Genius ‘Slum Girl’ got a grant of Rs. 6.7 crores after doing research on Dalit women, know who is the recipient of this Shailja Paik

Who is Shailaja Paik: Indian-American professor Shailja Paik, who researches and writes about Dalit women, has received a ‘Genius’ grant of $8,00,000 (Rs 6.7 crore) through the MacArthur Foundation. This grant is awarded every year to those who have made significant achievements or demonstrated outstanding potential. Shailaja is a research professor of history at the University of Cincinnati. Her work focuses on Dalit women and caste discrimination.
Announcing the fellowship, the MacArthur Foundation said, “Through her study of the experiences of Dalit women, Shailja Paik speaks to the enduring nature of caste discrimination and the forces that perpetuate untouchability.” The foundation further said, “Paik provides a fresh look at the history of caste supremacy. She explores the ways in which gender and sexuality are used to deny the dignity and personhood of Dalit women.”

Who is Shailaja Paik?

In an interview given to National Public Radio (NPR), Shailja told that she comes from the Dalit community. his/her childhood was spent in the slums of Pune city of Maharashtra. She has been inspired by her father’s dedication to education. he/she has obtained a master’s degree from Savitribai Phule University. After this she went to Warwick University, Britain to study for her PhD. he/she also worked for some time as a visiting professor of South Asian History at Yale University.

The foundation said that Shailja Paik’s new project focuses on the lives of female artistes of ‘Tamasha’. ‘Tamasha’ is a popular vulgar theatre, which has been mainly performed by the people of Dalit community for centuries in Maharashtra. Based on the project, he/she has written a book titled ‘The Vulgarity of Caste: Dalits, Sexuality, and Humanity in Modern India’.

The foundation said that the state government is trying to establish ‘Tamasha’ as a respectable Marathi cultural practice. But even after this, the obscenity of Dalit women is still associated with Tamasha.