As India Gets Hotter, Clothing Adds a Layer to Caste Inequality
Wearing breathable textiles like cotton is becoming a form of heat adaptation, but for many Dalit families, they remain out of reach. Inside the narrow lanes of Shahbad Dairy, a suburb outside north-west Delhi, is a concrete maze of houses packed tightly together. Trees are scarce. A breeze is hardly able to pass through these cramped and unventilated alleys, and by afternoon, the heat is oppressive and inescapable. Poonam and her sister-in-law Ritika, who live next door to each other, ask their kids not to play outdoors under the hot sun. But though the temperature outside is 40°C, it feels a lot hotter indoors. The tin and concrete roofs of their houses trap heat. With no windows, there is barely any ventilation. Had they been men, Poonam and Ritika could have changed into shorter or looser clothing. Instead, tradition dictates that they cover their bodies in multiple layers. “This material makes you sweat more. It does not absorb sweat,” says Poonam, gesturing towards her salwar kameez and dupatta made of synthetic textiles. This forms a three-piece ensemble consisting of a long tunic, ankle-length trousers and a scarf – the dupatta – draped around the shoulders, neck and sometimes over the head. As heatwaves become more frequent and intense, experts Dialogue Earth spoke to say wearing natural fabrics like cotton and linen is emerging as a form of heat adaptation. But for many like Poonam and Ritika, they are a luxury, costing double their synthetic counterparts. Their family belongs to the Dalit community, a historically oppressed group of castes. Despite finishing high school, their father-in-law Paale Ram was pushed into sanitation work because of his caste, cleaning sewers like his father and grandfather before him. His sons do the same work, their family’s economic circumstances reflecting generations of exclusion from better paid and more secure livelihoods. (The Dalit families Dialogue Earth spoke to do not use last names to avoid further caste-based discrimination.) The family’s earnings barely cover household expenses, leaving little money for clothing. In Delhi, many of the workers most exposed to extreme heat, including sanitation and informal labourers, continue to come from historically marginalised caste communities. A 2024 analysis by The Hindu notes that nearly 70% of sewer and septic tank workers in India belong to oppressed castes. For workers spending long hours performing physically demanding labour in hot conditions, clothing matters. But “when income is limited, food and shelter become bigger priorities,” says Afrose Farid, a professor in the Department of Textile Design at Kerala’s National Institute of Fashion Technology. The cost of comfort Natural fabrics such as cotton and linen are widely preferred for hot weather because of their superior moisture absorption and breathability, Farid tells Dialogue Earth. Synthetic materials like polyester and nylon can feel uncomfortable in extreme heat, particularly for those spending long hours outdoors or in poorly ventilated homes. But the cost of polyester and cotton in India differ significantly. Dalit families struggle to reconcile that steep difference. Paale Ram earns around INR 35,000 (USD 371) a month, while Poonam’s husband, a bus conductor who also cleans sewers, earns up to INR 40,000 (USD 424). Their combined income, for a family of seven, barely covers household expenses and their three children’s education. “A cotton salwar suit [consisting of a salwar kameez and dupatta] will cost you more than INR 1,000 (USD 10), whereas blended fabric or synthetic fibres will only cost you INR 300,” says Riya, who is also from a Dalit household in Shahbad Dairy. Her husband works on the city’s sewer lines and earns INR 15,000 a month. They have five kids, and buying them clothes made of breathable fabric has been an added expense the family never anticipated. “Unequal access to comfortable clothing is not just poverty but a caste issue,” says Bezwada Wilson, the national convenor of the Safai Karmachari Andolan, an Indian organisation campaigning to eradicate manual scavenging, which means cleaning human waste from sewers by hand. Historically, clothing has been a tool of caste discrimination, Farid notes. “Earlier, caste-based discrimination focused on giving them less clothes to wear to humiliate them. But today, they are unable to access proper clothing because of their economic conditions,” she says. “In India, class is always… going to be affected by caste. You cannot take caste away from class,” anti-caste activist and designer Jay Sagathia tells Dialogue