English

On the left, two South Asian women with raised fists wearing colorful kurtas stepping through an open window into a lush green landscape. In this scene, there are other South Asian women and nonbinary people, including one person sitting under a banyan tree holding a sign that reads “Cast out caste,” two people standing near the tree holding a Progress Pride flag with the words “Satrangi Salam,” and three people sitting on the ground with raised fists (including one holding a raised cane). White logos of Foundation for a Just Society and Women’s Fund Asia are on the right side of the banner. Under these logos, the words “Bhoomi Youth Leadership Initiative, 2024-2025” appear in light blue letters; underneath these words is the sub-title “Creating spaces, Raising voices, Shaping the future”.

The Bhoomi Initiative is a partnership between the Foundation for a Just Society (FJS) and Women’s Fund Asia (WFA), seeking to address the urgent need for developing and strengthening leadership and organisational skills among young people from South Asia's most historically oppressed communities, including Indigenous, Dalit, caste-oppressed, queer, trans, and disabled young people.

Bhoomi Initiative is designed to ensure that youth leaders have a shared space to deepen connections across the intersections of Dalit and oppressed-caste experiences and perspectives, feminist, queer and trans organising and to lay the groundwork for fruitful future collaborations. It will aim to foreground many narratives across other axes of marginalisation of sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, indigeneity, and disability, amongst others.

Foundation for a Just Society

Prachi Patankar

Women's Fund Asia

Meet our Bhoomi Leaders

Tap the arrow beneath each photo to unveil the full quote

and discover the inspiration behind it!

The colors in this image are mostly shades of blue, with a darker blue border. The white logos of Women’s Fund Asia and Foundation for a Just Society appear centered at the top of the slide. The central image is Aneekarma, a South Asian woman with long black hair standing in front of silhouettes of people demonstrating. She is holding a sign that reads: “Books Should Be Tax-Free.” Underneath her image are the words in white: “My Vision: A Caste-free World Without Hierarchy.” Beneath this vision statement is Aneekarma’s name in light blue letters. Beneath her name are the words: Bhoomi Youth Leadership Initiative, 2024-2025.

" My vision of a caste-free world is one without hierarchy, where people from all backgrounds come together as equals. In this world, religion and rigid rules no longer divide us. Instead, we celebrate community, live harmoniously with one another and uphold mutual respect and equality for all."

“I imagine a world where women don’t need permission to dream or make choices. A place where we can express our opinions, get an education, and participate in all cultural activities without any barriers. This is the beautiful world I am working towards.”

“I want to change systems, despite the struggle that comes along with doing so. In order to change systems, we must all fight against our ego, selfishness, and negative tendencies – replacing them with love, sacrifice and service. Just as a morning comes after a dark night, women will be free.”

“My dream is that I'll be able to uplift people through my work. The vision of the world I want to build is one without discrimination, hatred, and poverty. Instead, our world could be centered on love, community, and abundance. Though I may not be able to change everything, any amount of good I can bring to my community is positive change.”

“God created this beautiful world for us to live in, and then people created oppressive systems, like patriarchy and the caste system. But we can change systems of inequality. I want to create a world where we challenge unjust systems through our collective efforts. I imagine young people speaking out against social inequality, where we all are aware of our rights as citizens, where we work together for change.”

“As a child, I looked at the stars and dreamed of being free, of shining like the stars. Coming from an Indigenous community, I wondered what it would feel like to be free. Today I am working to create a world where caste and gender don’t matter. A world where women don’t need permission to dream, a world where we can express our opinions and participate without barriers. I imagine a world where everyone is free, where everyone can rise together.”

The background is a blue sky, green landscape, and banyan tree. The image has a dark blue border. The white logos of Women’s Fund Asia and Foundation for a Just Society appear centered at the top of the slide. The central image is Priyanka, a South Asian woman, standing in front of a banyan tree in a natural setting with plants and flowers. She looks directly at the viewer, holding up a book in her left hand. She has long dark hair and wears a pink kurta with a purple scarf. Beneath her image are the words in white: “My Vision: Caste and Patriarchy Have Been Eradicated.” Beneath this vision statement is Priyanka’s name in light blue letters. Beneath Priyanka’s name in white letters are the words: Bhoomi Youth Leadership Initiative, 2024-2025.

“A future where caste and patriarchy are eradicated is the vision I am working toward. It is time to establish a gender-just and fair society. Universal access to education will help us end the caste system and break the shackles of patriarchy. Women will be able to stand tall. I see a future without caste discrimination where people work based on their capacities and talents. People will decide freely who they wish to marry, and free thought will flourish.”

“I dream of a world without caste or patriarchy, where we understand concepts like ‘pride’ and ‘honor’ in more equitable ways, and where the fundamental rights of women and all humans are defended and honored.”

The colors of the image are mostly shades of blue, with a darker blue border. The white logos of Women’s Fund Asia and Foundation for a Just Society appear centered at the top of the slide. The central image is Sona, a South Asian woman with dark hair and a raised left arm. She is wearing a red kurta with a peach-colored scarf. Behind her are the silhouettes of people demonstrating. Beneath her image are the words in white: “My Vision: I Am Living for Liberation!” Beneath this vision statement is Sona’s name in light blue letters. Beneath her name are the words: Bhoomi Youth Leadership Initiative, 2024-2025.

“Freedom from caste-based and gender discrimination and liberation from oppressive customs and traditions like child marriage – these are the desires and pursuits of liberation that I have lived and am living for. Not just for myself, but for my entire community. I cannot live a different life.”

“I dream of a future without caste oppression and patriarchal abuses. Nature – land, water, air, and sky – does not differentiate based on caste or gender, and neither should we. I imagine a future in which everyone is free.”

The background is a blue sky, green landscape, and banyan tree. The image has a darker blue border. The white logos of Women’s Fund Asia and Foundation for a Just Society appear centered at the top of the slide. The central image is an anonymous South Asian woman, standing in front of a banyan tree in a natural setting with plants and flowers. She looks toward the viewer, holding a sign with the word: “Eradicate patriarchy by educating women and girls.” She has dark hair pulled back and is wearing a pink sari. Beneath her image are the words in white: “My Vision: Eradicate patriarchy by educating women and girls.” Beneath this vision statement is the name Anonymous in light blue letters. Beneath “Anonymous” in white letters are the words: Bhoomi Youth Leadership Initiative, 2024-2025.

“My hope is that by advocating for the education of women and girls, I can help break the roots of patriarchy. Patriarchy, though deeply ingrained in our society, can be eradicated if everyone supports each other equally, regardless of caste, religion, race or sex.”

Through the Bhoomi Youth Leadership Initiative, we invest in the leadership of historically oppressed communities in South Asia, particularly Indigenous, Dalit, caste-oppressed, queer, and disabled young people, and ensure the impact of their visionary work reaches a regional and global audience.

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