From Chaityabhoomi to Jai Bhim Nagar: This illustrator highlights anti-caste movements in Mumbai through an illustrated calendar

The May artwork pays tribute to the Dalit Panthers and Namdeo Dhasal

It is in our postal addresses," says the 34-year-old illustrator who goes by the pseudonym Bao, when we ask her where one might see the lines of caste in a city that prides itself on being a great equaliser. "When I mention Deonar or Mahul, there's a palpable change in the tone of the conversation. These localities have historically been synonymous with lower class and Bahujan populations," she explains.

Jai Bhim Nagar features on the January panel as a timely reminder of the ongoing struggle

From the 1971 inauguration of Dr BR Ambedkar's cremation site, Chaityabhoomi in Dadar by daughter-in-law Meerabai Ambedkar, to the ongoing struggle for basic rights by the Dalit community in Powai's Jai Bhim Nagar, the artist's new calendar takes Mumbaikars on a walk through the landmarks of the anti-caste movement hidden amidst the evolving urban-scape.

Dr BR Ambedkar and the Chaityabhoomi pillar feature in the April panel

Bao's journey begins from her home turf in Chembur, which was once a hub of migrant labourers who worked in its dumping grounds and the refineries. "I stepped out to talk to residents of all of these localities to unearth the oral histories. It wasn't a surprise to me when I found that caste intersected with the class struggle. Even within lower-income slums, there are clear demarcations between upper-caste and Bahujan settlements. For them, the struggle for a dignified life is ongoing," she shares.

Bao

On the southern tip of the city, Bao finds a similar story. While the Ambedkar Nagar slums behind the Backbay Bus Depot saw mass displacement during the communal riots of 1992 and 1993, residents of Geeta Nagar on the southern tip of Colaba rose in revolt in 1995 against eviction drives through the Geeta Nagar Rahivasi Sangh and Geeta Nagar Mahila Vikas Sangh. Bao reminds us that it would be remiss of us to not address the birthplace of the Dalit Panthers in the city. "Namdeo Dhasal, the literary legend who led the Panthers in the 1970s and '80s found strength and solidarity in the streets across the BDD Chawl in Kamathipura. One of my artworks features a black panther leaping forward as an ode to Dhasal," she adds.

Talking about calendars, we ask the artist, who most recently started a moving (literally) anti-caste reading club that travels on Mumbai locals, how the year that is drawing to a close has been. "There have been slivers of hope and moments of disappointment," she reveals. The artist recalls visiting the ongoing struggle between the residents of Jai Bhim Nagar in Powai and the authorities over a proposed resettlement. "It is a historically documented fact that when reclamation or redevelopment project starts taking shape, the marginalised communities are the first to take a hit. The hope comes from the fact that young, English-speaking youth are now actively documenting and working towards a brighter future," she signs off.

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