Jun 14 2025 to Jun 14 2025 4:30 p.m.

Price: Free, but registration is required. Book/Buy

Where

Museum of Art & Photography (MAP)

Kasturba Road, Bengaluru 560001

Event Description

Come watch Molkarin (1981), the first ever film made by Yugantar -- the film collective. The screening will be followed by a conversation between Deepa Dhanraj, independent documentary filmmaker and co-founder of Yugantar, and Geeta Menon, co-founder of Stree Jagruti Samiti—an organisation based in Bangalore that works with domestic workers to advocate for their labour rights and employment benefits. Molkarin exposes the oppressive working conditions of thousands of domestic workers in Pune.

Through re-enactments of significant moments of the original process of unionising, the film narrates the coming together of women workers and union activists to form the Pune Shahar Molkarin Sanghatana (Pune City Domestic Workers Union) to fight for their rights. Their unionising process, reflections on their work conditions and the myriad new questions raised that went beyond issues of work and payment drew the attention of many.

Feminist activists from different backgrounds were inspired, joined and supported the struggle. The Yugantar collective, too, recognised this as a moment that allowed deeper explorations of feminist consciousness across class and caste.

As Yugantar’s first film, Molkarin inaugurates the group’s focus on the power of processes of collectivisation, through gathering on the streets, spontaneous strike actions, organised assemblies and long meetings – sitting together sharing experiences, debating, strategising, arguing and laughing.

Domestic workers, mainly Dalit and rural migrants to the city, reflect on their low payment, their lack of security and the normalised humiliating behaviour of their employers, exposing also the participation of middle-class women in working-class women’s oppression.

This film is part of the programme for Naam Mera Kaam ka Nahi, a digital story from the series Frames of Struggle: Tracing a Movement, a collaboration between the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) and Zubaan that activates the Poster Women archive.

Image Credit: Navroze Contractor