Earth. Double discrimination Marginalised communities face “double discrimination” – economic deprivation layered with caste-based exclusion that determines where services, infrastructure and dignity are available, notes Wilson, who is also from the Dalit community. Many Dalit families working in caste-linked occupations rely on second-hand clothing or local markets that cater to low-income customers, he says. Local markets often reflect assumptions about what poor communities can afford. “Near our houses, we won’t get cotton at all because they know that we are not using this,” Wilson adds. Despite India being one of the largest producers of cotton globally, with an industry employing up to 50 million people, the fabric remains out of reach for many low-income families. Sagathia says during visits to craft-producing communities in Gujarat, he met artisans from marginalised communities making intricate garments that were sold at prices they themselves could not afford. “The people who are making it are not able to wear it,” he says. Synthetic clothing could also become more ubiquitous in India through government schemes to boost the textile industry. In 2021, the government began offering companies incentives totalling over INR 10,000 crore (USD 1.1 billion) to expand production of manmade fabrics such as polyester, acrylic and viscose. Government officials told industry publication Apparel Resources earlier this month that the scheme could be extended by several years to accommodate more applicants. Unequal impacts of heat For five to six hours a day, 60-year-old Paale Ram wears a uniform made of synthetic materials to carry out his sanitation work, which involves shovelling waste from open drains near hot paved surfaces. Though it’s a simple vest worn over clothes, it traps
Transgender Bill: Hashtag resistance turns humour into protest
India’s trans community has used humour to critique the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill. It has parodied famous songs and employed clever hashtags that have gained popularity on social media. The Indian Parliament succeeded in passing the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill earlier this year, despite loud and unanimous protests from the very community that it claims to protect. This is the height of irony: a weapon masquerading as armour. India’s trans community have, however, refused to crawl back into the closet. They have been out on the streets, and in the digital public square, asserting their collective strength. Their resistance is both ferocious and tender, fuelled by joy and humour. The hashtag #BillTohKachchaHaiJi (and its differently spelt versions) which set social media on fire, is a riff on the song ‘Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji’ that noted lyricist and poet Gulzar wrote for Vishal Bhardwaj’s film Ishqiya (2010). Cleverly substituting ‘dil’ with ‘bill’ and ‘bachcha’ with ‘kachcha’, this hashtag calls out the half-baked quality of the legislation because it lacks inputs from the community it was meant to benefit. ‘Badtameez Bill’, the song that trans artist Anshumaan Sathe sang at the protest held at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, is a parody of ‘Badtameez Dil’ written by Amitabh Bhattacharya for Ayan Mukerji’s film ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ (2013). By calling the bill ‘badtameez’, translated both as ‘ill-mannered’ and ‘uncultured’, it throws a moral challenge to a legal mandate. It questions the attempt to police gender identity and expression by demanding that trans people present themselves before a medical board and a district magistrate for certification. The hashtag and the parody draw on shared cultural knowledge to ridicule the powerful, who are far removed from the daily struggles faced by a community that lives on the margins of society. When protestors use language in such creative and subversive ways, they plug into a longer tradition of court jesters, stand-up comics, graffiti artists, and graphic novelists. The humour becomes a safe container to deliver their message effectively, and bypass political censorship. Garvit Garg and Shikha Rai from the School of Journalism and New Media Studies at the Indira Gandhi National Open University looked at 18 political parody songs to examine how they work through ‘frame-shifting’. In their study titled, ‘More than a laugh: examining the role of parody songs on Indian political discourse’, they show how these songs establish a cognitive frame through familiarity, then disrupt it by tweaking the lyrics to make listeners construct new meaning. Take the