Dalit History Month 2025: art, movement and books
In this post I share links to Dalit, Adivasi and caste-oppressed artists, movement organizations, activists and writers I've been following and reading in the last few years. If you are new to any of these people or organizations, please subscribe to, support and follow their work directly.
Hello friends,
How are you this week? The weather is warming up here in Tkaronto, and I've been busy acquiring and reading paper books. For years I've resisted buying many physical books because I struggle to hold them and read, plus I was trying to have less 'stuff', but I've finally surrendered because, there's nothing like the sensory feeling of physical books, for me at least! My partner on the other hand loves audiobooks with the same passion as I do physical books. I have finally assembled an ergonomic enough setup to read them, plus I have reading glasses now, so I'm grateful for that 👓📚🔎
My last bookshelf collapsed to gravity a while ago so I purchased another bookshelf, it's old and made of oak and has little floral carvings on the top. I collected my books from around the house, placed orders for books I have already read and books that have magically planted titles and excerpts in my brain—through the grace of writing teachers, friends and people I follow in the internets—from adifferentbooklist, பனுவல் புத்தகங்கள், GoodMinds, and book outlet canada. I have received some, and I am waiting on some. My bookshelf is starting to glow, and with it the practice of showing up to my politicized creative writing grows more real and present.
Author: David Alexander Robertson
As promised last week, I wanted to send you additional links to Dalit, Adivasi and caste-oppressed artists, movement organizations, activists and writers I've been following and reading in the last few years. If you are new to any of these people or organizations, please subscribe to, support and follow their work directly.
- Equality Labs: https://www.equalitylabs.org/
Equality Labs is a transnational South Asian feminist organization working at the cutting-edge intersections of organizing, art, and digital security to end caste apartheid, gender-based violence, Islamophobia, and religious intolerance. We are artists, advocates, healers, technologists and organizers working on intractable systems of oppression through a collaborative solution-making model for movements.
-- Source: https://www.equalitylabs.org/about/
Every page of Equality Labs' website has been required reading for me. I love their newsletter, the latest one on Apr 17 2025 offers art, guidance and updates on Dalit History Month 2025 themed "From Resistance to Resilience". They also shared upcoming events and their Dalit History Month organizing toolkit that includes an exhaustive list of resources, podcasts, movies, books, documentaries and music.
- 🫂 About the founder, Thenmozhi Soundararajan and the people: https://www.equalitylabs.org/about/who-we-are/
- ❓What is Caste? https://www.equalitylabs.org/what-is-caste/
- ✊ Their statewide campaign organizing to pass SB 403, a bill to ban caste discrimination in California
- 🔖 Their reading list: "Recommended reading to learn more about this history of caste and the international movement for Dalit liberation"
- 🔒 Their publications, which are exhaustive and amazing resources for activists, including their anti-doxing guide for activists.
- 💸 Support their fundraising by sharing/giving money: https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/equality-labs/monthly_support.
- 🎧 Watch/listen to Radical Rhythms, a virtual music festival organized by Equality Labs in 2022, in partnership with Neelam Cultural Center, "where Dalit and caste-oppressed artists take international stage."
- பெருமாள்முருகன் Perumal Murugan's book பூக்குழி 🔥🌺 (pookkuzhi)/english translation:Pyre
While I wait for the Tamil book பூக்குழி, I read the english translation Pyre from the library. It is a beautiful, tender love story that faces quickly escalating village, family and community caste dynamics. Perumal Murugan sir writes his characters with so much love and care for their inner most thoughts, fears, courage and passion. I am sad I have spent all this time on earth without reading his work, and I am so glad to have come in contact with his writing through this interview with Amrita Ghosh at Radical Books Collective.
- 🥁🎤 Casteless Collective, a political world music ensemble started by filmmaker and film composer Tenma and filmmaker Pa. Ranjith (also watch Pa. Ranjith's movies!!)
Ruth Chawngthu
The world of Tamil movie music is super dominated by dominant caste musicians (See: https://www.roundtableindia.co.in/the-double-dhamaka-of-being-a-brahmin-revolutionary/). These folks are forging a new story. From their wikipedia page: "A blend of Gaana, hip-hop, rock, rap, and folk musicians were among the ~19 singers who formed the initial ensemble." Read about their phenomenal music in this interview of Tenma by Ruth Chawngthu.
