An Indian-American professor, Shailaja Paik, conducting research on and writing about Dalit women has received a USD 800,000 "genius" grant from the MacArthur Foundation which gives out awards every year to people with extraordinary achievements or potential.

Announcing her fellowship, the Foundation said, “Through her focus on the multifaceted experiences of Dalit women, Paik elucidates the enduring nature of caste discrimination and the forces that perpetuate untouchability.”