song, ‘Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji,’ for instance. Gulzar’s lyrics, set to music by Vishal Bhardwaj and sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, are about a man whose heart remains childish and unruly even though his body has been growing older. #BillTohKachchaHaiJi, on the other hand, hints at various shades of meaning implied by the word ‘kachcha’. The legislation is raw, weak and unsustainable. It might have been received differently had it been shaped by the lived experiences of people from the trans community. ‘Badtameez Dil’, written by Amitabh Bhattacharya, is about a stubborn heart that refuses to be reined in by logic. It has been repurposed to offer legal critique. The original, set to music by Pritam, and sung by Benny Dayal, shifts from its playful register to an accusatory tone in its parody avatar. A law that does not care for What could be more strategic than using a song that is heard at weddings, on public transport, and in nightclubs? Emotional connect When protests ride on songs already buzzing inside people’s heads and dancing on their lips, they are able to strike an emotional connection that goes deeper than any press conference or white paper. This is what Garg and Rai call ‘affective leverage’: beloved melodies break through cognitive defences, so political commentary feels less like a sermon and more like an inside joke. The ones having the last laugh though are trans people themselves. They have been around forever, and will continue to exist far into the future, unlike law makers who occupy rickety seats that might seem like thrones but are actually cages that bind them with the fear of losing power. Chintan Girish Modi (The author is a journalist, educator and a literary critic. Courtesy : DH Note: This news is originally published on https:/deccanherald.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Congress thoroughbred Hariprasad will lead party in Karnataka
He was a Congress Working Committee permanent invitee and Haryana state in-charge before being elevated to the post. BENGALURU: The state is all set to witness 71-year-old Congress thoroughbred Bengaluru Kempaiah Hariprasad taking charge as new president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) at Palace Grounds on Sunday. He was a Congress Working Committee permanent invitee and Haryana state in-charge before being elevated to the post. A four-time Rajya Sabha member and two-time MLC, he is a staunch loyalist of the Nehru-Gandhi family, who has worked closely with Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi. Kodandarama Nagara — close to Malleswaram, where Hariprasad was born and brought up, wore a festive look with residents, especially women, welcoming him with traditional aarti during his padayatra on Saturday. CM DK Shivakumar, who was KPCC president, will hand over the party flag officially to Hariprasad at 11 am. Hariprasad was among the five party candidates elected in the recent MLC polls, helping the party achieve the majority mark of 39 in a 75-member House. That victory has apparently energised the party’s rank and file. They will now pin their hopes on the Hariprasad-Shivakumar combination to work their magic to get the party reelected in the 2028 Assembly polls. Soon after Siddaramaiah passed the CM baton to Shivakumar, the party high command picked Hariprasad, who hails from the Ediga community, in a backward classes outreach. The Sunday rally, where Siddaramaiah too will be felicitated, will be attended by over one lakh people, said former Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh, Shivakumar’s younger brother. AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal and state in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala are expected to attend. KPCC working president and Rajya Sabha member GC Chandrashekhar requested party workers not to hold up traffic in view of the NEET retest. Around 350 dignitaries will be on the main stage, while 200 others on the other one. Party workers will be ferried in 1,200 buses. Resolution to make Rahul PM The congregation will pass a resolution to make leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi the prime minister in 2029 and also to bring the party to power in the state in 2028. “This is not just a power transfer programme. It is a party organisation ceremony, a ceremony for the future. This will be a platform to take a big decision. The next two years are election years,” said GC Chandrashekar. Devaraj B Hirehalli Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Horror killing: Sister strangled to death; brother was angry over her eloping and marrying a Dalit boy.
