20.09.2026
Four thousands of years, they would not let my people learn. We were Untouchables, the lowest caste. They kept the learning for themselves so that they could oppress us. That is one of the reasons that we are known as The Oppressed, The Dalits.
Yet, we have always had the hunger to learn. It is in the Mahabharata, the Hindu epic. One of the cornerstones of Indian philosophy. There you had Eklavya. He would watch the princes of the upper castes being taught archery in secret. And he learnt in secret, surpassing the prowess of the princes. His reward? For his gift, his guru asked him for his thumb to destroy his talent in archery. The world of oppression manifest.
How is hunger for education created? The Eklavya story tells you. You get an individual from a community without learning that looks at the community that does have it. Eklavya the common man lusts after the education of a prince. And therefore he outdoes the princes. The Untouchable takes the learning from the Brahmin guru, the higher caste. Similarly, I, the ethnic minority working class man, I go after the education that has been given to the white middle classes in this country, subjects like English Literature and Art History that only they can afford. We work towards the privilege that they have been given and handed on a silver platter in our stations outside of the ivory tower of learning. But we are alone on this journey, outside of the community. We have to teach ourselves. We are not coached and mentored, supported.
So in my own hunger for education, the hunger of this Dalit and Untouchable that has five degrees, there is the hunger for education of the people. Not just myself, but the community for education and social mobility. Because I have been taught by my grandfather and by his hero Dr. Ambedkhar, that the way forward for our community is to ‘educate, agitate and organise’.
And where else does this hunger from the community come from? It comes from watching my grandfather, this highly intelligent man who had been the top student in his university and his life. How when he came to this country they would not reward or rate his intelligence so he worked in non professional jobs, jobs like building and being a night watchman. I watch the unfairness in the way that they have treated the men in our community.
To me also, they have denied the rewards of my intelligence and learning. I am also a top student everywhere that I have been. And yet what have I faced in my life? What my grandfather faced. Distrust, prejudice and discrimination.
And yet, the coldness and hostility of those with the prizes has never thwarted this hunger and this love of learning. I have taken what I have wanted. I am a published scholar. I am an author. I am a curator with displays in musuems. I am a published poet. I am a published journalist. I am a professional photographer that has been published in magazines. This hunger has led me to perform. And the hunger is still not over. The hostility of the world just invites more hunger. The hunger of The People. The hunger of The Oppressed.
