35-member Tiruchirappalli family keeps Biennale running

Kochi: The Kochi Muziris Biennale draws artists, curators and visitors from across the world. Less visible, but no less essential, is a 35-member family from Tiruchirappalli that has made the festival its annual workplace for over a decade. This is the story of Ashokan and his family. Thirty-three relatives, along with two of Ashokan's close friends — considered family in every sense — have been working across all Biennale venues, overseeing their upkeep, since the days leading up to the inauguration.Now in its sixth edition, the Kochi Muziris Biennale runs from Dec 12, 2025 to March 31, 2026. Themed ‘For the Time Being', the festival features over 66 artists from around the world across 22 venues in Kochi. At the centre of this vast operation stands Ashokan, the quiet anchor of a story long left untold.The 70-year-old ‘thaatha' (grandfather), as Ashokan is fondly known, has lived in Kochi for over 50 years. Originally from Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu, he spent decades working as a labourer in and around Kochi to support his family back home before eventually relocating them to Kerala. A blend of Tamil roots and Malayali upbringing is evident in the accent with which his four children speak fluent Malayalam.Since the third biennale (2016–17), he has been entrusted with providing cleaning staff for the event, and each time he has relied on his own family. "I don't need to look beyond my home for hands I can trust," he said. "Every corner they clean carries our reputation.""Thaatha thaan thalaivar" (Grandfather is the leader), said one of his grandchildren, a sentiment echoed across the family. His two close friends from Kunnumpuram, Koya and Rafeek, have stood by him for nearly five decades, forming his pillars of strength.The Biennale months—from Nov to March—have become a period of reunion for the family. Everyone, from his four children and their spouses to his ten grandchildren and extended relatives, makes themselves available. "We can't bring the whole family together even for major temple festivals in our ‘naadu' (native place); the biennale is where we see everyone together," said Jaya, his eldest daughter.Ashokan, who has lived in Adhikarivalappu, Fort Kochi, for over five decades, said having his entire clan around him brought immense happiness. Since he was first entrusted with the Biennale's upkeep in 2016, he has remained one of the festival's few enduring constants. The journey has also brought steady improvements in wages. While the daily wage stood at Rs 700 in 2016, each family member now earns Rs 1,000 per day, making the Biennale an important source of income.The group includes individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, including engineering, visual communication, painting and small businesses. Their ages range from 18 to 70. For them, the work is not merely contractual, but a source of pride and enjoyment.The family speaks highly of the organisers and the volunteers. Special celebrations were held for Diwali, New Year and Pongal. For Pongal, the family dressed in traditional attire, cooked the festival dish and danced around the hearth, with even non-Tamil volunteers joining in, clad in sarees and shirt–mundu.When the last visitor leaves and the venues fall silent, the echoes of this family linger in the halls of Aspinwall. The Biennale may be ‘For the Time Being', but the pride and dignity of the ‘thalaivar' and his clan form a legacy built to last.