Can you remember the time when the topic of love and marriage was discussed around you, the issue of caste was never brought up?
A quick Google search on this issue will throw up a spate of news about inter-caste marriages and the incessant battles couples often face. The latest Pew Research findings that came out in June 2021 confirmed exactly this - we are shackled by societal expectations when choosing our mate. ⠀
This important conversation around our obsession with caste in matters regarding love and marriage that Jyostna Siddharth’s work, Project Anti-Caste, Love finds prominence. She is an actor, activist and India Lead for Gender at Work, and also founder of Dalit Feminism Archive. ⠀
Jyotsna, who has a Masters in Development Studies and Social Anthropology and a recipient of Chevening Scholarship, talks about how her personal experiences shaped the Project, and her own intersectionality as a Dalit Queer woman.
Some of the topics we discuss about:
- How inter-caste relationships help break up society binaries
- Being raised by her mother, a prominent Dalit activist, Rajni Tilak
- Discrimination in academic circles
- Why the Savarna #MeToo movement is a Dejavu movement for Dalit women
- Portrayal of marginalised communities in the media and movies
You can check out Project Anti-Caste, Love at:
https://www.instagram.com/projectanticastelove/
Check out Maharani Talks on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/maharanitalks/
MUSIC: Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic
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