We all need to become artisans of new growth, says writer Bama

Celebrate new Dalit narratives and discussions on education, activism, and representation at The Hindu Lit for Life event.

“We all need to become artisans of new growth and we, Dalits, are becoming that. You must celebrate that,” said writer Bama at The Hindu Lit for Life-Tales and Talks event held in the city on Sunday.

At ‘Anbu Magal: A discussion on Representation and New Dalit Narratives’ held at the British Council, she said: “In the 90s, we started writing. Dalit people in many villages were very inspired by Ambedkar’s writings, particularly the slogan, ‘Educate. Agitate. Organise’. This became a mantra for every Dalit. People may empathise with us; they may be compassionate toward us. But to liberate ourselves from our slavery, we have to fight. We have to realise the condition we have been put in. Only through education were we able to speak for ourselves.”

The conversation was moderated by activist and poet Meena Kandasamy.

Narrating a story from her new book, Bama said: “It is not necessary for us to accept what society says. We can rewrite history; rewrite the story. We can write our own life as it is. From victimhood, we become militants to establish an equal society, and that moral outrage is necessary.”

Talking about her photography work and, in particular, a picture of her and her mother, visual artist Krithika Sriram said the intention was to just talk about her identity.

“Inevitably there is Dalitness to it. Generally, this art form is an expensive and exclusive art form in terms of the media. Who can hold the camera, who is photographing whom. From being the subject to someone having the opportunity and agency to tell your own story.”

In another conversation ‘Get Mischievous with Math’, Nivedita Ganesh, co-author of The Mischief of Math, said: “Going forward, fake data detection and ethics in artificial intelligence are going to be massive subjects. They sort of go hand in hand too. Fake data proliferate everywhere. So, people need to protect themselves from these, and we give them tools for that.”