My Great Grandfather's Grave | 101 Roots

How an Israeli artist's project turned into a journey of self-discovery in Kochi.

Meydad Eliyahu is a visual artist who was born in Mesilat Zion, not far from Jerusalem in Israel. Hailing from a family of Malabar Jews (a group of Jews that moved from Kochi to Israel in the 1950s), he's grown up hearing the stories of his family heritage. An art project called 'Box of Documents' started Meydad off on his journey to explore his roots; and as it unfolded, his journey became the project itself. Meydad has travelled thousands of miles to come back to the city that he has heard and read so much about, but never seen before, in an attempt to find his way back to his roots.

101 Roots is the journey back: To discover the origins of our crafts, traditions, heritage and our selves. Who we are and what we do are reflections of where we come from — and where we might be headed.