Short film on Chekutty to premiere in ITB Berlin

Chekutty dolls arrived at the ITB venue

Kerala’s Chekutty doll will be a center attraction in ITB Berlin this year. The organizers of Chekkuty have already installed a stall for Chekutty in ITB. A short film on Chekutty will also be premiered at the venue. The short film titled ‘Kerala the land of Chekutty’ will narrate the story of Kerala, which survived the devastating flood in August last year.

The short film explains how the people of Kerala have survived the flood, with special focus on Chennamangalm, the weavers’ village. It will also show how the concept of Chekutty doll has evolved.

Gopinath Parayil with a visitor at the Chekutty stall

Gopinath Parayil, the brain behind the film said the idea was to document the success story of the Kerala people. The concept of Chekutty dolls was initiated by Gopimath along with Lakshmi Menon, a designer and social worker.

Lakshmi Menon with the stained cloths gathered from the flood affected areas

They made the dolls out of stained cloths retrieved from the flood affected weavers’ hub in Chendamangalam. It was aimed at helping the weavers in rebuilding their lives after the flood. The idea was a big hit with people from across the country have flocked to buy them and to take part in the rebuilding endeavor.

“It is not just a story of Chendamangalam weavers. This will also show the survival of the Pokkali (rice) farmers during the adverse climate changes in past years,” said Gopinath.

Chekutty dolls hanged at 8 feet height

In ITB Berlin, Chekkutty dolls are placed at 8 feet high, representing the flood level . Most of the weaving units were flooded to this height for almost two weeks.

Watch the short film premiere on 8th March at 10 am here: