Thoombinkal Chathan

The referential point of this painting is a local legend which speaks of the (tragi-)heroic deeds of a pulaya1 agricultural labourer known as ‘Thoombinkal Chathan’ at some point of time in the history. The geographical location of this legend is artist’s own native place, a village called Chandiroor located in Alappuzha district of Kerala. The legend narrates ‘Thumbinkal Chathan’s deployment of his own body as a bund to protect the paddy field from the flood. According to most of the versions of the legend, he has managed to protect the land by sacrificing his own life. In a broader sense, this narrative symbolizes the dalit community’s deep-rooted relationship with the land and ecology, even though most often they are deprived of any form of ownership to the land. The painting traces this local legend in order to initiate a discourse on our contemporary time. This painting done as part of residential program by Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012 on the same place it is exhibited now!