Chembur to Canterbury: Meet this Mumbaikar Ambedkarite taking her art overseas

Prajakta Kedare with her first mural in Chembur’s Siddharth Colony

"Jaati hai ki jaati nahi," goes the old adage on caste. Translation: Such is the nature of caste, that it never leaves you. Ask 24-year-old Prajakta Kedare, who was born and brought up in the Maximum City that prides itself for being progressive. "When I knocked on the doors of a college for admission, the answer was curt, ‘We prefer not to admit students from Siddharth Colony [a Dalit settlement in Chembur]," she recalls. A giant leap from her one-room home, Kedare is now eyeing a move to the University for the Creative Arts in Canterbury in 2027, where an invitation to the MA Visual Communication batch awaits her.

Artworks featuring Jyotirao Phule

"The first-ever mural I made was on the walls of my neighbourhood on the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar in 2025. As my art evolved, I realised that female empowerment was of utmost importance in the already-marginalised communities. The lens of gender adds a multitude of layers to the caste problem. This cause became the driving force for my art," she recalls.

Namdeo Dhasal. PICS COURTESY/ARTIST

Now a designer and a rising name in Ambedkarite art circles, this is not the first time opportunity has come knocking on Kedare's doors. Earlier, the prestigious Royal College of Art in London sent a letter of acceptance. Owing to the structure of the State Government's official foreign scholarship programme for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students (out of 75 seats, only nine were allocated to the Arts in 2025-26), the artist had to let the opportunity pass.

Prajakta Kedare

"My goal is to pave a path for young artists in my community. When I come back, I want them to look at me and know that it is perfectly possible to dream of higher education, and achieve it too. With costs of living, paperwork, and tuition fees piling up, Kedare is turning to Mumbaikars to help crowd-fund the dream.

Log on to: @prajakta_.art