Speakers and Bios

Manu Kaur is a Dalit (caste-oppressed) Punjabi Queer Non-Binary Femme who is committed to caste annihilation, queer liberation, and mental health activism. They immigrated from Punjab at the age of 5 and was born in a village segregated based on caste. Manu’s father was able to get an education due to high scores and the reservation system in India (similar to affirmative action). Manu and their parents came to the US to escape casteism, but caste based discrimination still followed. Manu is interested in studying the effects of childhood and caste trauma as a child develops into an adult with the hopes of finding ways to help survivors cope better with their traumas. Manu dreams of a world where solidarities amongst queer Dalit, Black, and Indigenous communities exist and persist. 

Sri Mukund is a producer, DJ, and artist whose music is shaped by her unique perspective as a Tamil-American trans woman and cancer survivor. She has performed at various events across New York including NYFW, Tamil Meetups, and has also hosted fundraiser shows centering trans artists. With over 1 million streams on her productions, Sri has produced for numerous artists while not staying confined to any one genre. Her own music blends alternative pop and hip-hop influences and exudes confidence and vulnerability. Sri not only produces music but also focuses on artist development and community building, helping emerging talents hone their craft and navigate the complexities of the music industry. As she prepares to speak and perform at the University of Austin Texas, Sri’s story of resilience and empowerment showcases how she leverages her platform to foster positive change and inspire those around her. Her goal is to create spaces where trans voices are heard and celebrated on stage, in the industry, and beyond.

Dr. Shamim – Shamim serves as the Academic Programs Coordinator at the LRC. In this role, he coordinates and evaluates the LRC's academic language initiatives, including the Shared Course Initiative, Languages Across the Curriculum, and Jumpstart. Before joining the LRC, he taught Bangla for over a decade at several US universities, in regular semesters and at summer programs, and was an assistant professor of instruction at UT Austin. Shamim has a Ph.D. in Linguistics and published two books on language, literature, and linguistics in Bangla. His research interests include language pedagogy, phonology, morphology, and grammar.In his free time, Shamim enjoys playing guitar, visiting state parks, and watching movies. 

Ena Ganguly – "ena ganguly (she/they) is a soft-spirited Bengali femme – a storyteller, healer, and lifelong student. Born in Bihar and raised in Texas, ena never saw herself in popular media, including literature. They began to write in order to witness a life, their life, that would otherwise be erased in the wave of time. Their work focuses on collective memory, grief, healing, state violence, surveillance, and sensuality and has been featured in Palette Poetry, BBC, Buzzfeed, KUT Austin Radio, The Austin Chronicle, COURIER Newsroom, exhibited in Austin, TX at Prizer Arts and Letters and allgo, and won Breakwater Review’s 2024 Peseroff Poetry Prize. ena has facilitated countless writing workshops for survivors, queer people of color, students, and healing practitioners and edited anthologies for marginalized writers. They graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Humanities, with an Asian Studies Minor, and a Bridging Disciplines Program certificate in Social Justice and Human Rights. She wrote and presented her thesis at multiple conferences across the U.S., including at the Dean's Reception, on the labor rights of sex workers in India and graduated with honors. To follow ena’s work, please visit her website at: enaganguly.com or follow her at IG @enaganguly."

"Zara Chowdhary is a multi-hyphenate writer, producer, and educator from Chennai, India. She now lives in Madison, WI. She has an MFA in Creative Writing and Environment from Iowa State University and an MA in Writing for Performance from the University of Leeds. She has taught courses in Hindi and South Asian cultures, protest poetry, and creative nonfiction. Zara spent her first decade as an adult working in film, advertising and media production including for studios like Eros Entertainment, Red Chillies, and Vinod Chopra Productions. Her work has aired on Channel [V], National Geographic India, and on American television for Turner Classic Movies. Her prose has appeared in anthologies like New Moons edited by Kazim Ali, as well as online for speculative and environmental journals like Flyway Journal, Cotton Xenomorph. "

The Lucky Ones (Memoir) – https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/733872/the-lucky-ones-by-zara-chowdhary/

There will be a book sale conducted by the collective. If you would like a certain amount or ensure you get a copy, please put that on your RSVP form or email texas@indigocollective.org 

Shehzad Malik is a Pakistani director, writer, editor and actor. He is known for his short film "Mujhse Hi Riha" and feature length narrative "Dear Karachi". He is also known for being a content creator on YouTube and his comedic presence on Instagram and gained popularity throughout South Asia for his unhinged humor.

Lana Patel is an Afro Indo Caribbean trans woman from New York City, currently residing in Los Angeles. Holding double majors in Psychology and Fine Arts from Florida State University, Lana's academic journey reflects her passion for both understanding the human mind and expressing herself creatively. The model, singer, dancer, makeup artist is advocating for equal opportunities for all trans life, while determined to help people have a better life through her professional role in healthcare. Additionally, she has worked for organizations such as the San Francisco City Council, Center for Immigrant Protection, and more.

"Dr. Suraj Yengde is one of India’s leading scholars and public intellectuals. Named as one of the “25 Most Influential Young Indian” by GQ magazine and the “Most influential Young Dalit” by Zee, Suraj is an author of the bestseller Caste Matters and co-editor of award winning anthology The Radical in Ambedkar. He is a transnational Dalit rights activist involved in building solidarities between Dalit, Black, Roma, Indigenous, Buraku and Refugee peoples in the Fourth World project of marginalized peoples. His writings have appeared in Al Jazeera, BBC, The Caravan, LiveMint, The Sunday World, The Wire, Scroll, Mail & Guardian Africa, Saturday Star, Open Democracy and is a syndicated columnist at The Hindustan Times, The Hindu, The Huffington Post, The Print, The Citizen, Globe & Post, The Mexican Times, The Conversation, among others. He is frequently invited by the media and corporations to offer expert advice on the issues of caste, migration, race relations and international law. Economic Times did a feature on him on the occasion of Independence Day. Dr. Yengde offers consultations to the government, non-governmental, corporate and university policy-making bodies on the issues of caste, diversity, human rights, social justice, refugee policy, cross-border migration and organizational strategies for campaigns and advocacy. Dr. Yengde is a co-founder of the Equity in Policy Education initiative started at Harvard. "