Film Screening and Discussion: Gail and Bharat (2025) dir. Somnath Waghmare

The event is at the main events space on the lower ground floor of Pelican House.

Join us for a film screening of Gail and Bharat (2025), directed by Somnath Waghmare- a film that follows the shared life and activism of Gail Omvedt and Bharat Patankar, a brilliant anti-caste activist couple who based their work in Kasegav, Maharashtra, India.

The screening will be followed by a discussion between Somnath Waghmare and Panchsheel Gaikwad on the production process of the film, anti-caste film-making practice and more

Please do consider the donation tickets that will help Pelican House run community events like these if you have the means.

Read more about Gail's work here:

https://www.roundtableindia.co.in/dr-gail-omvedt-a-scholar-who-links-theory-to-the-fight-for-change/

https://countercurrents.org/2021/08/gail-omvedt-a-scholar-dedicated-to-phule-ambedkar-ideology/

Somnath Waghmare

Somnath Waghmare is a Mumbai-based Dalit documentary filmmaker and film researcher. He completed his M. Phil from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, Masters in Media and communication from Pune University and BA Sociology in Shivaji University Kolhapur. He has previously worked as a contract employee at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune and was an apprentice with Amnesty International,India. At present, he is pursuing his PhD in Social Sciences from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai.

To show his film work he was invited as a guest by the Media and Communication Department, London School of Economics, Columbia University, Princeton University and University of Gottingen Germany. His recent documentary Chaityabhumi is released on MUBI. He made four documentary films, I am not a Witch ( 2015), The Battle Bhima Koregaon : An Unending Journey (2017), Memories of Mangaon (2022) , There is no caste discrimination in IIT’s ?(2023).

Panchsheel Gaikwad

Panchsheel Gaikwad is a documentary filmmaker from Pune, India, now based in London. His practice traces the intersections of caste, migration, and intergenerational memory. Drawing on family histories and Ambedkarite legacies, his films move between the personal and the political to explore how the past remains active in the present.
Alongside his film practice, he is also involved in digitising and archiving Marathi Ambedkarite literature and media, making vital community histories more widely accessible.

India Labour Solidarity

India Labour Solidarity (ILS) is a UK-based anti-caste collective that:

• advocates for solidarities across global labour movements through a focus on workers’ struggles in India and the UK
• extends solidarity with people who are resisting colonialism and militarisation, as well as the broader aspects of imperialism that perpetuate labour and climate injustices

India Labour Solidarity is committed to creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive space for everyone participating in this event. We acknowledge that discussions may touch on sensitive issues such as caste based discrimination and other forms of systemic injustice.

We ask all attendees to:

• Listen with care and respect the lived experiences being shared.
• Avoid discriminatory, dismissive, or inflammatory language.
• Be mindful of power dynamics and give space to those who may be marginalised or less heard.
• Respect confidentiality: do not share personal stories or identities outside this space without explicit consent.

If at any point you feel uncomfortable or witness something that concerns you, please speak to a designated safeguarding lead (name and contact to be provided), who will be available throughout the event.

Accessibility info:

The event space is level throughout as well as one accessible WC.

Location / Transport• Closest tube/overground: Bethnal Green tube & overground stations — walking distance.
• Several bus routes nearby (e.g. stops on Cephas Street / Three Colts Lane).