Komal Chauhan, Associate Fellow with the Foundation presented a seminar titled ‘Conceptualising ‘Bondedness’ and ‘(Un)freedom’: The case of Dalit Women Agricultural Labourers in Western Uttar Pradesh’. The seminar was presented at the Foundation’s office.

In her presentation, Komal tried to unpack the complex relationship between debt and (un)freedom in labour relations through the case of Dalit women agricultural labourers in the Muzaffarnagar district of Western Uttar Pradesh. She talked about how debt bondage is often portrayed as an economic transaction between the victim and the employer (or intermediary). Yet, it is grounded in broader social relations of inequality and insecurity.

Komal also shed light on how bondedness and (un)freedom in labour relations are reinforced and reproduced by the interplay between multiple sources of credit, which according to her, further leads to the marginalisation of Dalit women situated at the intersection of caste, class and gender.

The seminar was attended by Aaliya Sehar, Arindam Das, Arumugham, Kulvinder Singh, Sai Chandan Kotu, Sandipan Baksi, Sethu C A, Tapas Singh Modak and Utkarsh at the Foundation’s office, while Kunal Munjal, Madhura Swaminathan, Rakesh Mahato and Ritam Dutta joined the seminar virtually.

The question and answer session of the seminar dealt with questions regarding the Land question, availability of employment oppurtunities in Rural India etc.

Here are a few glimpses from the seminar…