‘Coming Out As Dalit’ by Yashica Dutt
Our book of the month is ‘Coming Out As Dalit’, a memoir by Yashica Dutt, a writer, and journalist, who was born into a Dalit family in Rajasthan from the untouchable Bhangi caste. In this book, she reflects on her relationship with her caste identity, traces caste across historical and political dimensions, and bears “witness to what it means to be Dalit in a grossly unfair society.”
The soul of the memoir is in Dutt’s vulnerability, as she gives us glimpses of her life, and shares her emotional journey of growing into adulthood. She writes about having to hide her caste while growing up, the role of caste in the Indian feminist movement, and what it meant for her to rediscover community by connecting with Dalits from across India through her Tumblr.
Dutt’s writing helps us understand how marginalisation is embodied, and the isolation that comes with it. It brings forth an important perspective on what it means to seek and find community in a world standing on old social structures.
This October, we're reading ‘Coming Out As Dalit’ for the Champaca Book Subscription and Book Club. Read this book with us and join us in our book club meetings where we dive deep into the book, and what it meant for us. Join here.