When the husband was released from jail, he released a video demanding the arrest of his wife’s killers, prompting the police to launch an investigation. The girl’s brother was taken into custody and questioned, leading to the discovery of the murder. Reported by: In the Siwaipatti police station area of Muzaffarpur, a girl’s love marriage with a Dalit boy proved costly. Her brother Abhishek Kumar strangled her to death. When the police took the accused into custody and interrogated him, he confessed to the crime and explained the reason for the murder. The police arrested the accused brother and his accomplice and sent them to jail. Love Marriage with a Dalit Man The woman’s brother, Abhishek Kumar Yadav, told the police that his sister was in love with a Dalit man and had eloped with him and married him, leaving him deeply hurt and angry. When the man went to jail and the court sent the woman to her aunt’s house, the woman’s mother persuaded her to return home on Holi. Then, her brother, along with other relatives and associates, strangled the woman to death. The body was then cremated. The girl ran away from home in January. Gauri Shankar Kumar (22), son of Raju Ram, a resident of Ghansaut village, had been in a relationship with Sujata Kumari, a resident of Kodaria Gosaipur, since 2020. The girl was studying at her maternal uncle’s house in Ghansaut village. It was there that Sujata met Gauri Shankar and they would communicate. On January 18, 2026, they ran away from home. The girl’s family filed a police report. Gauri Shankar arrested from Haryana Gauri Shankar and Sujata got married at their friend’s house in Samastipur. On January 20, they moved to Haryana and began living there. Police arrested them on February 11 and brought them to Bihar on February 12. After presenting them in court, the man was sent to jail, and the girl was sent to her aunt’s house. After being released from jail, Gauri Shankar spoke to Sujata for the last time on the phone. After that, when he couldn’t hear from her, he went to the police and filed a complaint. When his complaint was not heard, he released a video and threatened suicide. Subsequently, the police became active, detained the woman’s brother, and began questioning him. The police uncovered the murder. Mani Bhushan Sharma, Correspondent, Muzaffarpur Edited by : Upendra Singh, Bihar Courtesy : Hindi News
A Dalit youth was brutally murdered by slitting his throat in Sant Kabir Nagar; an angry mob set the main accused’s house on fire.
A Dalit youth was brutally murdered in Sant Kabir Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, for protesting against molestation. An enraged mob set the house of the main accused, Nasir, on fire. Uttar Pradesh: The Bakhira area of Sant Kabir Nagar district was gripped by intense tension on Friday. A day earlier, on Thursday, a 29-year-old Dalit youth was brutally murdered by slitting his throat with a sharp-edged weapon. The horrific incident sent shockwaves through the area, and angry villagers staged a protest by placing the body on the road. The situation escalated to the point where the angry mob, demanding justice, set the main accused’s house on fire. According to police, the deceased, Anand Kumar, a resident of Kolki village, was a tile-layer. On Thursday, while he was returning home, he was ambushed by the attackers near Babhani intersection. The accused brutally slit Anand’s throat and fled the scene. As news of the murder spread, the victim’s family and villagers erupted in anger, blocking the road for several hours. Initial investigations have revealed that the murder stems from a dispute that occurred approximately 10 days ago. Police say that during a function, Anand’s niece complained that the main accused, Nasir Ali, had molested her. Angered by this, Anand confronted Nasir, leading to a scuffle. It is believed that the murder was orchestrated to avenge this rivalry. An FIR has been registered at the Bakhira police station against three people, including Nasir Ali. One of the accused remains unidentified. Police have formed several teams to apprehend the killers. Since the incident, the accused and his family have fled their homes to neighboring villages. A heavy police force has been deployed to prevent any untoward incidents and maintain peace in the area. Additional Director General of Police (ADG) of Gorakhpur Zone, Mutha Ashok Jain, stated that the situation is currently under control and a vigorous search for the accused is underway. When the mob set the accused’s house on fire on Friday, senior police and administrative officials immediately arrived at the scene. They spoke with the victim’s family and villagers and calmed them down. The family’s clear demand was that the accused be arrested as soon as possible, given severe punishment, and that their house be demolished. Only after the administration provided firm assurances of a fair investigation and prompt legal action did the protesters decide to end their protest. Following this, the administration took possession of the body and sent it for post-mortem, and the family performed Anand’s last rites on Friday itself. This single incident has forever devastated a happy family. Anand leaves behind his wife and two innocent children, the youngest of whom is just three months old. Rajan Chaudhary Courtesy: Hindi News
