Yashica Dutt Age, Husband, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Profession	Writer
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 161 cm in meters- 1.61 m in feet & inches- 5’ 3”
Eye Colour	Dark Brown
Hair Colour	Medium Brown
Career
Journalist	Hindustan Times: • Principal Correspondent (2011-2014) [1]Yashica Dutt - LinkedIn • Deputy Chief Copy Editor (2011-2012) [2]Yashica Dutt - LinkedIn Freelancer Journalist: • Livemint • HuffPost India • Scroll.in • The Wire
Writer	Hindustan Times: Fashion Writer (2011) Others: • The New York Times • The Atlantic • The Foreign Policy
Author	'Coming Out as Dalit: A Memoir’ (2019) [3]Yashica Dutt
Awards	Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puruskar 2020: For the book 'Coming Out as Dalit: A Memoir’ (2019)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	5 February 1986 (Wednesday)
Age (as of 2024)	38 Years
Birthplace	Ajmer, Rajasthan, India [4]The Indian Express
Zodiac sign	Aquarius
Nationality	Indian
School	Sophia Boarding School in Merta City, Nagpur, India (1990-2004) [5]Yashica Dutt - LinkedIn
College/University [6]Yashica Dutt - LinkedIn	• St. Stephen's College, Delhi (2004-2007) • The School of Convergence, New Delhi (2005-2006) • Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City (2014-2015)
Educational Qualification(s) [7]Yashica Dutt - LinkedIn	• Graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Stephen's College, Delhi • Pursued a diploma in Media Studies at the School of Convergence • Pursued a master's degree in Arts and Culture Journalism at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Caste	Dalit [8]PBS NewsHour - YouTube
Food Habit	Eggetarian [9]Yashica Dutt - Instagram
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Family
Husband/Spouse	N/A
Parents	Father- An excise officer Mother- Shashi [10]The Guardian (worked at several jobs) [11]Civil Society
Siblings	Yashica Dutt has two siblings [12]The Guardian
Favourites
Food	Eggs, Toast [13]Yashica Dutt - Instagram
Writer/Author	Margo Jefferson (a Pulitzer Prize-winning cultural critic and an author) [14]Yashica Dutt - Instagram

Some Lesser Known Facts About Yashica Dutt

• Yashica Dutt is an Indian writer who writes on various social issues like gender inequality, caste discrimination, class, and identity.

• She grew up in a family which is observed as untouchables, ^[15]Scroll.in also identified as Dalit, a group at the bottom of the caste system hierarchy in Indian society.

• According to Yashica, her mother, Shashi, was worried about her admission to a private school as she knew that belonging to such a caste in the society with poor financial conditions would make it complicated and worse for Yashica to survive in a school which had students from upper class as well. Looking at the situation, Shashi advised Yashica to hide her identity of being a “Dalit” and make everyone in the school believe that she belonged to an upper class of society. ^[16]Scroll.in

• In an interview, Yashica Dutt shared how she used to follow her mother’s advice and tried every possible thing to make sure that no one gets to know her caste. Yashica also revealed that she used to observe the lifestyle of other “upper-class” girls in her dormitory; moreover, Yashica would often apply ubtan (face pack) that her mother gave her to avoid the “Dalit look” on her face. ^[17]Scroll.in Yashica said,
  

  I was born a light-skinned child who grew up to be progressively darker, until my skin tone was the same as Mum’s. This became a constant source of anxiety for her. Before I was old enough to remember or protest, she started bathing me with ubtans – something I had no choice but to follow till middle school.” ^[18]Scroll.in

  She added,

  My seven years so far had taught me nothing about standing up for myself, or defending what I thought was right. I also lacked the entitlement that a combination of wealth and caste pride allow many, even at that young age, to take on much older, more influential bullies with fortitude. I was poor and pretending to be upper caste in a hostel filled with mostly older girls; I had to fit in.” ^[19]Scroll.in

• In the interview, Yashica admitted that studying in a convent school and changing her surname was helpful for her to appear as a non-Dalit in society. ^[20]Scroll.in She said,
  

  My convent school education, a non-Dalit sounding last name, and skin colour that was ‘dusky but still not dirty’ eased my passing as a non-Dalit. “Beta, what caste are you from?” “Aunty, Brahmin.” A lie I spoke so often and with such conviction, that I not only fooled my friends’ mothers but even myself.” ^[21]The Indian Express

• According to Yashica, her family adopted the surname ‘Dutt’ and replaced their original surname ‘Nidaniya.’ ^[22]PBS NewsHour

• In an interview, Yashica Dutt recalled her first experience of accepting her caste as a Dalit in public. According to her, she was 15 when she visited her friend’s house, where she was offered to have a glass of water by her friend’s mother, and right after that, she was asked about her caste to which Yashica revealed her true caste following which she was asked to leave. ^[23]PBS NewsHour – YouTube Yashica added that after a few days when she met her friend again, she told Yashica that her parents wanted her to not be friends with her. ^[24]PBS NewsHour – YouTube

• According to Yashica, she did not let anyone know about her caste for more than a decade. ^[25]PBS NewsHour

• Reportedly, in 2016, after the incident of suicide committed by an Indian PhD student at Hyderabad Central University to protest against the discrimination faced by all Dalits across South Asia including him, Yashica Dutt came out as a Dalit publically. ^[26]PBS NewsHour

• After declaring herself a Dalit, Yashica invited people to write about their part of the stories and send them on Facebook and Tumbler. ^[27]PBS NewsHour

• Inspired by the experiences shared by the people from different parts of the country on the ‘Document of Dalit Discrimination,’ a platform formed by Yashica Dutt for people facing discrimination and going through depression to share their experiences so that they could feel better in any possible way, Yashica decided to write a book on the same which came out to be an award-winning book. ^[28]Yashica Dutt

• In 2019, Yashica came up with ‘Coming Out as Dalit: A Memoir,’ a book consisting of real-life experiences that stress the discrimination faced by the Dalits in India. ^[29]Yashica Dutt In her book, Yashica wrote,
  

  We leave behind our food, our songs, our culture and our last names, so we can be ‘better’ and ‘purer’, more ‘upper’ caste and less Dalit. We don’t leave our Dalitness behind just so we can blend more easily. We do it because sometimes that’s our only option.” ^[30]Yashica Dutt

  

  Yashica Dutt signing copies of her book in one of the bookstores in Delhi

• Yashica likes to cook, and she often shares her cooking experience, especially breakfast, on social media. ^[31]Yasica Dutt – Instagram
  

  Breakfast cooked by Yashica Dutt – Sunnyside on the top and toasts covered with almond butter and peanuts