Open AccessThe Voice of a Dalit Feminist
Author(s) -
Mahuya Bhaumik
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
writers in conversation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2203-4293
DOI - 10.22356/wic.v7i1.67
Subject(s) - conversation , gender studies , indian english , hindi , biography , sociology , hospitality , history , media studies , literature , art , art history , tourism , linguistics , philosophy , communication , archaeology
Urmila Pawar is a prolific Dalit feminist writer who belongs to the Mahar community ofMaharashtra. She is a social activist whose protesting voice has been a source of inspiration forthousands of Dalit women. Despite encountering diverse levels of discrimination on the basis ofcaste and gender she completed her Masters in Marathi Literature and chose to write about thewomen of her society and their marginalised position. Her autobiography Aaidan, written inMarathi, has been translated into English as The Weave of My Life: A Dalit Woman’s Memoirsand published by Columbia University Press. Her short story 'Kavach' has been included in thesyllabus for SNDT Women's University and her documentation with Meenakshi Moon on theparticipation of Dalit women has been a seminal contribution to the construction of Dalit historyfrom a feminist perspective.I went to Urmila Pawar's house in Mumbai in early 2019 to take the interview. I wastouched by her warm hospitality. She spoke sometimes in English and at times in Hindi. Then Icompiled the entire conversation in English. The following version is published with herapproval.