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Kaushila Pal
Sarkegaad 4, Humla
We do not stay at our homes during our periods. We stay in the community Chaugoth.
We all do this to avoid angering our Deu (God/Diety). For 4 days we stay in the Chaugoth. We are not allowed no come into the house, cook, or give offerings to the god. If has been the belief for a long time that during menstruation our blood becomes impure and that if we touch anything then bad luck will befall us and our family. Sometimes I question to myself if this is all true.
There are a lot of organizations and people who consider this as superstition. They have warned us against banishing women and girls to Chaugoth during their periods. But it is difficult to abandon our practices all at once. ere in our community we have decided that we will have one communal Chaugoth that women can stay in during their periods. We used to have individual Chaugoth sometime ago. The other thing that has changed is the number of days. We used to stay away from home for 7 days but it is now 4. The Dhami-Dangris (Shamans) were reluctant to decrease the number of days but eventually they coaxed the Deutas and he too agreed.
This Chaugoth is not a safe place to stay and does not have the comforts of home. It is not cemented but is made of mud. You have seen how muddy the whole village gets if it rains for a day. And there is no electricity so we have to make sure we keep the fire burning all the time. At night, we are afraid of wild animals, snakes and people with bad intentions who mean us harm. There have been cases of rape in the country when girls are in the Chaugoth and I am afraid for my girls.
Cleaning ourselves is our biggest challenge. Since we bathe everyday and have to keep the Chaugoth clean we need abundant water. There is a tap right outside of the Chaugoth but we are prohibited from using it. The Dhami-Dangri use the taps and we are told not to make the taps impure. So we avoid using the tap and the water even though it is at a distance of 5 feet from the Chaugoth.
That means that everyday we have to go to the Karnali river to clean ourselves. We have to bring our own water to clean the Chaugoth. It is difficult as women tend to have cramps and get sick during menstruation.
We change our sanitary pads and clothes everyday. Many just throw them in the river because there is no proper place for disposal. There should be a bin with a lid. And at the end of the stay in the Chaugoth all women who have used it must burn the pads and clean the bin for another woman to use.
Some do it some don’t. I feel a sting on my heart thinking how we drink the water from the Karnali and still dump our dirt and waste into the river and make it dirty.
कौशिला पाल
सर्केगाड ४,हुम्ला
महिनावरि भएको बेला मा हामी हम्रो देउता रिसा उला भन्ने डरले हामि ४ दिनका लागि बाहिर बस्छौ।
त्यतिबेला हामि घर भित्र आउदैनौ । खाना पकाउदैनौ र देउता लाइ केहि चडाउदैनौ । धेरै समय देखि यो प्रथा मानिदै आएको हो। महिनावारि भएको महिला को रगत फोर हुन्छ र यो बेला केहि छोयो भने देउता रिसाएर घर परिवार म असुभ घटना हरु घट्छन भन्ने विस्वास छ । यो सबै सत्य हो कि असत्य भनेर म कहिले काहि आफुलाइ नै प्रश्न गर्छु। घर मा बस्दैनौ। हामि छा उ गोठ मा बस्छौ।
अहिले त धेरै सन्स्थाहरु र व्यक्तिहरु ले यो अन्धविस्वास हो भन्छन। महिला र किषोरिहरु ला इ महिनावारि हुदा छाउगोठमा पठा उ न पाइदैन भन्छन । तर गरिआएको रिति रिवाझ एकै छोटि छाड्न पनि ग़र्हो छ। हर्मो समुदाय मा सामुदायिक छाउगोठ स्थपना गरि महिना वारि हुदा महिला र किशोरिहरु त्यहि बस्ने भन्ने समझ्दारि भएको छ। पहिले सबै को आफ्नो आफ्नो घर आन्गनमा छाउगोठ हुन्थ्यो। अर्को फेरिएको भनेको महिनावरि बार्नु पर्ने दिन ७ बाट ४ बना इ एको छ। धामि डान्ग्रि हरु माने का थियेनन तर अनत्यत देउता ला इ भोग चडाएर खुसि पारे अनि देउता पनि माने।
छाउ गोठ सुरक्षित र घर जस्तो पनि त छैन। माटोले बनेकोछ , प्लास्टर लगाएको छैन। तपैले देख्नु नै भयो एक दिन पानि पर्यो भने गा उ मा कति हिलो हुन्छ। अनि बत्ति पनि त छैन। रात भरि आगो बालेर बस्नु पर्छ। राति त हामि सबै ला इ डर लाग्छ। जन्गलि जनावर हरु को पनि डर छ अनि सर्प हरु को पनि । त्यो माथि गलत नजर ले हेर्ने पुरुश हरु पनि छन। देश भर छा उ गोठ मा बसेको बेला महिला हरुको बलात्कार भएको घटना पनि त सुनिन्छ। मेरो छोरिहरु महिनावारि भएको बेलामा मलाइ सारै डर लाग्छ।
महिनावारि भएको बेलामा सफा बस्न नि ठुलो सन्घर्श हो । महिनावारि हुदा हामि हरेक दिन नुवाहुने गर्छौ। अनि छाउगोठ पनि त सफा राख्नु पर्यो। त्यस्का लागि प्रसस्थ पानीको आवस्यकता हुन्छ । धारा त छा उ गोठ कै अगाडि छ तर हामिले प्रयोग गर्न मिल्दैन। धमि डान्ग्रि ले प्रयोग गर्ने हुदा हामिले छोयो भने अपवित्र हुन्छ भन्ने भना इ छ। ५ फीट अगाडि धारा हुदा हुदै पनि हामिले प्रयोग गर्न पाउदैनौ।
त्यहि भएर हरेक दिन हामि नुहाउन कर्नालि धाउन बाध्य छौ । फेरि छा उ गोठ सफा राख्न पनि पानि ओसार्नु पर्छ। यो सबै गर्न हामि ला इ गर्होछ किन भने कैले हाम्रो पेत दुखेको हुन्छ कहिले बिरामि परेका हुन्छौ।
लुगा र प्याड पनि हामि हरेक दिन फेर्छौ । सहि तरिका फोहोर ब्यवस्थापन नहुनाले धेरै ले प्याडहरु खोलामा नै फालिदिन्छन। एउटा ढकन भयेको भादो भये सबैले त्यहि फाल्ने थियौ। आफुले छा उ गोठ प्रयोग गरे पछि त्यस ला इ सफा राख्ने , फोहोर जलाएर फालिदिने सबै को जिम्मे वारि हो जस्तो मला इ लाग्छ। कसैले गर्छन , कसैले गर्दैनन ।
क़र्नालिको जुन पानि हामिले पिउछौ त्या नै हामिले फोहोर मिसाइरहेका छौ। यो सोच्दा मेरो मन चिसो भएर आउछ ।