From – Anannya G Madonna, Advocacy Lead, The Blue Club

The Blue Club is proud to launch it’s one of a kind fellowship for Dalit Womxn+Dalit Queer Writers for the first time in September 2020. It is a three-month intensive writing fellowships that will train and mentor Dalit Women+Dalit Queer writers, who have a minimal publication experience. The concept of this program is to strengthen the Dalit narrative particulary of Dalit womxn and Dalit LGBTQIA by getting rid of the “Savarna Gaze”.

The mainstream media today is highly dominated by the uppercaste-cis-hetero male perspectives, making it difficult for anyone other than them to survive in the journalism field. As a result, for a long time we have been forced to look at things through the lens of Brahmanical Patriarchy and made to believe that it is the “only” way things are done in our country. We are force fed content that suits the purpose of the oppressor to be able to continue oppressing the oppressed. This kind of narrative not only fabricates things but also strips us of our agency to disseminate information. If we are to break free of the shackles imposed on us in the name of caste and gender, it is essential to vocalize about the struggles and issues that we continue to face to this day. Most of the issues and atrocities are usually covered by caste hindus, and their coverage lacks sensitivity and empathy towards these subjects, their content fails to focus on issues of intersectionality as well. 

It is no surprise, that as a result of this very Brahminical Patriarchy , even among the Dalit media spaces there is a lack of strong Dalit Women+Dalit Queer voices and most that already exist serve the Dalit Male Gaze, thereby eclipsing issues of patriarchy among the Dalits including homophobia and transphobia amongst ourselves. WE truly understand that writing about such complex issues is no easy task and those few that do are usually singled out and harassed from all sides especially when one dares to speak out the truth. Nevertheless, it is essential for these voices to be heard. It is important for every community to be in tune with each of its members and make sure that every voice is represented in our movements. 

We can no longer remain silent on these issues and it is time to bring them to light. Therefore, we at The Blue Club have conceived this idea to start a fellowship that will bridge this gap between the genders so that all of us can stand together in this difficult fight against the multi-headed caste system in our country and ensure that no one is left behind when we finally win.  More details on the fellowship as follows:

What is it? A three-month intensive writing fellowship that will support and amplify emerging Dalit Womxn + Dalit Queer voices. 

Where to apply? Please visit our website www.theblueclub.org where you have to fill out an online application and upload: 

• A cover letter within 600 words that describes why you are interested in the fellowship. 
• 2 relevant writing samples, may or may not be published (600-1000 word each) 

Deadline: 15th October 2020

Who can apply? 

If you are a Dalit Womxn/Dalit Queer writer, who has minimal publication experience, we strongly encourage you to apply. If you are passionate about subject areas such as caste and gender but do not know how to write about these topics, we look forward to your application. If you are a writer still trying to find out what you would like to write about, we strongly encourage you to apply. If you feel your voices have been muffled by caste and gender majorities and are looking for a sisterhood of writers, let’s see your application. 

During the 3-month fellowship, fellows will: 

• Produce a minimum of four articles for The Blue Club from the following topic areas: Caste, Gender, Sexuality, Politics, Education, Environment, Law, Health, Art & Culture. The articles can be reports, analytical pieces, advocacy-focused articles, book review, and multimedia content. 
• Participate in Zoom discussions each month with the fellowship director, manager, and other facilitators as determined by TBC. 
• Receive mentorship in choosing relevant topics, writing about them, editing these articles, publishing them in the right format. 
• Make great connections within the anti-casteist and feminist media community. 
• Receive Rs. 30000 stipend for the entire three-month fellowship. 

If you have any queries, please send an email to tbcmediafellowship@gmail.com. We are looking forward to your application!