The Ancient tax on Breast

                   An Ancient Tax on Breast

In South India, under the Princely state of Travancore, there was a small village named Cherthala that later came part of Alappuzha, known as the Venice of the east all over the world. The incident that connects the story happened before 200 years, at the time, not the Britishers, but the king ruled the province. The province parted the citizens into two, the people of higher caste and those of lower castes who were addressed as untouchables by those of eminent caste. The lower caste peoples were molested utmost in the name of untouchability and caste suppression and restricted them from availing any benefits or even to raise any voice against the king or the officials. The rich started to show all their wrath, their aversions and even their sexual wants on them for the poor people obeyed everything just for living in peace. This is a tale of such period and of a brave woman, which made a change in this form of modus-vivendi.

Brahmin’s at that time were believed to be the messengers of god and they were given the full control of the temple administration. They were respected by the rulers and allowed them to take decisions on significant matters. They expanded in wealth amassing the offering of gold to the god, and by manipulating the king’s constitutions with imposing strange taxes on lower caste people. The poor peoples were pressured to pay hefty amounts in taxes for trading in pepper and spices, for wearing jewelry, for the men to grow moustache as the moustaches were considered to be a symbol of prestige. The Brahmins were simply exempted from the payment of tax as it is their idea of execution to make the lower caste people eternal to debt. The strongest among the taxes were those for covering the breast in public levied on women, the breast tax called as “Mulakaram”. This tax forced every woman to remain in their family that shut their dreams evermore.

It was during that time, Nangeli meaning “the beautiful one” came to her age. She was exactly what her name says, the beautiful one. She is white in color with pink lips and wide eyes. Her smile seduced every man in the village and made them to dream of marrying her. She has got a perfect shape with round bosom, and a curved structure. The higher caste Brahmins, halt and size her up when they saw her. But she was in love with Cheeran, her aunt son, her customary bride. It is a practice still following in the Hindu religion to marry their customary bride that should be the girls uncle’s or aunt’s son. He was a servant of a Brahmin named Pisharady who is working on his master’s field almost all the day. He is black in color with curly short hair and with a built of a farmer. When she reached of age, soon her parents espoused her with Cheeran, who usually buys paper toffee every day for her just to see her smile. They lived in a small house made of red mud and roofed with dried coconut leaves. Even if the house is small, they filled it with happiness and made love in the bare ground inside their house.

The month of festivals began in Cherthala which made compulsory for every local people to visit the temple and offer to god some big oblations. This day only, excused the women from paying taxes as the day is reserved as a holy day. Cheeran, also went to the temple at night, leaving Nangeli at home as she was not able to walk or stand for long time. In the morning, while she was brooming the surroundings, she herself stomped on a nail that made her difficult to walk.

She remained at her house, alone, hearing the songs and the sound of the fireworks at the temple nearby. It was then she heard a knock at her door.

“Who is there at this time? My husband is out for the festival.” She asked loudly, but none answered.

Again the knocking was heard, followed by a familiar voice calling her name. She pulled the door open and saw Pisharady at her doorstep with a smile fixed on his wrinkled face. Against every rule of his custom, he broke into the house of Nangeli and asked for some water. Obeying him, she gets him a pot full of water as was the respect to be shown to those of High caste. The practice was against the rule of Brahmins to come in close contact with the untouchables, but still everything is void in the name of sex. She again asked the reason for his late night visit, but he kept staring at her eyes and came close to her. He grabbed on her shoulders and slowly caressed on her neck. Nangeli felt uncomfortable with his move, pushed him back strongly. With more power he came back and got hold of her so tight. She again tried very hard to dodge from him and ran to the kitchen and quickly grabbed a machete. The machete in the woman’s hand thrilled him. She yelled at him to get out of her house for she was a brave woman among the powerless group of untouchables. Pisharady cursed at her and went out of her house still muttering curses on her.

The days followed were the days of the outcomes of the act of Nangeli. His husband was made to do work overtime with no wage and they were asked to pay more taxes to the ruler. Nangeli who was always at her house was asked to pay the breast tax, which was very heftier than normal that they could not afford among other taxes levied on them as common. They were in deep struggle. Still, she kept the incident happened to her on the night as a secret from him. One day, the Parvathiyar meaning, “the tax collector” send his assistant to collect the breast tax from Nangeli. She was in such a rage that she refused to pay the amount. The aftermath were much more horrible. The Brahmin Pisharady held her husband captive and beat him with a wooden cane till him faint down.

Next time, the Parvathiyar himself visited Nangeli at her house as the carrier of the Brahmin, Pisharady. He asked her to satisfy the desire of Pisharady which will free his husband from him and shall give double pay for his work for now. Being a woman who value her purity and loyalty towards her husband, she refused to adjust to him or the man who sent him. Suddenly the Parvathiyar forced her to pay the breast tax at the very moment to somehow make her accept his offer or otherwise her husband will be killed. She is a brave woman, went inside her house and came back with something wrapped in plantain leaves. She was bleeding heavily at her breast and the blood was seen drenched on her clothes. Nangeli handed over the plantain leaf to the Parvathiyar and shouted at him “I don’t need this breast anymore. Take this to your master and make him eat this” Her voice was such strong that it made the eyes of Parvathiyar bulge out. Parvathiyar refused to accept her breast and ran back to his master.

Nangeli after sometime give up to death due to the loss of blood. The other locals of her same caste took her corpse and arranged the customs for the pyre. It was then her husband Cheeran was freed and ran to his house on hearing the news of her wife’s death. On his arrival, he saw her wife burning on the pyre. His love for her was so pure and divine which made him jump to the pyre and let himself die with his wife. He later was known as the first man who jumped on the pyre of his wife against the custom of sati which was followed in India that forces the women to jump on their dead husband’s pyre.

This incident left the local villagers in a great rage. They united as they were larger in number than the higher caste and paraded straight to the house of Parvathiyar. There he betrayed the Brahmin by seeing the size of the many lower caste people. It was nearing night when they marched next to the house of Pisharady, with a fire kindled on the wood tied with cloth dipped in oil. The men broke into the house of Pisharady and pulled him and his wife outside. They tied him to the nearby tree and disrobed his wife in front of him. They yelled at him about the thing he has done to Nangeli and his husband. Their rage was in such heat that the village men cut down her right breast in front of him and marched back to their colony. She was dead instantly before the group march back. The ground of the Brahmin’s house was filled with the blood of his beloved wife.

The strike of the lower caste made the ruler tremor and he was forced to take off the practice of breast tax and other related taxes imposed on them. The lower caste people again united for their rights and took back forcefully all there land from the officials and started to farm themselves. They changed the name of the place to Mulachiparambu meaning the “land of breasted women”. They demolished the untouchable system and united together for the equal consideration for every life. Their efforts were fruitful that the officials were forced to bend to the needs of the local men, such was their strength and grievous was their rage.

Nangeli, still remain in the memory of every Kerala woman as the symbol of courage and she inspires them still to fight against the atrocities that society impose on women. Two hundred years have passed and still, the men remember it as a tale of terror that made them respect woman.