| Username |
Post |
| Khonde |
Posted
on 11-Nov-03 05:12 AM
Every time the teacher called names from the register, there would be a special inflection in her tone while spelling out my surname. Sometimes she would even call me Ranaji (And I was just a fifth-grader). Then there was another incident when I was in class seven. My English teacher was talking about female smokers and according to her mostly the Rana women smoke since they are bold and brazen, and if I remember correctly, she even asked me if my mother smoked. She does not.
Reading Nepali poems written in defiance of the Rana regime and studying critical pieces on how the rulers exercised unfair standards have been one humbling experience for me. I am in no way less proud of the sacrifices that were made by our martyrs. But assuming from my surname that I would want history to repeat itself or looking at my countenance and judging by a long nose that I must be arrogant is a misconception.
Samrat Upadhyays This World features a character called Jaya who is a frivolous Rana boy and during the progression of the plot our boy Jaya falls in love with a Brahmin girl but he cheats her and the girls mother implies that the fault lies with his heritage. According to her, someone needs to remind him that aristocracy has already fallen down. Touché. Now, my point is, why not Jaya Upadhyay or Jaya Shrestha? Could a Brahmin boy never break a girls heart?
The recollection of another incident makes me grit my teeth. A friend of mine told me about how she has opened an MSN messenger in which she has added only male acquaintances. She logs in with a false identity. Her online name is Ananya Rana. Under this name, my non-Rana friend chats brashly with boys and has become quite the Virtual Nymph. I have lost respect for her since.
Why cage our minds with cultural misconceptions? Why let our small mindedness come in between a deeper bond that can be formed between human beings of any caste, race or colour? Why let a persons ethnic background come before his/her individuality? A Brahmin does not have to be greedy, a Gurung is not necessarily aggressive and a Rana need not be arrogant, frivolous or brash.
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| BMW |
Posted
on 11-Nov-03 05:57 AM
nepal will never change, we will always be racist and stay with our own group and we will always have our generalizations.. it's just the way it is... , and even for the people living here, they may say they don't care, but i will bet deep down , they would not want their kids to marry outside their caste. it's just our culture.
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| infinite |
Posted
on 11-Nov-03 06:54 AM
I was the bigest racist in my class because the population of our kind of people were the largest in the classroom.I used to call chucho baun,kanjuus newar and a lot more,but when I finished my SLC and went on to other schools I was the one of few people from my caste in the classroom and I was treated differently.I guess it was "Karma".You never realize until you suffer.Well now I have realized it,but my habit of classifying people and stating their nature by thier caste still remains in lil' amounts.I wish I could change that.But the enviornment in which we live,about how our fathers and mothers are racists(eg: today morning my dad was saying how a baun was different from us and as BMW said how my parents is opposing my getting married to my newar boyfriend ) ,I think I tend to sometimes forget that racism is bad.I say Racism is bad but sometimes I forget,and I guess it is just my habit or maybe just the way I was brought up.I know I can't blame it all on my parents,or my realtives,because it is up to me to change my behavior,"bad behavior".I would very like to change thier view but I am too scared to try because they might not like it that a 20 year old daughter of thiers is finding a fault in them and suggesting them to change.
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| Biruwa |
Posted
on 11-Nov-03 09:16 AM
Indeed,
People tend to look at things in groups.This is easier on the humand brain. Just imagine, if when we drive a car we have to think of each and every part and how it is moving.
Yes, people influence us. That is why we need to make good friends. Infact family members can sometimes and in some instances be our worst enemies. They influence us the most.
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| Jaytha |
Posted
on 11-Nov-03 03:39 PM
Jaytha thinks almost everything in Nepal has got to do with a surname. Jetha has had the first hand experience many times. Here are some:
1) As soon as the customs inspector at TIA saw Jaytha's last name, his chuchhe naak started khumchiying. Then Jaytha had to answer all irrelevant questions.
2)At a Charkhal Adda signing ceremony, one so called respected officer offered to help Jaytha to spell Nepali correctly. Jaytha immediately challenged it, and politely requested the reason. The officer was apologetic. He said because of Jaytha's last name.
3)Jaytha was traveling once with a junior colleague. In a HMG office, my junior colleague was served tea in a cup and saucer while I was given in a glass. Needless to say, my colleague protested it. The reason was the last name.
I have thousand of first hand experience like this. Jaytha is just a janati that is not from the mainstream of the bureacracy and powerbrokers. You can imagine how a Dalit is treated in Nepal.
Everything is in a name. Hajur kasma? That is the first question you get asked. I was so embarrassed once when we were asked this question while I was with my distingushed friend (who happened to be a Dalit).
