Summary

Nangeli, a woman from the Ezhava caste in 19th century Kerala, India, protested the oppressive "Breast Tax" by severing her breasts and offering them to the tax collector, leading to her death and the eventual abolition of the tax.

Abstract

In a poignant act of defiance against the casteist society of early 19th century Kerala, Nangeli, an Ezhava woman, chose to amputate her breasts rather than pay the demeaning "Breast Tax" imposed on lower-caste women. This tax, known as "Mula Karam," was a form of body shaming and objectification that required lower-caste women to pay a fee to cover their chests, with the tax amount often determined by breast size. Nangeli's extreme protest, where she presented her severed breasts on a plantain leaf to the village officer, not only cost her life but also sparked a significant movement against the tax, leading to its eventual repeal. Her story underscores the historical struggle for women's rights and body autonomy, highlighting the intersection of caste and gender oppression in India's past.

Opinions

The author condemns the "Breast Tax" as a disgusting practice rooted in a casteist and patriarchal society, reflecting broader issues of objectification and sexualization of women's bodies.
The article suggests that the fight for women's rights and body autonomy is an ongoing struggle, with historical events like Nangeli's protest mirroring contemporary movements for women's empowerment and the right to choose what to do with their bodies.
There is a critique of the slow progress in achieving true gender equality, likening the pace of change to a snail supporting an elephant, indicating that more decisive action is needed to advance women's rights.
The narrative acknowledges the role of religion, particularly Christianity, in providing some respite to oppressed lower-caste women by allowing them to cover their breasts, which was otherwise forbidden by the upper castes.
The author expresses that oppression, regardless of its form, inevitably leads to resistance, as evidenced by Nangeli's extreme act of protest and its impact on society.
The article emphasizes that the core issues behind the "Breast Tax" are still relevant today, with women's bodies continuing to be policed and women fighting for the freedom to make choices about their own bodies.

She Cut-Off Her Breasts to Protest the ‘Breast Tax’!

Disgusting real story from a casteist society

The Tissue Overlying the Pectoral Muscles

A woman’s breasts are more than just soft tissues covering her chests. It symbolises her Womanhood, Motherhood and Sensuality.

Breasts as a body part are so sensual and powerful that it evokes sexual emotions in a man to the point that it drives his weak mind crazy!

No one should be ashamed of Breasts. Breasts are no different than a man’s chest, albeit the differences in shape and size. But even men have moobs these days, further diluting the differences. If men can bare, why can’t women? Why objectify it? Why slut-shame women who like to free their nipples? These are the burning questions now, and the questions that have been echoing for the last many decades. But why should a woman ever pay ‘Breast Tax’? I know it sounds confusing, and I know it is unheard of for most of the readers in this platform. I am not making this up, but there was a ridiculous tax imposed on women on one their breasts by the casteist Upper Castes in a small state in India.

Kerala is the state that I am referring to. In Hindu mythology, the formation of Kerala is described as an effect of an axe thrown by a man named ‘Parasurama’, and wherever the axe struck, a strip of land was formed. It sounds impossible, but most mythologies are right? We tend to nourish these fantasies. We like to believe in our roots and beliefs even though most of them are pretty unbelievable. Nevertheless, we as humans have done things that are more unbelievable than fiction. Some realities have shocked me more than most of the fiction that I have ever read. I am going to tell such a story that would seem unbelievable, but believe me, it was a reality!

Early 19th Century in Kerala, India

Women activism is at its peak now. Feminism is stronger than ever, with more men and people from all fraternity backing it up. It is never enough though. Woman Empowerment is like an ‘Elephant’ riding on top of a snail, the snail is neither strong nor fast enough to support the ‘Idea’. We need a better vehicle. But as much as vocal are these women on their rights, they are equally vocal about their bodies as well. They want to free their nipples. They don’t want to be objectified by preying man eyes. They don’t want to be body shamed.

The situation in Kerala during the early 19th century was different. Casteism was at its peak.

Women of Lower Castes in Kerala were fighting a different war, something more dark, oppressive and disgusting.

The Fight for Covering the Breasts

In Kerala, women of Lower Castes had to pay ‘Mula Karam’ to be able to cover their chests with clothes!

‘Mula Karam’

It is a word in the Malayalam language, where ‘Mula’ means Breast and ‘Karam’ means Tax. ‘Breast Tax’!

Clothes were considered a sign of Prosperity, Wealth and Eliteness. In the 1800s, men and women of Lower Castes were not allowed to cover their chests in front of people belonging to Upper Castes.

Larger the Size, Larger the Tax!

The history related to Breast tax has not been documented properly. However, prominent historians have done enough research and have built credibility to these stigmatic events that had happened in the ‘Kingdom of Travancore’, a kingdom in Kerala in the early 19th century.

Some of the researches tell us that the tax rates were determined by the size of the breasts. It was not just Eliteness, but a pervy nature that played a role in all these as well. It might not be visible at the top layer, but it is there submerged as an underlying element. And this ‘pervy’ factor still exists in exploitations of all kinds against women!

With Every Oppression Comes Resistance

Oppression breeds resistance.

The Lower Castes in Kerala were oppressed to a limit that they had to look for other tunnels that had lights on the other end. This tunnel game is a game of all the religions. Have you ever thought about why people convert to other religions? What is the need? Essentially they all serve the same purpose.

It is like changing a job, you don’t stay if you are not happy. As Lower Hindu Castes were getting oppressed, they found light in ‘Christianity’. Or rather, ‘Christianity’ found them like always. Christian women were allowed to wear a piece of cloth that seemed like a jacket, over their breasts. This is just an example of how the fields level up as you put more pressure. But the one event that shocked everyone was that of a brave act by a woman named ‘Nangeli’.

Who Was Nangeli?

Nangeli was the woman who cut off her breasts to protest the Breast Tax!

Nangeli was an ‘Ezhava’ woman who lived in ‘Cherthala’, a part of Travancore Kingdom.

According to the legend, the Village officer reached Nangeli’s hut to survey her breasts and collect the tax amount. Nangeli protested by cutting off her breasts, and offering it to the officer in a plantain leaf! She died soon after, due to the blood loss. Her husband, who was filled with grief, jumped into her funeral pyre and committed suicide or rather committed the first male ‘Sati’ in India. Sati was another ridiculous norm that existed in India where a widow had to walk straight into the funeral pyre of her husband and leave the earth along with him.

The brave act of Nangeli evoked a chain of reactions. It was the tipping point towards the annulation of breast tax in the Travancore Kingdom.

Different but Same

I earlier mentioned that the women in the 19th century in Kerala were fighting a different war. Yes, it was different in a very literal sense. If women of today are fighting for freeing their nipples, the women in Kerala were fighting for covering them. It sounds different. But look closely, it is the same fight.

It is the fight for freedom to choose whatever they want to do with their bodies. It is the fight for equality. It is the fight against oppression. It is the fight for survival.

The fight, it has always been the same!

Cover it or not, you cannot hide it.