Tradition as Resistance: Eight Shahirs of Marathwada A Presentation by Keshav Waghmare

How was a centuries-old traditional art form turned into an educational tool to help people understand the complexities of caste oppression in a more accessible manner? How did a musical tradition go beyond serving as a mode of entertainment to challenge the prevalent imagination of caste constructed by the dominant class-caste society?

Please join us to listen to Keshav Waghmare talk about how songs by the Shahirs of Marathwada have created a political consciousness among the people since the late 18th century. The session will look at the work of eight male and female Shahirs whose songs continue to be a source of inspiration for marginalised people to fight caste oppression and sustain the Dalit Movement in rural areas of the region. Inspired by the ideas of Dr BR Ambedkar, the work of these Shahirs has played a great role in shedding light on alternate histories of people in Maharashtra and India at large.

Keshav Waghmare is a writer and executive editor of Anvikshan, a Marathi quarterly magazine. He has been actively involved in the Dalit Adivasi Adhikar Andolan (DAAA) since 2012 and has been documenting the Marathwada communities for several years.

Medha Kale is based in Pune and has worked in the field of women and health. She is the Translations Editor, Marathi, at the People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI).

Keshav Waghmare is the Project Coordinator of the Foundation Project implemented by India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) under the Archives and Museums programme, in collaboration with People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI). This has been made possible with part-support from Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi.

This session is organised as part of the Project Showcase @ IFA, a series of online presentations to showcase, discuss and engage audiences with the diverse projects we support and implement across programmes.

The session will also be live streamed live on our Facebook page, for which no prior registration is required.

NOTE: The organizers may reschedule, modify or cancel this event at their discretion. Please contact the organizers directly to confirm these details before attending.