# Suraj Yengde

Suraj Milind Yengde (born 1988) is an Indian scholar, author, and human right activist. Recognized as one of India's leading public intellectuals on caste, race, and social justice, he has made a significant impact at the global level. He is the author of the bestseller Caste Matters and co-editor of The Radical in Ambedkar, an award-winning anthology. Yengde is a W.E.B. Du Bois Fellow at Harvard University and serves as a research associate in the Department of African and African American Studies. Named one of the 25 Most Influential Young Indians by GQ magazine, the Most influential Young Dalit by Zee, he is a prominent voice in Dalit and Black studies, contributing significantly to global discussions on social inequality and institutional accountability.

## Early life

Suraj Yengde, born in 1988 in Nanded, Maharashtra, into a Dalit Buddhist family. He grew up in the Janata Housing Society, a community built by educated Buddhist Dalits. His father, Milind Yengde, worked as a peon in a bank and was actively involved in the Dalit Panther movement before becoming a member of BAMCEF (Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). His father also runs a weekly magazine called Vashtunisth vichaar.
Suraj completed his schooling in Nanded and pursued higher education at Nanded Law College from 2005 to 2010, earning degrees in BSL and LLB. Despite the challenges of a feudal college environment, Yengde was elected as the General Secretary of the student council and participated in national and international essay and debate competitions.

## Career

From 2011 to 2012, Suraj studied environmental and human rights law at Birmingham City University, UK, earning an LLM degree. During this time, he interned with the United Nations Secretariat, collaborating with experts on global human rights laws. He later traveled to Switzerland to work with UN rapporteurs and decision-makers.
Suraj then moved to South Africa to further his education and understand African liberation movements while promoting Ambedkarite Dalit movements. He completed a PhD in Anthropology at the University of Johannesburg, becoming the first Dalit scholar to earn a doctorate from an African university. His thesis, South-South Migration: An Ethnographic Study of an Indian Business District in Johannesburg, introduced the concept of "smartphone migration".
In South Africa, Suraj published articles like "Caste Among Indians in Africa" in EPW Weekly. He admires Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as a lifelong inspiration for his activism.
Dr. Suraj Yengde has pursued his studies across four continents: Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. He studied law in England and South Africa and is currently a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University, USA. His research focuses on caste, race, and social hierarchies, and he is working on developing theories in Dalit and Black studies.

### Books and writings

In 2019, Suraj Yengde authored Caste Matters, a critically acclaimed book listed in The Hindu's "Best Non-Fiction Books of the Decade."
In 2018, he co-edited The Radical in Ambedkar: Critical Reflections with Anand Teltumbde.
Currently, Yengde is working on an English biography of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Caste: A New History of the World with Allen Lane.

## Awards and recognitions

* Nominated for the Sahitya Akademi, India's highest literary award.
* Recipient of the "Dr. Ambedkar Social Justice Award" (Canada, 2019).
* Honored with the "Rohith Vemula Memorial Scholar Award" (2018).
* Featured as Most Influential Young Dalit by zee.
* Named among "25 Most Influential Young Indians of 2021" by GQ, a prominent magazine focusing on style, masculinity, fashion, and lifestyle.
* Featured as himself in the American biographical drama film Origin (2023).