touch- India 2014

Since the inception of touch it had been my ambition to extend my hand to India’s Sudra and Dalits- referred to with derision and contempt as the untouchables. This action, as I came to discover, was politically and socially charged as the caste system still prevails and continues to be used to discriminate and enforce social hierarchy within India.

I set out to explore the Dalit and Sudra caste and then, by necessity, came to include those castes also re-classified as the ‘Other Backward Classes.’ More than 700 men, women and children participated in the making of touch- India. The subjects were located in the colonies (aka slums) of Delhi and the villages and brick factories of rural Rajasthan. The making of the touch-India wouldn’t have been possible without the Valkyrie by my side. The experience was revealing and profoundly touching for the two of us- no one is untouchable.