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Gharwali, redefined
Updated On: 10 March, 2024 07:52 AM IST | Mumbai | Neerja Deodhar
Endlessly cleaning kitchen counters, savouring ice-lollies, rushing to take clothes off the laundry line—art and fiction make space for the Indian homemaker’s many shades of labour and leisure
Women in Bundelkhand’s Madhopura get together to mourn as well as celebrate the death of a person who lived a full life. Pic Courtesy/Surabhi Yadav and Women at Leisure
The work of the Indian homemaker is cut out for her—even before she wakes up at the crack of dawn. The work is cyclical, repetitive and relentless, as she feeds, clothes, and takes care of her family, whether nuclear or comprising multiple generations. Some, like Delhi-based visual artist and designer Pritish Bali, recognise its Sisyphean nature; as soon as a chore is done, it must inevitably be redone. There will always be mouths to feed, kitchen counters to wipe, and clothes to dry and fold.
As part of a project titled Homemakers, realised through the Serendipity Arts Virtual Grant 2021 and displayed at India Art Fair 2022, Bali created a virtual mountain of home-cooked meals—photos of dishes and cups of tea prepared by his mother, Anu. Users who enter Homemakers’ website attempt to drag a roti icon over this mountain, as day turns to night in the background, only to find that the roti falls back to the bottom—and a new day begins. This is an artistic rendition of a dream his mother Anu had, with striking similarities to the Greek myth.
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