The Thief

The Thief is an ongoing body of work exploring the histories of anti-caste struggles and assertion in Kerala through a family myth I grew up with. An earlier book project I made, Native Place (2014) begins with the story of a coconut thief who is redeemed through the love of his wife to become a law abiding citizen. This story of Kelan, my great great grandfather, is told both as a matter of pride as well as a humorous tale in my family; his daring escapes from “waiting men” who threatened violence was a thrilling adventure for me when I was a child. The darker story of Kelan’s life and family who were mandated from birth by caste laws to be Toddy (palm liquor) tappers, but who lived through a Kerala at the cusp of a societal revolution is both subtly told and also masked through this legend. In this work, I reexamine the story of Kelan through the lens of Kerala’s early 20th century political history, and the realms of the myths and legends of Kerala.