PLAN A SUMMER RECESS FROM STRESS WITH

THE WRITING DOULA!

THE BAHUJAN COLLECTIVE

Writing Doula teaches India's oppressed class

how to write for dignity, healing & legacy

They are disrespectfully referred to as "the untouchables" and they have been assigned to the bottom rung of India's system of social stratification. Bahujans, which means 'majority' in Hindi, is a kinder description of the oppressed classes.

In my reality, they are human beings who deserve to be treated with the same dignity and respect as members of the so-called upper caste. Fortunately, there are others, like Siddhartha Valicharla, a California-based anti-caste activist , who feels the same way. As founder of Know Real India, which strives to let the world know who Bahujans really are. He created a writing initiative called the Bahujan Collective which provides opportunities for Bahujans to find healing and preserve their legacies by learning how to write their own stories. Sidd, hired me nearly three years ago to design his writing program and teach writing workshops for members of his community in India. My round of workshops held via Zoom ends in early June. Through these workshops I have witnessed the humanity of the Bahujan people. Their stories have been insightful, heart-wrenching, and not surprisingly bear many similarities to the experiences of racially marginalized Americans. I am learning as much as I am teaching and grateful for this collaboration.