“The value of a man was reduced to his immediate identity and nearest possibility. To a vote. To a number. To a thing. Never was a man treated as a mind. As a glorious thing made up of stardust. In every field, in studies, in streets, in politics, and in dying and living.” — Dr Rohith Vemula.

Although anti-oppressive mental health practices are gaining influence in India, discussions on how caste and collective meaning-making are fundamental to addressing structural issues have been overlooked in mainstream mental health practices, media and curriculums. The wisdom of lived experiences and the vocabulary of groups who are forced to the margins has been dismissed or is limited to community-level programs. Through this workshop, the facilitator wishes to draw focus to these very stories of wisdom and indigenous knowledge production.

In a world that emphasizes the idea of ‘resilience’, each day, for generations our mothers and grandmothers have pulled through injustices, and led people’s movements – in ways accessible to them; through their leadership, songs, food, fight and the ability to forge solidarities which redefines the idea of resilience itself. A slow revolution. A way of life.

This workshop is an invitation to reflect on these everyday tools for transformative mental health practices where every community and individual is seen as a glorious thing made up of stardust.

Objectives:

To understand:

1. The Caste system and the stories of resistance of oppressed caste groups in India.

2. Caste capital and its influence in therapy rooms, operations of a collective/centre, and narratives that are formed.

3. How does caste prejudice manifest in everyday personal and professional Spaces?

4. To learn practices and skills informed by anti-caste stance.