Prof. Shailaja Paik became the first Dalit scholar to receive the prestigious McArthur Fellowship. And also the target of vitriol from dominant caste Indians.
Dalit women—always the invalid bodies! They will appropriate from us, erase our stories, kill us, rape us but never acknowledge our bodies, our labour. RESIST, RESIST, RESIST!
What a powerful article 👏 And yes, as a person from a Brahmin family, I completely agree that upper caste people are very much uncomfortable & in denial about casteism still being prevalent, I keep hearing about it being a thing of the past that needs to be buried. No! It should never ever be buried, rather the dig for the truth should continue and get deeper & deeper because the world needs to know about this shameful system and how it still exists! And I’m so glad that Prof. Shailaja Paik received the award. Lots of respect to her 🙌
Despite achieving this level of education, why does she continue to use the caste card? No other country, to my knowledge, has worked as swiftly as India did after independence to uplift marginalized groups through policies like “reservation.” For instance, countries like the USA are still grappling with systemic racism.
If, after receiving such opportunities, she still finds it necessary to play the “victim card,” it suggests that while the reservation system has helped her climb the ladder, it has not changed societal perceptions—or perhaps it has become a privilege to identify as Dalit.
Why do foreign countries fund such research in India? If their intentions were genuinely humanitarian, they wouldn’t be funding wars or supporting religious conversions through churches. Not every issue fits neatly into the framework of right- or left-wing ideologies. Sometimes, it’s about applying common sense to understand the geopolitical motives at play.
I am glad you wrote about the response to this amazing grant to an Indian academic. Instead of congratulating Prof Paik, the newspapers are doing the opposite. Shows the awful caste bias in the Indian media.
Thanks for once again saying it like it is. Really look forward to your writing for learning what no one is talking about.
Dalit women—always the invalid bodies! They will appropriate from us, erase our stories, kill us, rape us but never acknowledge our bodies, our labour. RESIST, RESIST, RESIST!
What a powerful article 👏 And yes, as a person from a Brahmin family, I completely agree that upper caste people are very much uncomfortable & in denial about casteism still being prevalent, I keep hearing about it being a thing of the past that needs to be buried. No! It should never ever be buried, rather the dig for the truth should continue and get deeper & deeper because the world needs to know about this shameful system and how it still exists! And I’m so glad that Prof. Shailaja Paik received the award. Lots of respect to her 🙌
Despite achieving this level of education, why does she continue to use the caste card? No other country, to my knowledge, has worked as swiftly as India did after independence to uplift marginalized groups through policies like “reservation.” For instance, countries like the USA are still grappling with systemic racism.
If, after receiving such opportunities, she still finds it necessary to play the “victim card,” it suggests that while the reservation system has helped her climb the ladder, it has not changed societal perceptions—or perhaps it has become a privilege to identify as Dalit.
Why do foreign countries fund such research in India? If their intentions were genuinely humanitarian, they wouldn’t be funding wars or supporting religious conversions through churches. Not every issue fits neatly into the framework of right- or left-wing ideologies. Sometimes, it’s about applying common sense to understand the geopolitical motives at play.
I am glad you wrote about the response to this amazing grant to an Indian academic. Instead of congratulating Prof Paik, the newspapers are doing the opposite. Shows the awful caste bias in the Indian media.