The Troubles of Paradise: Paolo Marchetti Documents the Stains of Kerala

5 minute read

Variously characterized as the “private land of God,” the “land of flowers” and the “diamond” of the subcontinent, the state of Kerala—perched on the southwestern tip of the Indian peninsula—is renowned for breathtaking landscapes and, in contrast to much of South Asia, an uncommonly high standard of living. Despite enjoying India’s highest life expectancy and literacy rates, however, Kerala also struggles with staggering numbers of homeless, alcoholics and suicides. The rate at which someone takes his or her own life in Kerala is three times the national average. These blots on an otherwise near-flawless reputation have puzzled researchers for years.

“The rapid economic development has left many people behind and amplified social taboos,” photographer Paolo Marchetti tells TIME. “All of these problems are really linked together—single pages of the same book.”

In 2009 and 2011, the Italian photojournalist traveled to India, embedding himself in NGO orphanages and mental hospitals, in slums and bars peopled by the most marginalized populations of Kerala, abandoned by family and government. He photographed children born out of wedlock, alcoholics and the (supposed) mentally ill. In the process he captured the complexities inherent in development and, especially, the clash of new opportunities and old traditions.

In Kerala, where reputation rules, “the good name of the family,” Marchetti says, “determines one’s ability to integrate into society at every level—professional and especially marital. [One’s reputation] has to be something clean, something limpid.”

Many of the problems he explored, he says, can be traced to the traditional market rules of marriage—essentially an economic transaction managed by the head of the household and one that necessitates proof of a healthy lineage.

“The abandonment of a relative is a common practice, a response to the least manifestation of a mental deficiency or dependence on alcohol,” he says, “some little problem, problems that in our society we have every day.”

“It’s not necessary to be—forgive my word—mad, to be crazy,” he adds. “Depression, for instance, this is enough to be abandoned on the streets.”

Marchetti, who had previously documented incarcerated youth in Nicaragua, describes the facilities where the abandoned are held captive, hidden from view, “exactly like a prison.” These places are improvised, overcrowded, unsanitary and inadequate. Far from any kind of serious rehabilitation, the majority volunteer-run NGOs offer little more than some food—when they have it—and a place to sleep.

“Most of the money,” he adds, “comes from the church, so there is a condition that you have to respect if you want help.” This means following Catholic teachings and praying several times daily, starting at dawn, even though over half of Kerala’s native population practices Hinduism, and a quarter are Muslim.

To document the scope of the problems, Marchetti adopted a fly-on-the-wall approach, staying silent and as invisible as possible, attempting to forget his own cultural background and immerse himself in the environment. He’d spend hours each day in a facility observing, and when possible, spending the night, if only “to breathe the sensation.”

“If you want to take a good picture, it’s not only a technical gesture, it’s something about you,” he says. “You need to listen, you need to understand, to spend time and spend yourself, your emotions.”

The most vivid thing that he remembers from his experience was a personal connection he made in a mental hospital. “I was taking pictures of someone who seemed perfectly normal—normal like me.” And though he knew little of the local language and could not speak with his subjects, Marchetti notes that “it is incredible how I could easily communicate with my eyes. Respect is a universal language and you can convey it without words.”

That respect not only gained him access, it also elevated his imagery. His intent, he says, was not to make art of other people’s misery, but to come away with an honest and useful report that can generate questions, especially about reforms on the government level.

There’s a delicate balance in that sort of mission, however, and a visually stunning image that grabs your attention, he says, “is the best that I can give back to these people, even if you have to wait for that picture for three minutes, three hours, three days, three months… It is really hard sometimes, but it’s the minimum price that you can pay.”


Paolo Marchetti is a photographer based in Rome and Rio de Janeiro. In 2012, Marchetti received a Getty Grant for Editorial Photography.

Eugene Reznik is a Brooklyn-based photographer and writer. Follow him on Twitter @eugene_reznik.


