Janak Raj Sapkota: Dalits in Tarai still facing hand-to-mouth problem

Dalits in Tarai still facing hand-to-mouth problem

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- Janak Raj Sapkota

It is a story from a small village of southern Nepal where people have been reeling under extreme poverty and hand-to-mouth problem. Illiteracy, hunger and child marriage are common phenomenon in this deprived village. This is the story of Dom and Musahar community—which are considered as an untouchable castes in Hindu tradition.

Sunil Dom got married at the age of 14 and he is now father of four children at the age of 22. And, he arranged marriage of his 4 years old son, Lalan, two years back from the adjoining Indian state of Bihar.

Unbelievable to many but Lalan, 6 at present, has his wife and before reaching to the maturity he has responsibility of his wife. Lalan, who is supposed to appear in School, is not privileged enough to go to school due to poverty. In his village Prasauni, 176 miles away from capital city Kathmandu, he has only one dream of eating locally produced cheap sweat.

These caste groups, treated as untouchables, have no access to proper health and sanitary services. Few of them have connectivity to the nearby city Kalaiya – district headquarter of Bara District.

Modern way of life have been a far cry to them. For instance, they use thin green bamboo sticks to brush their teeth. They are yet to be exposed to toothpaste and brush to clean their teeth. Only handful residents of this poverty-stricken village are habituated to brush their teeth.

From the morning to the evening, their life style is similar to medieval lifestyle. Open defecation on roadsides or fields are common and residents of is village are not familiar to sanitizer and shops to wash hand.

Punita Malli, 20, from Nengada, another village of Saptari district southern part of the country shares similar stories. Mother of two sons, she is compelled to sleep on floor without blanket and mats. Her husband grazes pigs for living. Even in freezing cold, her children do not have clothes to wear to keep warm.

Pneumonia and malnurition are common problem among so-called untouchables. Punit is worried over fate of his sons since her neighbor Pulam Marik, 20, lost her 21-day old son in December due to an unidentified disease.

Nevertheless, many locals in the village considered infant mortality as a result of fate of new born child. It is fate, says locals Pawan Ram, 50 from the village. "Children live until the God directs them to live."

Punita and Pulam are the representatives of hundreds of Dalits who never get to see warm beds and blankets in their entire life. For some sleeping on a pile of hay and covering themselves with straw mat is the most they can afford for protecting themselves in harsh winter. However, for many even this measure is unaffordable.

Every year, scores of children and elderly people of these communities face untimely death in winter as they lack warm clothes, blankets and other protective measures. The winter has already claimed the life of 50 people in the Terai range (southern part ) of the country.

So far as the occupations of these groups are concerned, most of them make their living by cleaning toilets, drainages and burying vermin. The eon-old caste-based discrimination has pushed them so backward that they are bearing its brunt hitherto.

In many places of Madhesh, even the sight of the so called untouchables like Mushar and Dom is considered a bad omen by the so called high-caste groups.

Politicians are the Gods for them. On the other hand, politicians never tries to translate their promise into action. During elections, politicians pledge to provide facility but never come back until next election, opines Sharven Ram,32.

Travelling by the major villages of the southern par of Nepal, one can feel the complexities of lives which is reeling under hunger and poverty.

Photo credit: Janak Raj Sapkota

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Janak Raj Sapkota

Dalits in Tarai still facing hand-to-mouth problem

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