her house for the umpteenth time, asking for the fees, she invited him to sit down. Going into her room, she returned with a plantain leaf, which she laid, on the floor in front of him. She then lit a holy lamp, prayed and proceeded to chop off both her breasts.
She may have sacrificed her life but it was not in vain. The absurd law was soon abolished and Nangeli’s name came down generation to generation.
Her great-grandniece says that she remembers her elders tell them stories of Nangeli, saying that she was a beautiful and strong woman.
The area and house where Nangeli severed off her breasts to protest this callous law, has come to be known as Mulachipa Rambu, which in Malayalam means ‘the land of woman’s breasts’.