Courtesy of the artist and Janakpur Women’s Development Center
Rebati Mandal’s painting provides a glimpse into contemporary agricultural practices in Nepal’s Terai region. Seen here is a woman driving a tractor attached to a thresher, which is used primarily during the wheat and rice harvest seasons. While such machines are usually operated by men, Mandal ofers an alternative perspective. Since rural women are often relegated to domestic spaces, this work reorients the cycle of agricultural production and its modernization as one in which women have always been active participants.