How Dalit women in Mumbai are expressing themselves through folk music

Damu Nagar near Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park is one of those places where slum fires are a frequent occurrence. When residents hear “Cooker phat gaya” (an LPG cylinder has blasted), they all fetch that one bag of documents, which is always kept handy, and run for their life.

It’s almost been a decade since 2015’s massive fire outbreak, which gutted thousands of homes and every documental evidence they had of their residence. Yet, the residents of Damu Nagar live in constant fear of losing their household in an ongoing conflict with the government to get a new set of documents, which proves their residence in the slum.

In the background of such uncertainty, a group of 10 Dalit women from the slum is questioning the status quo, the right to home, the right to equality and other rights promised in the Constitution, through Ambedkari jalsa, a form of folk performance that combines music, poetry and storytelling to convey the ideas and teachings of B.R. Ambedkar. They are training to become performers at the Nirmik Cultural Centre (NCC). Through this, they are also challenging the deep-rooted discrimination against Dalits and females, at home and in society.

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Most of these women, aged 25-65, come from poor, conservative households. They are either homemakers or have blue-collar jobs and are barely educated. But they all have lived the challenges and discrimination that come with being a Dalit woman in a casteist, patriarchal society. They now want to voice their dissent and demand respect and equal rights. “There is always discrimination,” says Dhammasangini Rama Gorakh, a Dalit activist. “And as a woman, it’s far worse,” she adds.

“My husband abused me for 20 years while I was raising four kids. He wouldn’t even let me talk to my own relatives,” says Shakuntala. “My teacher in school would make me sit on the floor, away from other children of upper castes,” says Suman, 45. “We were six daughters, so, my father got me married at 16 and I couldn’t study after that,” says Vandana, 43. “No one ever asked me to go to school, while my brothers did,” says Kashibai, 45. These women are part of the group of 10.

A form of expression

Since 2023 the NCC has been equipping these women with skills to sing in public and with the knowledge of Ambedkar’s teachings to become cultural activists. Based in Kandivali, in a small shed, NCC hosts workshops, film screenings and talks, which discuss Ambedkar’s teachings and social justice. It’s led by the members of Yalgaar Sanskrutik Manch, a group of cultural activists and performers promoting Ambedkar’s teaching since 2015.

The roots of Ambedkari jalsa are traced back to the 1920s when Ambedkar began a discourse on the plight of Dalits. Dalit activist Bhimrao Kardak has been credited for the popularity of this folk form that’s influenced by Marathi tamasha.

But Ambedkari jalsa too has mainly been a men’s bastion, says Swati Uthale of Muktivadi Sangathan in Satara, Maharashtra, which works towards caste annihilation. She is also the founding member of NCC. “There are very few women who sing about Ambedkar’s teachings and take it to the masses. But these women want to do that,” she adds. “Singing praises of Buddha and Ambedkar is great, but even better is singing about our rights and Constitution,” says Suman, referring to bhajans that laud Buddha and Ambedkar. These are sung by many Dalit women groups. She and the other nine women are part of such a group as well.

In 2022, they saw the young musicians of Yalgaar Sanskrutik Manch perform in Damu Nagar. “We were impressed by their songs and their performance,” says Vaishali, 29. They then asked Yalgaar’s cultural activists to teach them to sing on stage as well. “We jumped at the opportunity,” says Dhammraxit, 36, co-founder of NCC. “Women, especially have always been underrepresented in the Ambedkari jalsa movement, so, we thought it would be great to have them take the stage and express themselves,” he adds.

Overcoming obstacles

The first task, though, was training the women to sing as they had no formal training. “Also, years of conservative conditioning of a patriarchal society made them shy and awkward performers,” says Siddharth, 32, an actor, singer and co-founder of NCC. “They even took time to get comfortable with male members of NCC,” says Rahul, 20, manager of the centre.

So, the team organised movement therapy sessions, played team-building games and got the centre’s trained female members to participate in their training sessions. These measures helped build trust and a strong bond. Gradually, the women started opening up, now being able to grasp the rhythm and scale, and attempting to write their own songs. “It was challenging to get used to the training sessions as it was all so new for us,” says Kavita, 35. But they kept at it and things started getting easier. “When they first came in, they looked very uncomfortable on stage. But today, they have gotten enough confidence to even dance on stage,” says Apurva, 29, an actor and singer with NCC. In the last year alone, the women have had 10-plus performances across Mumbai.

But things are still hard. During their very first public performance in November 2023, in their own slum, fellow male community members burst crackers, played dhols and started their own performance to disturb the women. “We were nervous, anxious and scared and then this happened,” says Vaishali. They confronted the men, got them to stop and finished their performance, but couldn’t escape the sexist comments that followed. People told them that women shouldn’t sing and dance in public, that they should instead focus on their homes. “Even after two years, most of these women are reluctant to come to the centre in salwar kameez. They are looked down upon for wearing anything other than a sari in their community,” says Pravin, 30, an actor with NCC.

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But there are also those who have applauded their grit and determination. At a public performance at Kala Ghoda, several senior citizens congratulated them and some even laud them on social media channels. “One of my clients recognised me from a video she had seen of mine on YouTube. That made me very happy,” says Vaishali.

But whether people acknowledge them or not, these women are determined to spread Ambedkar’s teachings, to educate people about the Constitution and citizens’ rights and duties. “All we want to do is learn more songs, perform at different places and become active cultural activists,” says Suman.

Riddhi Doshi is Mumbai-based art, culture, travel and lifestyle writer.