🎧🔁 Listen to Casteless Collective's rocking politicized, poetic, truth-telling, storytelling/music: http://www.youtube.com/@TheCastelessCollective
💕🎆🎂 Casteless Collective member and Hip-hop, Rap, Gaana, Oppari singer/musician/songwriter Arivarasu Kalainesan (Arivu)'s song Jaibhim Anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhYRz-v6fTc
- 🗞️📺👂People's Archive of Rural India (PARI) that publishes in 15 regional languages and english.
PARI offers journalism, stories, resources and a vast free library, their work centers the "everyday lives of everyday people". I follow @pariintamil on instagram. If you are an indian citizen with an indian bank account/PAN, you can donate to support their radical journalism and activism.
From their site: "Savera is a new platform bringing together a multiracial, interfaith, anticaste coalition of organizations and activists to build a new world where all people are able to live in harmony, dignity, and liberation."
I also follow these folks on instagram, and they put out accessible and detailed researched reports on the history of hindu american supremacy in politics and activism, and efforts to dismantle it. Check out their site for information on how to get involved.
- 🌈🌻⛰️🌞🏳️⚧️🍉🖌️🎈Dalit Dream Lands: towards an anti-caste future, curated by Manu Kaur.
AAWAA, ARTogether, Discostan, and Oakland Asian Cultural Center co-presents Dalit Dreamlands: Towards an Anti-Caste Future - a landmark multimedia Dalit art exhibition and dance party that will bring together over 30 multiply marginalized artists from Dalit*, Adivasi*, Bahujan*, Afro-Indian, Indo-Fijiian, Indo-Caribbean, and Muslim communities to showcase the depths of creativity and community. Dalit Dreamlands, curated by Manu Kaur (they/them) and supported through AAWAA’s Emerging Curator’s Program, will center queer and trans caste abolitionist futurisms through art across various mediums, including fashion design, music, performances, films, paintings and visuals.
— https://www.aawaa.net/dalit-dreamlands
The exhibition and dance party took place in mid 2024 on Ohlone land (Oakland, california), however you can still follow their work on instagram, view the art catalog from the exhibition on their website, and purchase art 💸 by reaching out to them directly. Also checkout this feature of the exhibition and interview with the curator on kqed, and this interview on hyperallergic by Mallika Chennupaty.
- 🏳️⚧️📚🔉🌈🍓💄 Trans Rights Now collective, "Dalit-Transgender led collective driving systemic change & normative shift towards an inclusive society" started by Grace Banu. Grace and the team at TRNC do organizing, advocacy, movement building and setting up networks of care for trans and intersex youth's access to education and employment in India. They also run an intersectional press called திருநங்கை ப்ரெஸ்/Thirunangai Press through which they publish books in english and தமிழ்/Tamil celebrating the voices of oppressed peoples everywhere.
And, books I bought this month that I am waiting on:
👁️🗨️ I follow feminist publication @thethirdeyeportal.in's, and in their recent post titled: Five compelling books that go beyond "caste:it exists" they shared several books including these two:
- 🤖🌖🪄The Blaft Book of Anti-Caste SF by Rakesh Khanna (Editor), Rashmi Ruth Devadasan (Editor), R. T. Samuel (Editor)— "An anthology of weird, fantastic, supernatural, Dalit futurist, & magical realist fiction by writers from South Asia and the diaspora."
- 🐦🌿Motherwit by Marathi writer, Professor Urmila Pawar (author), Veena Deo (translator)
📻📖 Last month I started listening to Between the Covers podcast produced by Tin House, that was recommended by Jedidiah Mugarura in the writing class I took with them earlier this year. Scanning through the archive, I came across host David Naimon's interview with author Vauhini Vara.
- The Immortal King Rao by Vauhini Vara
- List of books shared by Vauhini Vara in the interview including several books by Dalit authors plus book recs on anarchism, capitalist ideology and Taoism (todo: may be listen to this interview or read the transcript)
Please subscribe, support and read these books, artists and organizations directly and generously. Check out the resources plus toolkit made by Equality Labs for Dalit History Month 2025: From Resistance to Resilience.
Thank you for being here, happy Taurus ☀️♉🪷 season, and see you next week! ✊