Skyscrapers seen in the background of a shanty town in city of Kottayam, in southern Kerala. As in the rest of the country, Kottayam is undergoing rapid development.
Skyscrapers seen in the background of a shanty town in the city of Kottayam, in southern Kerala. Just as the rest of the state, Kottayam is undergoing rapid development. February 2011. Paolo Marchetti
A patient suffering from suspected mental illness on his cot, inside a center run by volunteers in Thodupuzha, Kerala. In the state, the assistance for alcoholics, orphans and the alleged mentally ill is for the most part entrusted to voluntary organizations, with very limited resources.
A patient suffering from suspected mental illness on his cot inside a center run by volunteers in Thodupuzha, Kerala. In the state, assistance for alcoholics, orphans and the supposed mentally ill is for the most part entrusted to voluntary organizations with very limited resources. August 2009. Paolo Marchetti
Patients suffering from suspected mental illness inside a center run by volunteers, Thodupuzha, Kerala.
Patients suffering from suspected mental illness inside a center run by volunteers, Thodupuzha, Kerala. August 2009. Paolo Marchetti
Patients suffering from suspected mental illness inside a center run by volunteers in Thodupuzha.
Patients suffering from suspected mental illness inside a center run by volunteers in Thodupuzha, Kerala. August 2009. Paolo Marchetti
Patients suffering from suspected mental disorders in the showers, in a center run by volunteers in the town of Thodupuzha.
Patients suffering from suspected mental illness in the showers at a center run by volunteers in Thodupuzha, Kerala. August 2009. Paolo Marchetti
A mental health patient prays on his bunk in Cochin. In Kerala, three religions coexist peacefully: 55% Hindu, 25% Muslim, 20% Catholic.
A patient suffering from suspected of mental illness prays on his bunk in Cochin, Kerala. In the state, three religions coexist peacefully: 55% Hindu, 25% Muslim and 20% Catholic. August 2009. Paolo Marchetti
Patients suffering from suspected mental disorders in a center run by volunteers in the town of Thodupuzha, Kerala. Every year thousands of people are disregarded and abandoned on the streets by their own families. for the most part, happens in persons with mental disorders but also to temporary depressive states that end, in most cases, to take refuge in the abuse of alcohol.
Patients suffering from suspected mental illness in a center run by volunteers in Thodupuzha, Kerala. Every year thousands of people are abandoned on the streets by their own families for suspect mental illness, or even temporary depressive symptoms. In many cases, these abandoned relatives take refuge in the abuse of alcohol. August 2009. Paolo Marchetti
Inside a slum in the perifery of Kannur, Kerala.
A slum on the periphery of Kannur, Kerala. February 2011.Paolo Marchetti
Inside a slum in the perifery of Kannur, Kerala.
A slum on the periphery of Kannur, Kerala. February 2011.Paolo Marchetti
In an orphanage in the city of Trivandrum, Kerala. The state suffers from high suicide rate which has in turn increased the number of orphans.
An orphanage in the city of Trivandrum, Kerala. The state suffers from a high suicide rate which has in turn increased the number of orphans. August 2009.Paolo Marchetti
An orphanage in the city of Thodupuzha, Kerala. Every day 24 people and about 100 trying to take their lives in the state, which had created a high number of orphans.
An orphanage in the city of Thodupuzha, Kerala. August 2009.Paolo Marchetti
An orphanage in the city of Trivandrum, Kerala.
An orphanage in the city of Trivandrum, Kerala. August 2009.Paolo Marchetti
Kannur district, Kerala.
A slum on the periphery of Kannur, Kerala. February 2011.Paolo Marchetti
Kottayam is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala. According to the testimony of the majority of the volunteers, employees in facilities for mental patients, this is a city that, during 2010 and 2011, has experienced one of the most intense phenomena of wandering people, due to abandonment by their families. Here a guy wandering the streets of the city. Kottayam district, 06/02/2011.
A man on the streets of Kottayam, Kerala. February 2011. Paolo Marchetti
Beach in Cochin, Kerala.
A beach in Cochin, Kerala. August 2009.Paolo Marchetti

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