When can we break this caste barrier? Just imagine if you were born as a dalit?? The nonsense title such as, babusaheb, raja, etc., should be totally disbanded.
SO, what's the solution? Well, I have a suggestion. I think one should not write his surname. Instead, it should be a certain surname (Chintan, Pyasi, Nandan, and so forth that does not indicate a certain caste or a group) and any individual, regardless of any caste or class, should be able to choose it. The government, starting with the bureacracy, should ban writing of last name unless it happens to be the one that does not indicate one's caste. I like the names that does not indicate a specific caste. For example, Narayan Gopal, Bachhu Kailash, Nati Kazi, Govinda Bahadur Gothale, and so forth.
Jaytha
"....maanis thulo dil le hunchha jaat le hundaina..." -- Mahakavi Laxmi Prasad
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| Soleil |
Posted
on 11-Nov-03 07:47 PM
Indeed a germane issue pertaining to Nepal, its culture, and us, the people. The saga of differentiating people by their caste or surname isnt a new one. Virtually every caste, higher or lower, one ethnic group or the other, has been victimized by another one, or by a different caste, or by societal norms, time after time. And, fatalism has its root so wide-spread, no one seemingly is out of its grasp, that people tend to be presumptuous and fail to be logical. We assume that such and such caste do such and such thing, that it is hereditary to their caste. Not only that, we also make racial comments just because their surnames or caste doesnt happen to be the one we prefer. We even poke fun on their physical appearance. We are so much entrapped in the whirlpool of the society that we believe, that the so-called social norms, the deranging vitiation, in-fact, is our culture.
For some, playing the blaming game is an easier solution than to rummage around the culprit. Yeah! Blame it on the culture than to actually contemplate and, seek for the ways to overcome these social perversions, if not wholly eradicate them. Then again, its not an easy task. It is a gruesome and challenging mission to change the societal norms. It cannot be transformed overnight. But the real question is, how long shall we keep refraining ourselves from freeing our mind?
Khonde ji, good to know youre a Rana. I see your discomfort towards the long nose. But, I agree totally with you that a persons ethnic background shouldnt come forth his individuality.
Jaytha ji, am sorry to hear you have been victimized by the society on numerous accounts, particularly on your ethnic background. I can feel your frustrations. But, what amazes me that you still hold strong vexation against one chuccho naak caste. In reality, every single caste or the ethnic group does discriminate another race, another ethnic group or so, thats how it has been in our (Nepalese) society. Albeit your standpoint on equality of caste, or rather no caste system, you could not restrain yourself from making that remark about the nose, could you? Mahakavi Devkotas philosophy is indeed soothing to read, but how often do we rehearse and follow practically?
Are we all succumbed to mental slavery? Seems like it for the time being. We cannot change the world until we attempt to change ourselves, our views, our perception and, understanding. Let me conclude my comment here by quoting Bob Marley :
EMANCIPATE YOURSELF FROM MENTAL SLAVERY. NONE, BUT OURSELVES CAN FREE OUR MIND.
In peace!!!!
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| ujol sherchan |
Posted
on 12-Nov-03 12:29 AM
What's in a surname?
Of course, there is a whole lot. There are certain meanings that the surname communicates, whether we like it or not. Take a case in point:
When somebody says my name is Jitendra (and stops right there), I'm like oh ok.
But if he goes on to add Sumsher Rana to that (his name being Jitendra Shumsher
Rana, or for that matter Jitendra Bikram Shah), suddenly I look at him differently.
I cannot help it. There is indeed a perceptional difference between a generic
Jitendra and a Jitendra Shumsher Rana. Lingering remnants of 104 years of
Rana rule, whether real or imagined, cannot be shoved under the carpet easily.
The same holds true of caste-ism which has gone on for god-only- knows
how long. Since Manu I believe.
Many surnames are loaded with meanings , real or imagined: Agrawal (oh he must
be a business man), Biswokarma (oh he must be a Dalit), Upadhyaya (oh he must
be a pukkah bahun) and on and on.
To treat all human beings as equal is indeed an admirable quality, but in a society
where many people are interested in surnames ( i tell a stranger my name is Ujol,
and he asks me pointedly Ujol what?), or drop surnames to go ahead in life, this
is easier said than done.
Even if we were to suddenly do away with surnames (say, through a Royal
decree or constitutional amendment), would we all be perceived as equal?
Hell no. It would still be a progress though, when castism and historical accidents
cease to matter and people are judged, like Rev. Martin Luther dreamed it
should, by the content of their character [or wealth or beauty or mannerisms or American accents or pesonal achievements and on and on].
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| Bhunte |
Posted
on 12-Nov-03 06:38 PM
In surname, one may usually find his/her race, culture, origin, khandaniya history, occupation, etc. There may be many .....
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