New York host
Tina Roth Eisenberg
@swissmiss
Dipti Mehta is an Indian American playwright, performer, and scientist. In this talk, she takes on a journey through her upbringing and the challenges she faced. She urges us to release our own silence and to give voice to those who have none.
Content Warning: This talk discusses forms of trauma, sexual assault, and mental health.
About the speaker

Dipti Mehta is an Indian American playwright, performer, and scientist.
Best known for her portrayal of Reina in Life! Camera Action, Dipti discovered the power of theater at the young age of 6 in Mumbai, India, when she was first cast in a school play. When she was 13, an All India Radio (AIR) programming officer spotted Dipti at an elocution competition and offered her an opportunity to write and broadcast her ideas. It was here that she found a platform to express her developing feminist ideas, eventually becoming a radio jockey, as well as a voice-over artist and a live host for major events delivering programs in both Hindi and English.
Dipti believes in theater as a powerful means for social transformation. Central to her artistic practice is the need to give voice to those who have none.
It is in this light that she created HONOUR: Confessions of a Mumbai Courtesan — to give voice and a face to brothel dwellers, bridging their humanity with that of her audiences. HONOUR has given Dipti a powerful platform to advocate for women’s rights and speak on wide-ranging issues pertaining to inequity and gender. Dipti was also commissioned to write the third chapter in the comic book series Priya’s Shakti. The comic focuses on the issues of human rights and sex trafficking and raises awareness about the stigma that trafficking victims face.
Dipti has a Doctorate in Molecular and Cellular Biology and worked as a research scientist in the field of prostate cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for 10 years. She is also the founder and owner of a boutique skincare company called Dees Apothecary.
Favorite quotes from this talk See all
“Find an empathetic witness and share about your silence. — Dipti Mehta

“Liberation is not a thing you can achieve. It is not a place you can arrive. It is a process – a long, painful process. — Dipti Mehta

“Liberation is not a thing you can achieve or a place you can arrive. It is a process; a long, painful process. — Dipti Mehta
Photos from this talk See all

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