The non-Dalits gave fines to Dalits

In Machhagadh, Dalits could be sentenced to pay a fine to non-Dalits. Today the discrimination has been eradicated with help from Dalit Welfare Organisation.

By Malene Lærke

06. March 2007

Nandakala B.K. sat in her house when she was given a 500 rupees fine from a non-Dalit. He had been passing her house while listening to the radio he was carrying. He claimed that her child had made him loose the grip on the radio so that it fell to the ground and broke. He told her that she had to give him 500 rupees so that he could replace the radio.

“At that time things were so difficult for us. We could not enter the house of a non-Dalit and we were always discriminated. We were told that we couldn’t speak to them. They told us that we are dominated beings and that we are not equal and we were told always to keep distance,” tells Nandakala B.K., member of the Mount Everest Dalit Women’s Savings Group under Dalit Welfare Organisation, DWO.

“Before we established this group when we were walking on the public roads the children of high castes would shout to us that we are low beings and if we by mistake entered the house of a high caste we would have to pay a fine,” recalls Motikala B.K. and tells how she was forced to pay 600 rupees fine.

The village Machhagadhu, ward no. 3 in Deudakala VDC in Bardiya district is divided into two territories; one for Dalits and one for non-Dalits and a drain is put in between the two territories. It is the non-Dalits that controls when the drain will be open or closed which hampered the farming for the Dalits.

“I went to his house and I requested him to open the drain because we needed the water for our fields. He told me that I am a low being and that I should no dare to come near him,” tells Motikala B.K.

Then the whole group went and the women tell there was a lot of tension and hard discussion. They were pressurized and in the end they had to touch his feet and say that they would do as he commanded and had to pay a fine worth 600 rupees to him.

Today the discrimination is decreasing in the village. One battle won was when the non-Dalit who gave Nandakala B.K. a 500 rupees fine after a visit from DWO and the women’s group paid back the fine and gave additional 500 rupees for the women’s saving fund.

“Before we could not even touch a buffalo because the belief was that if we did so it would start jumping in the trees,” tells Panmati B.K.

“Because we are in a group we are strong and we can go against them. When we all stand together we can make a change. Therefore the discrimination is no longer happening. We have also gained consciousness that we are not low beings. We are also human beings and our blood has the same colour,” says Asari B.K. and give the example that when they got the 500 rupees fine back they went as a group and before they went they had discussed how to put the issue forward.

One of the main changes in the community the women feel is that a non-Dalit has chosen to become a member of the group one year ago.

“I strongly wanted to part of this group when I had understood that there is no difference between us. The caste system is made by our forefathers and this is man-made and therefore it is not natural,” explains Parbati Shahi who used to discriminate Dalits.

“I did it a lot and I followed all rules and regulations. Dalits were not allowed to come close to me and if they asked for water I would pour it from a high distance into their hands. That is what I have learned to do,” she tells.

She has been criticised by her husband for joining the group and he does not believe that she can benefit from the group at all.

“But this has not been true. I get a lot of support from my new friends and I have also had the possibility to get a loan from the group fund. Fortunately it is only my husband that has been criticising me. The others in our community have not said anything,” says Parbati Shahi.

“Now discrimination has been eradicated and people know that to hate other people is bad. Everybody should be cooperative and the whole environment should be fair otherwise we will all always be back warded,” says Jaisara Nepali.