The practice of covering faces or the body parts in the patriarchal world still exists around us. From the breast tax (a tax paid by lower caste women to cover their breasts) to wearing a burqa in Islam, patriarchy in the very nature of society still continues.
There are hundreds of women forced to follow such customs in the society but only a few of them have enough courage to stand up against such practices.
Nangeli, one such woman, who belonged to Cherthala in the central region of Kerala protested against the breast tax or Mulakkaram which was practised and levied on the lower caste in the state during the 1800s.
Standing bare-chested was taken as a sign of respect towards those castes supposedly superior to them — for both men and women.
