Faces and Frames of Resistance

There is a rhythm to resistance—it echoes in the fiery speeches of Malcolm X, the soul-stirring hymns of Martin Luther King Jr., and the defiant piano keys of Nina Simone.

- DIYA MARIA GEORGE

It is the same rhythm that inspired Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as he drafted a constitution for a nation that had long denied its people's dignity. Oppression wears many faces, so does rebellion. Sometimes, rebellion is not just clenched fists and raised voices—it is art, literature, and the unrelenting act of remembering.

For the past four years, the Vaanam Art Festival has been carving out space for that remembrance. As Vasugi Bhaskar, editor of Neelam Publications, explains, the festival draws direct inspiration from the Black community's celebration of February as Black History Month. "Worldwide, all the politics have been against supremacy," says Vasugi. "In India, Dalits connect with that politics because it is essential for them." The parallels are striking, just as The Black Panther Party emerged in the U.S., the Dalit Panther Movement rose in India. Both were rebellions against systems that sought to erase them.

Why a Dalit History Month?