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Haskala BiKa
Sarkegaad 6, Humla
We are a small community of Dalits. Our homes are below the homes of the Shahi-Thakuris. And it is their rules. Even though, discrimination against caste is criminalized in the country, we do not feel safe for ourselves and our families.
We are prohibited from going into their houses because we are considered “untouchables”, meaning that we are impure and if we touch them than they have to purify themselves to avoid anything bad happening to them.
If our children by mistake run onto their premises they are severely reprimanded – beaten and humiliated. Same goes for the adults. Sometimes, if we report them to the authorities they barge into our homes and humiliate us and threaten us and our children.
They also cut the water suppliesto our tap at will. So we do not know when the water will stop. The water is supposed to be distributed evenly to all the household in the hills but they divert it to their homes. That leaves our taps dry making us walk down to the Karnali to fetch water. We all know that the we all have polluted the water of the Karnali, nonetheless, we just bring the water and drink it. It is cumbersome to boil the water. Sometimes the kids get sick but eventually recover. I do not know how long this will last.
Going to the banks of the Karnali is also not safe. Sometimes there are big rapids and they could take us away. Many of our water containers have been taken by the river.
We also do not own any cultivable land. The road track that was dug up by the government took it all. And this square of a land where our homes are built is being eyed up by the upper caste. They cannot bear to see us here and would rather have us and our children leave the place for ever.
That is why many of the men leave and only elderly remain, women and the Dhami-Daangris remain here. There is no option other than to migrate to another place where you are not looked-down upon. Even the one school where our children go has collapsed and there is no word from anyone about reconstructing it.
As I said before, discrimination against caste is criminalized in the country but we do not feel safe for ourselves and our families. Until and unless people realize that we are all equal and that all our blood is red and unless people love and share with each other then Dalit communities like us will never know peace and justice.
हस्कला बिक,
सर्केगाड ६, हुम्ला
हामी एउटा सानो दलित समुदाय हौँ । शाहि-ठकुरिको बस्तिको तल हाम्रो बस्ति छ । यहाँ उनीहरुकै राज चल्छ । जतिय विभेदलाई राज्यले अपराध भनेर कानून ल्याए पनि हामी सुरक्षित महसुस गर्दैनौँ ।
छुवाछुतका कारण हामीहरु उहाँहरुको घरमा जादैनौँ । हामीहरु उहाँहरुको घर आँगनमा छिर्यौँ भने अशुभ हुन्छ र उहाँहरुको देउता रिसाउदा उहाँहरु चोखिनुपर्छ भन्ने उहाँहरुको भनाइ छ ।
हाम्रा छोराछोरीहरु गल्तीले उनीहरुको घरआँगनमा छिरिहाले भने उनीहरु दन्डित हुन्छन् । कि पिटाइ खान्छन् कि तथानाम गाली सुन्नुपर्छ । ठुलाहरु गए पनि त्यस्तै गर्छन् । कहिलेकाहीँ हामीमाथि हुने दमन हामीले पुलिसलाई भन्दा केही कारवाही हुँदैन। सबैतिर उनीहरुकै हालिमुहालि छ । हामीले कसैलाई केहि भन्यौँ भने हाम्रो घर मै आएर हामीलाई धम्काउछन् । हामी सँधै डरै डरमा बाच्नुपरेको छ।
उनीहरुले हाम्रो धारामा आउने पाइप काटेर पानी पनि अवरुद्ध गरिदिन्छन् । कहिले पानी बन्द हुन्छ हामीलाई थाह नै हुँदैन । सबै घरमा एकनासले पानी बितरण हुनुपर्ने हो तर पाइप घुसाएर आफ्नो घरतिर मात्र लान्छन् । त्यसो हुँदा हाम्रो धारा सुक्खा हुन्छ अनि फेरी हामी कर्णाली नै धाउनुपर्छ । हामी सबैलाई थाह छ हामीले कर्णालीको पानी प्रदुषित गरिसक्यौँ भनेर । तर घरमा ल्याएर उमालेर खान पनि सजिलो छैन । यतिकै पिउछौँ । क़हिलेकाहीँ छोरीहरु बिरामी पर्छन् । यो कहिलेसम्म चल्ने हो, खै मलाई थाह छैन।
कर्णाली किनार जान पनि जोखिमपुर्ण छ । ठुलो भल बगेको बेलामा हामीलाई नि बगाएर लान सक्छ । हाम्रो धेरै पानी ओसार्ने गाग्रीहरु कर्णालीले लगिसक्यो ।
हाम्रो आफ्नो खेति गर्न ठाउँ पनि छैन । बाटोको ट्रयाक खन्दा सरकारले सबै जमिन लग्यो । अब यो चार कुना जग्गा बाँकी छ जहाँ हाम्रो घर छ । त्यो पनि उपल्लो जातकाले आँखा लगाउछन् । हामीलाई देखि सहनन् । उनीहरुको चहाना भनेको हामीले यो ठाउँ छाडेर जानु नै हो।
यिनै कारणहरुले गर्दा हाम्रो समुदायका धेरै पुरुषहरु विदेसिएका छन्। अब बुढापाका, महिला र धामीझाँक्रीहरु मात्र बाँकी छन् । अपहेलित भएर बस्नुभन्दा त यो ठाउँ छाडेर जानु नै ठिक सोच्छन् । हाम्रो छोराछोरी जाने एक मात्र विद्यालाय पनि भत्किएको छ, त्यो पनि कहिले बन्ने हो हामीलाई थाह छैन ।
जतिय विभेदलाई राज्यले अपराध भनेर कानून ल्याए पनि हामी सुरक्षित महसुस गर्दैनौँ । सबैले हामी समान हो, सबैको एउटै रगत हो, मायाले बाढेर नखाएसम्म हाम्रो जस्तो दलित बस्तिहरुले कहिले शान्ति र न्याय पाउँदैनन् ।
