A Prohibited Touch

Artist Madhukar Mucharla uses leather art as a medium to depict the socio-cultural issues faced by marginalised communities

- Abhik Bhattacharya

EMPTY plates made of goat hide arranged in two rows, accompanied by broken coconuts that broadly denote the beginning of any auspicious occasion, invite people from all castes and classes to a space where everyone can dine together. It is a space where boundaries of pure and impure transcend and upper castes and Dalits are encouraged to mingle under the same roof. While the empty plates invite and embrace everyone, they also push the Savarnas present there to contemplate the prevalent caste discrimination that prohibits inter-dining. 

At an exhibition at Delhi’s Galleryske, all this happens against the backdrop of a huge portrait of B R Ambedkar. The larger-than-life bust made of leather—a material that upper castes mostly despise—has been carefully stitched together and brought to life by Hyderabad-based Dalit artist Madhukar Mucharla. By showcasing different pieces made of leather—traditionally associated with the lower castes— Mucharla takes a deep dive into the lives of marginalised communities and reflects on the lived experience.

Titled ‘Galli Chinnadhi Gareebolla Katha Pedhadhi’ (Streets are narrow but our legends are widespread)—a line from a song written by popular Telugu folk singer and poet Goreti Venkanna—Mucharla’s show is a reflection of Dalit lives.

“In our villages, people from Dalit communities are still not allowed within the premises of upper caste houses. Even when we do pujas and ask them to come to our house for prasad, they don’t come,” says Mucharla, who belongs to the Madiga community that traditionally makes leather.