Pankti Bharatbhai Desai

This Foundation Project implemented by IFA will delve into the undocumented aspects of the Dalit Panther Movement in Gujarat, shedding light on its historical significance and the crucial role played by the Panther magazine in disseminating its ideologies. 

Pankti Desai is an Assistant Professor at the Government Engineering College, Valsad. She completed her Master’s degree in English and Comparative Literature from Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, Surat, and her doctorate from SNDT University, Mumbai. She is interested in modernist Indian literature, translation studies, comparative literature, literary historiography, and cultural studies. She has been documenting and researching the little magazine movements of Gujarat since 2015. Given her expertise on the subject, Pankti is best suited to be the Project Coordinator for this Foundation Project of IFA. 

While the Marathi Dalit Panther Movement has received considerable attention and documentation, the Gujarat chapter, led by activists such as Rameshchandra Parmar, Valji Patel, and Naran Vora, has remained relatively understated. Although Pankti has already documented one of the movement’s publications, Aakrosh, the relationship between the movement and the Panther magazine has been overlooked due to the dearth of accessible records in the public domain. Moreover, the distinctive category of Gujarati Dalit literature came into being only in the 1970s, with the publication of Aakrosh.

In this research project, titled Uncharted History of Dalit Panther Movement in Gujarat and The Significance of Panther Magazine, Pankti will study how Panther monthly provided extensive coverage of both minor and major instances of Dalit oppression and atrocities, shedding light on issues often overlooked by mainstream media. Besides presenting ideological articles, the magazine also offered a platform to numerous Dalit poets, writers, and artists. Pankti will employ an interdisciplinary approach that will involve both visual and textual analysis of the magazine.

The outcomes of this project will be a comprehensive research article on the Dalit Panther Movement in Gujarat, in English and Gujarati, a multimedia exhibition complemented by a digital archive of the magazine, and audio documentation of field interviews. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be the research article on the Dalit Panther Movement in Gujarat, in English and Gujarati, the digital archive for the Panther magazine, and audio documentation of field interviews, capturing firsthand perspectives.

This project suitably addresses the framework of IFA’s Arts Research programme in how it explores the forgotten history of the Dalit Panther Movement in the context of Gujarat and the role played by Dalit literary magazines in acknowledging the movement’s enduring impact in the continuous fight for social justice and empowerment.

IFA will ensure that the project is implemented on time and that the funds expended are accounted for. IFA will also review the progress of the project at midterm and document it through an Implementation Memorandum. After the project is complete and deliverables are submitted, IFA will put together a Final Evaluation to share with the Trustees.

This project is made possible with support from BNP Paribas India.