Ruth Manorama

Who is Ruth Manorama?

Ruth Manorama is widely known in India for her contributions in bringing Dalit issues to the mainstream, especially the precarious situation of Dalit women in India. Manorama, herself from the Dalit community, calls the women "Dalits among the Dalits". However, being of the Christian faith, she cannot be said to be a Dalit, as Christianity accepts no castes. She is therefore, not officially recongnised as being a Dalit. This has highlighted the plight of Dalit women in the community and the media. Ruth has also contributed enormously to breaking the upper-class, upper-caste image of the women's movement in India. In 2005, she was one of 1000 nominees for the '1000 women for the Nobel Peace Prize' campaign. In 2006, she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award.