A case of molestation and assault of a Dalit woman in Asandra: FIR filed on court orders, neighbor accused of filling water from a government tap
A case of molestation, assault, and caste-related abuse of a Dalit woman has come to light in the Asandra police station area of Barabanki district. The police did not take action against the accused, prompting the victim to file a petition in court. On Friday night, the police registered a case of assault and under the Harijan Act. In the petition filed with the court, the victim, from the Asandra police station area, stated that on the evening of May 30th, she had gone to fill water and wash clothes at the government tap in front of her house. When her neighbor, Narendra Verma, arrived and began making obscene remarks to her, she objected. According to the victim, Narendra Verma became enraged. He hurled caste-related abuse at her and pushed her to the ground. When she ran inside to save her life, the accused, Narendra Verma, also entered the house after her. He tore her clothes and beat her with kicks, punches, and sticks. Hearing the woman’s screams, her sister-in-law and other neighbors rushed to the scene. Seeing the neighbors approach, the accused, Narendra Verma, threatened to kill the victim and her family and fled. Following the incident, the victim called 112 and complained about filing a report at the police station. However, the victim alleges that the police, under the influence of the accused, did not take appropriate action. The victim approached the court for justice. On Friday night, on the orders of the court, Asandra Police Station Officer Anil Singh filed a case against the accused, Narendra Verma, under sections 333, 76, 115, 352, 351 of the Indian Penal Code, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act. The case is being investigated by CO Ramsanehi Ghat, Saurabh Srivastava. Neeraj Shukla | Haidergarh, Barabanki Courtesy: Hindi News
30-year-old Dalit man beheaded in UP’s Sant Kabir Nagar
According to the police, the murder was the result of that personal rivalry. LUCKNOW: A 30-year-old Dalit man was brutally beheaded with a sword at a market square in Sant Kabir Nagar, in eastern UP, allegedly to avenge a slap five days earlier. The victim had confronted and slapped the accused after he allegedly molested his niece during a wedding ceremony. According to the police, the murder was the result of that personal rivalry. Meanwhile, enraged villagers started protesting by blocking the road at the Babhani intersection. During this, the shop and house of the accused Nasir were set on fire. The incident took place late on Thursday night in the Bakhira police station area, around 28 km from the district headquarters. Victim Anand, a resident of Kolki Chamarsan village in the Bakhira police station area, was returning home when the accused, Nasir Ali (18), a resident of a nearby village, along with four accomplices, allegedly surrounded him and attacked him with a sword. The blow to his throat was so severe that Anand, who used to work as a tile layer in Chennai, died on the spot. Eyewitness and the deceased’s cousin, Rohit, stated that Anand had come to Babhani Chowk around 7 PM to deliver a machine. After delivering the machine, he bought some items and stayed at the chowk for a long time. Then, late at night, he was returning home. Police from three police stations reached the spot after receiving information. SP Sandeep Kumar Meena and CO also arrived with force. They pacified and calmed down the angry villagers. Late at 11 PM, ADG Ashok Mutha Jain, DIG Sanjeev Tyagi, and DM Alok Kumar also reached the spot. Police have deployed several teams in search of the main accused, Nasir Ali and his associates. It is being told that there is a distance of about two kilometres between Nasir’s and Anand’s houses. When the police started taking the body for a post-mortem, angry family members tried to stop the ambulance and scuffled with the police. Meanwhile, on Friday, a large number of women came out on the streets carrying sticks in protest and demanded the encounter of the accused. “My husband was brutally murdered. We want life for a life, nothing less than that,” said the wife of the deceased. Currently, based on