Rutgers Anti-Caste Collective, in collaboration with the Department of Religion, presents
Wounds of Pyre: Inside the Minds of Cremation Workers
Directed by Babita Gautam and Sahil Valmiki
Wednesday, April 29
6:30–9:30 PM
Milledoler 100
Wounds of Pyre: Inside the Minds of Cremation Workers (2025) is a documentary by Babita Gautam and Sahil Valmiki that follows the Dom community in Varanasi. The Doms are cremation workers who caste binds to the burning ghats through the caste-imposed duty of burning the dead. The film explores the psychological toll of caste-based labour, generational trauma, and the invisibility forced on cremation workers performing society's rituals. Babita and Sahil are journalists and filmmakers from the Dalit community and co-founders of Dalit Desk, an independent media outlet covering caste and gender issues in India. The film has screened at MIT, IIT Delhi, and the Gregson Arts and Community Centre in the UK, and received an Honourable Mention at the Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival. The directors will join via Zoom for a Q&A after the screening.
