Caste minds and the fight for joy: Christina Dhanuja on Dalit women's lives and resistance

Caste minds and the fight for joy: Christina Dhanuja on Dalit women's lives and resistance

The third meeting of eShe Book Club [https://eshe.in/book-club/], featuring Christina Dhanuja’s debut work Dalit Women and the Fullness of Life [https://eshe.in/2026/05/04/dalit-women-and-the-fullness-of-life-christina-dhanuja/] (Penguin India, 2026), was held online on 23 May. The book examines the intersection of caste, gender, trauma, joy, and systemic oppression as experienced by Dalit women.The discussion brought together participants from India, Nepal, the United States, Canada and Kuwait, reflecting the global resonance of the book's themes. Kamna Singh, a PhD scholar at the University of Delhi whose research focuses on the aesthetics of Dalit women's life writings, led the interview with Dhanuja.The central argument of the book – that Dalit women deserve not merely survival or basic rights, but access to the entire spectrum of human experience, desire, joy and possibility – was raised by the participants. The book and discussion also explored how Brahmanical patriarchy and capitalist systems work in tandem to concentrate power in the hands of a few, and perpetuate the oppression of Dalit women.Read the full report on eShe [https://eshe.in]. Join eShe Book Club on Discord. [https://discord.com/invite/Wz9QgYMc73]

Why did India choose to forget a pioneering woman like Dr Jamini Sen?

Dr. Jamini Sen was a groundbreaking physician who achieved international recognition but was deliberately forgotten in her home country of India. She was the first woman ever to become a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. She served as royal physician to the Nepalese royal family for ten years and developed a close friendship with King Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah. She chose to remain unmarried and adopted a child, making her a single working mother over a century ago. Motivated by anger at this historical erasure, her grand-niece Deepta Roy Chakraverti rescued her story from obscurity by writing her biography, titled Daktarin Jamini Sen (2026). eShe's Book Club [eshe.in/book-club] discussion in March, hosted by executive director Shailaja Rao, featured Chakraverti's book and explored its themes of courage, resilience, professional jealousy, and the price women pay for success. Read the report on www.eshe.in [www.eshe.in]. Follow us for more conversations with inspiring women.

Sonora Jha on female desire, reclaiming agency, and solitude for self-discovery | eShe Book Club

Female desire doesn't diminish with age but is often suppressed by societal expectations. Making unconventional choices publicly can be an act of defiance against patriarchal norms. These were some of the topics that came up during eShe’s inaugural Book Club [https://eshe.in/book-club] discussion featuring award-winning author Sonora Jha’s new novel Intemperance.The discussion, moderated by Aekta Kapoor, founder and chief editor of eShe [https://eshe.in], brought together readers from across time zones to explore themes of female desire, ageing, self-love, disability, and challenging societal norms. The discussion brought up how Brahminical patriarchy intersects with disability, caste and gender, and the value of messiness and complexity in women's narratives.Important questions were raised: what happens when women refuse to age into invisibility? Is there any prerequisite to enjoying desire or sensual pleasure? What if women were the main characters in their own stories and refused to follow someone else’s script?Watch the full discussion or head over to eshe.in [https://eshe.in] for the report.

Schokofeh Kamiz on democracy, filmmaking and her documentary 'After Sabeen'

Germany-based Iranian filmmaker Schokofeh Kamiz talks about her documentary 'After Sabeen' about the prominent Pakistani peace activist and social entrepreneur Sabeen Mahmud who was shot dead in Karachi in April 2015. The film features Sabeen Mahmud’s inspiring mother Mahenaz, who was wounded in the attack that killed Sabeen. This moving and artistic film also draws on the memories and grief of Sabeen’s friends, and their ongoing efforts to continue her work and legacy.In these edited excerpts from a SAPAN Film Club discussion [https://southasiapeace.com/2025/09/24/sept-28-after-sabeen-film-screening-and-discussion-sapan-film-club/] about the documentary‬ [https://www.youtube.com/@southasiapeace], Schokofeh Kamiz speaks to eShe editor Aekta Kapoor about democracy, journalism, and the challenges of making the documentary while she was pregnant. Follow us for more conversations with inspiring women and visit the website www.eshe.in [https://eshe.in]

Bhaktiveda Dhaul Taragi: Using expressive arts therapy to promote emotional wellbeing

Bhaktiveda Dhaul Taragi is the founder of Praanah, a Bengaluru-based organisation that harnesses expressive arts therapy to nurture emotional wellbeing across ages. The organisation designs tailored expressive arts sessions for diverse groups – from helping cancer patients process their diagnosis to facilitating creative interventions for corporate teams managing stress. It also offers a professional certification in Expressive Arts Therapy for psychologists, therapists and educators seeking to enrich their practice beyond conventional counselling frameworks.In this episode, Taragi talks to host Aekta Kapoor about her journey from exploring the mind-body connection through sport and dance to becoming one of India’s pioneering expressive arts therapists. She shares how she integrates neuroscience, art and spirituality to create a holistic approach to mental health – one that values movement, play and presence as much as conversation. She also emphasises the importance of daily creative rituals as preventive mental health practice, and offers insights on how parents can nurture their children’s innate creativity by listening deeply to their artistic expressions.Follow us for more conversations with interesting women, and visit eShe.in [https://eshe.in] for more.