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Photo by: Gillian Mapp

For one day, Toronto was treated to an important educational moment–a rediscovery of what people mean by the term social justice.  A photo exhibit entitled: Picking up the Pieces: A Series of Dalit Photography by Kahaniya injected a diasporic Indian consciousness into Toronto’s local arts scene.  Kahaniya is an international organization initiated by Rakhi Mutta and Natasha Daniels, in which these young Toronto-based women connect with the Rural Education Development Society in the Tumkur district, two hours south of Banglore, India.

Kahaniya’s mission is to document, through photography and film, the narratives of women and children around the world.  Their September 17th exhibit featured a series of portraits and images taken while working in Tumkur in 2008.  In addition to the many amazing photographs taken by Gillian Mapp, Natasha Daniels and Rakhi Mutta, the night also featured a screening of a documentary short that illuminated the life of Najamma, a Dalit woman.

The Dalit people are members of the lowest-caste in the Hindu caste system, they are 16.6 million strong. Dalit literally translates to “oppressed” or “broken”. The Dalits are known as India’s Indigenous population having migrated from the African continent to found the Indus Valley Civilization. Check out V.T. Rajshekar’s essay on Cheikh Anta Diop’s scholarship on the cultural roots of the Dalit people for a more in-depth analysis.

The goal of the Kahaniya’s exhibition and documentary was to raise both awareness of, and generate funds in support of Tumkur’s Rural Education Development Society.  The height of the evening consisted of a short introduction of the project and Kahaniya in general followed by a brief but engaging question & answer period.  The night was a success, having raised awareness and almost $2500 from the sale of photo and individual donations.  If you are interested in supporting the work of Kahaniya please contact Rakhi Mutta rakhi@kahaniya.org if you are able to contribute, either financially or through the donation of digital cameras, photo printers and or laptops.