the complaint of the deceased’s father, the police have registered a case against four accused, including three named individuals. The accused include Nasir and Nirhu, residents of Kusumha village in Bakheera police station area, Jaigam, a resident of Jivdhara village, and one other unknown person. Anand got married around seven years ago. Besides his wife, he has two daughters. The elder daughter, Ananya, is three years old, while the younger daughter, Aradhya, is six months old. Anand was the youngest of three brothers. According to family members, he had come home from Chennai on May 6 and was preparing to return a few days later. ADG Ashok Mutha Jain said that the victim had stopped in the market to buy goods. During that time, he was murdered by slitting his throat. In the initial investigation, a case of dispute at a wedding ceremony had come to light. Several police teams were continuously conducting raids to arrest the accused. The police tried to pacify the villagers, but they did not agree. Women started banging sticks in front of the police. They started pushing and shoving. The police used force to snatch the sticks from the women. Seeing the anger of the villagers, the police swiftly took bulldozer action on the main accused Nasir’s barber shop and his associates’ chicken shop on Friday afternoon. The police demolished all three temporary shops. Namita Bajpai Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Dalit student suicide: Kerala HC denies anticipatory bail to Kannur Dental College professor Dr. MK Ram
Dr MK Ram stands accused of verbally harassing a dalit student, Nithin Raj, who later died by suicide. The Kerala High Court on Friday dismissed an anticipatory bail plea filed by Kannur Dental College professor, Dr. M Kodanda Ram, who is accused of verbally harassing a Dalit student, Nithin Raj, who died by suicide in April [Dr. M Kodanda Ram v State of Kerala & ors]. Nithin Raj, a dental college student in Kerala, died by suicide on April 10 after jumping from a building near the college. Before his demise, Raj is alleged to have faced caste-based harassment from the faculty at the dental college. Dr. Ram, the head of the department at the dental college, is the prime accused in the case. The police booked Dr. Ram and two other staff members for abetment of suicide and for offences under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (SC/ST Act), based on a complaint by the student’s father. Dr. Ram and another accused faculty member Dr. Sangeetha Nambiar, had earlier approached a sessions court seeking anticipatory bail. While the sessions court granted the relief to Dr. Nambiar on April 25, it denied anticipatory bail to Dr Ram. This prompted him to approach the High Court for anticipatory bail. The State opposed the plea. The State’s Public Prosecutor told the Court that the statements of two students indicated that Dr Ram’s conduct with students was improper and that he even instigated other teachers to harass the deceased student. During hearings, the Court had made observations regarding recurring allegations of harassment in medical colleges and suggested that the state should consider constituting a committee to study such complaints and recommend remedial measures. Meanwhile, Dr Ram’s counsel denied the allegations of caste-based harassment. The counsel relied on CCTV footage showing Raj in the college principal’s room before his death and documents indicating loan recovery harassment faced by the student. After considering the rival submissions, the Court has dismissed his plea today. Dr. Ram’s plea was filed through advocates S Rajeev, V Vinay, MS Aneer, Anilkumar CR, Sarath KP, Dipa V, KS Kiran Krishnan, Akash Cherian Thomas, Azad Sunil, TP Aravind, Maheswar Padickal, Akshara S and Nivedita Rajeev. Praisy Thomas Courtesy : Bar And Bench Note: This news is originally published on https:/barandbench.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Disabled Dalit family gets land after 17 years: Administration in Ballarpur grants possession of 3 bighas, demand for 2 more
A disabled Dalit family in Ballarpur village, Bhogaon tehsil in Mainpuri, has been granted partial possession of their leased land after 17 years. This action was taken under Operation Mission Samadhan, a program being run by the District Magistrate. The family is now demanding possession of the remaining 2 bighas of land. Geeta Balmiki, a resident of Ballarpur, filed a complaint with the District Magistrate about 20 days ago. She explained that her disabled father, Balakram, had received a lease for 5 bighas of agricultural land about 17 years ago. Since receiving the lease, village strongmen Ratan Singh, Ram Singh, and their family members had illegally occupied the land. According to Geeta, her disabled parents filed