I have a few things to say. If Dalit women want to tell their story, they will tell their story; in the form of a book, a movie, a tweet, on the mike, at their wedding, at a rally, on social media, wherever and however, in the pace they choose to, in the way they want to.
Simple because we all share a collective identity, that is Dalit, doesn't mean that as individuals, we don't have any claim to that identity. Just because I say I'm a Dalit woman, doesn't mean that I represent an entire community of Dalit women (or others).
The Dalit community in India (& elsewhere) is NOT homogeneous. We are a diverse population, with different linguistic traditions, religious affiliations, social locations, & ancestral histories. And guess what, we don't NEED to be same.
Our struggles aren't the same, given how varied our families' & our sub-communities' journeys have been. And one Dalit woman, who's telling HER story, in the context of other Dalit stories, cannot and need not represent every other Dalit struggle.
Saying that the Dalit identity can only be plural, and cannot be claimed by an individual, means that none of us can ever call ourselves Dalit. Is that the plan now? What kind of a reductive reasoning is this?
Over the years, I have repeatedly observed that this kind of ridiculousness, in the name of constructive criticism, invariably comes up when Dalit women become more visible. Their social locations are called into question and their parents' ancestries are probed into.
But listen. Stop silencing Dalit women. Stop asking them to not 'speak at all'. Stop saying that Radhika ma'am deserved a book deal more than @YashicaDutt. You being Dalit doesn't justify any of this bad behaviour. Introspect before you place allegations.
We will continue to tell our stories, while calling ourselves Dalit, woman, & everything in-between & outside. The fact that we have this agency & the space today to do at least this much is what we all are fighting for. This kind of derailing pulls us down and will pull you too.
These aren't angry tweets, and I ain't being toxic. I'm stepping in for a sister. And that sisterhood didn't stop me from being honest and respectful at the same time (sharing my review here). Good call? scroll.in/article/917384…
