Spotlight on Extraordinary Women - Shilpa Raj, Author
Shilpa Raj is the Author of 'The Elephant Chaser’s Daughter' and the documentary 'Daughters of Destiny'.
Shilpa Raj, the daughter of a housemaid and an elephant chaser from a South Indian village, Shilpa Raj’s life changed dramatically when she was selected at the age of four to attend Shanti Bhavan, a boarding school for children from poor families.
Shilpa completed high school with distinction in 2011—the first in her family to do so—and went on to pursue college education and receive a Master’s degree in psychological counselling. Presently, she is working towards a PHD in Clinical Psychology.
Her memoir, The Elephant Chaser’s Daughter, which was published in 2017 reveals her story as a young girl confronting her low status in a caste-based society, and her aspirations for modernity and freedom.
Shilpa started on her memoir at the age of sixteen. While working on her book, she learned more about the struggles of her family. Her passion for discovery took her back to where she was born, a forested village in South India, where she spoke at length with family members and neighbours who revealed to her their tales of suffering, violence, and indignity.
Read her book: 'The Elephant Chaser's Daughter' and watch the documentary 'Daughters of Destiny' about the school Shilpa went to.