numerous complaints at the Tehsil Day and Police Station Day, but the Lekhpal, Kanungo, and police ignored these complaints and filed false settlement reports. Geeta took up the fight herself after her parents became unable to move. Upon learning of the “Mission Samadhan” campaign, she met with the District Magistrate along with her disabled parents and pleaded for the return of their land by removing the illegal encroachment. Following the complaint, a team of Lekhpal-Kanungo arrived at the scene with police force. After measurement, the family was given possession of 3 bighas of agricultural land. The land was marked with lime and millet was sown. Geeta stated that she would soon meet with the District Magistrate and demand the removal of the illegal encroachment from the remaining 2 bighas of land. SDM Neeraj Dwivedi stated that the victim would be given possession of the remaining 2 bighas of land within three days. He also stated that an investigation would be conducted into why the Lekhpal-Kanungo had acted in the past. The SDM issued a stern warning to the illegal encroachers not to re-occupy the land. Anupam Awasthi | Bhogaon, Mainpuri Courtesy: Hindi News
How Bengaluru’s Neeli Paradé creates space for Dalit stories that go beyond trauma
The third season of Neeli Paradé featured four short films by Dalit filmmakers. The post-screening discussion explored the films’ themes, creative processes, and social contexts. On June 14, the Dr Ambareesh Auditorium in Chamrajpet hosted season 3 of Neeli Paradé, a screening of four short films by Ambedkarite filmmakers. Presented by Neelavarana, a Bengaluru-based Ambedkarite production house and artists’ collective, the event celebrates Dalit and Bahujan lives and experiences while creating space for dialogue between filmmakers and audiences through post-screening discussions. Neeli Paradé was first organised in 2022, and has since evolved from a small show into a recurring platform for Dalit and Bahujan filmmakers and conversations around their cinema. Among the short films screened, the spotlight rested on Moda Moda by MK Abhilash and Out of Syllabus by Mahishaa, who is also the founder of Neelavarana. Moda Moda follows a couple who decide to name their would-be child Moda (clouds). Out of Syllabus centres on the blooming companionship between two girls, Sneha and Kritika, and their shared backgrounds as they walk home from school. Following the screenings, both filmmakers participated in a discussion moderated by Vijeta Kumar, an assistant professor at Bengaluru’s St Joseph’s University. The discussion explored the films’ themes, creative processes, and social contexts. The focus remained on community and shared values, while the stories told made the setting intimate and personal. “I think films are a great way to get people to think about things that they might not otherwise be comfortable talking about,” remarks Taanika Shankar, a schoolteacher who had attended Neeli Paradé for the first time. “I moved to Bengaluru a couple of years ago, and I too come from a Dalit background. I wanted to find a community where there are Dalit filmmakers and films about issues that impact Dalits. That’s when I came across the channel Neelavarna Media,” recalls Abhiraj Dethe, a director and writer whose recent works include projects with Flying Dosa Films. Abhiraj has attended earlier sessions and even remembers having previously watched one of the films screened on June 14. The post-screening discussion reflected on how the films moved beyond conventional portrayals of Dalit lives. “Since the time we started making films, I have seen that stories dealing with Dalit issues often portray us either as victims or as fighters,” commented an audience member. “Here, I see that the characters are also smiling, and the filmmaker is also smiling.” The event also featured stalls run by community-owned small businesses selling crochet products, artwork, and homemade chocolates. The initiative was aimed at supporting independent artists and entrepreneurs. Looking ahead, Mahishaa aspires to make Neeli Paradé an annual festival and to expand its reach to other cities like Mysuru and Mangalore through special invitations. Neelavarana is also open to where the future might lead, including the possibility of venturing into longer formats, which may be difficult, Mahishaa notes. “The next major step is to move towards feature films. That is a challenge. That’s something we have to figure out how to do, but we do want to eventually go into feature films and bigger screenings and events,” he told TNM. Written by:Swetha Anil Kumar, Deva Manohar Manoj (Students interning with TNM) Courtesy TNM Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewsminute.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights