| Romeo |
Posted
on 17-Aug-01 12:30 PM
Guys and gals! I've been reading about Taliban Bahunis and similar racist comments. I'm no fan of Rekha Sharma. She's very wrong and mind you not all brahmins might support her. Let us not be racists to the extent of calling people bahuns and jyapus etc. Why do Nepalis have to pinpoint people by their last names? Unless we stop saying bahuns and jyapus and bhotes we won't stop anything. I believe we all are educated and at least know how to read and write. Then why do we raise issues of jaat bhaat? If you have a newar mom and a bahun dad, does that make you a lobhi bahun? or a jyapu? If you have an indian dad and a nepali mom, does that make you a dhoti? If you live in ktm but your parents are from the terai how do you feel when people talk about dhotis or madises? The largest number of Nepalis live in the terai compared to any other part.
It's amazing why lots of us immediately come to a conclusion about castes. Can't we stop talking about what castes so and so is? Even when we meet we ask last names. Do we have to do that? Remember when you call others names, someone else is doing the same to you too. If you call someone a dhoti, another might be calling you a jyapu or a lobhi bahun.
Do we do this simply to put in some masala to the discussion forum? We should recognize each other as Nepali and not as any other type. Any person born and brought up in Nepal and who can speak Nepali is a Nepali. Unfortunately due to this very attitude of discrimination, the government is as weak as ever. We could be madhesis or pahadis or sherpas, but are people of Nepal after all. A surname makes no difference.
Times are changing but even after living abroad many still have the tendency to ask what caste so and so is. I guess that's deep rooted in our mind and culture. But that will take us nowhere. A bahun can have an excellent pal in a newar or vice versa. A sherpa can be cordial to a madhesi. But once we start forming groups of our own types, we're all screwed up. But then aren't Nepalis born with that feature? That caste is important and you need to tell what your last name is? For what? Remember as much as we hate India, it's the Indian tradition od caste discrimination from UP and Bihar that we have invited into Nepal. The rest of India doesn't really care much about castes. Come to think about it, we are following the Bihar tradition. What are we learning?
So fellow Nepali friends let's not humiliate surnames. Whatever we are we are ok. We are humans and have to live like one and not be racist within our own culture and country. We talk about Indians hating Nepalis and whites hating blacks, but look at us. We have hatred right in our own small country and community. Where are we??? We should look at ourselves first and then talk about others. Government officers and powerful people are among those who discriminate about castes. Agreed most of those are from the older generation. But the newer generation has to learn.
I am also sure this view of mine will not achieve anything. We'll read and forget and go back to what we are doing. But I do hope, we have other people, who share the same thoughts as I do. Surnames and family names do not belong to anyone else. It's only yours. Not all newars are families and not all bahuns are buddies. Not all dhotis live in the terai and if it were not for them where would you get a haircut or buy vegetables from? Occasional humour is OK but not a racist remark. I hope the new generation can relate to what I say. Atleast we the educated people should stop this once and for all.
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