When I was born, like other human beings, I was born with two arms, legs and human form. When I first set foot in the world, I had no name, no caste, no identity. Gradually, many of my introductions began. I was born on the day of Rakshabandhan. My parents named me Raksha Ram Chamar. My journey started with that name.
Mr Cenart, a French scholar on caste, said: “Caste is a strong hereditary close association, a distinct traditional and independent organization, with a chief and a panchayat, the same festivals and traditions, the same occupation, food and marriage.” , Sir H. H. According to Ridgeley, caste means family or family group organization, common name, affiliation with profession and ethnicity, as well as being forced to adopt the same profession and being considered a homogeneous community.
As mentioned above, on the basis of homosexuality, my family added a surname after my name. So I became a carpenter. The name Raksha Ram Chamar was also enrolled in the school. Society started calling me Chamar’s son. They started saying Dalit. Discrimination started in Dhara and Inar. It has a profound effect on the child’s brain. When I asked my parents, I found out that I was untouchable.
Caste system means birth on the basis of descent. There is same-sex marriage and cultural unity. They are a group with the same background on the basis of descent and birth, which is seen as a caste in that group on the basis of birth. My family followed this traditional rite. My family gave me the name of their Chamar caste.
Wherever I went, non-Dalits did not live near me. Only a few people lived with me in the school classroom. Along with the Brahmin caste, even the upper class children did not live with me. Because they thought that if they stayed with me, they would be unclean. I did not find the role of teachers satisfactory. School is a place to provide education. Education helps to make people civilized, conscious and social beings. Education plays an important role in building good character. The education system of any country introduces the citizens and society of that country. However, I did not find such an environment in the school from which I received my education.
The lesson ‘Nepal is a flower garden of four castes and thirty-six colors’ was sent to the school. But, they were taught to discriminate. Teachers were plagued by the maelstrom of the caste system, and are still today. The teacher, who was suffering from the spirit of discrimination, was responsible for building a civilized society. Some teachers recited the following lines of Manusmriti with special significance:
Knowledge should not be given. Shudra should not be given even the best part of the yajna or havan. They should not be taught religion. If the Shudra is found to have listened to the Vedas by mistake, hot glass should be melted and put in his ear. If he recites the Vedas, his tongue should be cut out and if he remembers, he should be killed. I learned such knowledge from school. I grew up in such a society. And, last year, I became an ‘unfortunate’ lawyer. Unfortunately because according to Manusmriti I should not have read.
I met a Brahmin friend who was studying together at school some time ago. He studied only till class 12. But, he was good at reading Satyanarayana’s story. Together they were partisans of the caste system. He used to say to me, ‘Everyone in this world is born into a caste clan according to the fruits of their deeds.’ I was very sad to see the mental poverty inside him. I didn’t see any change in his opinion even after meeting him much later. Even after graduating in two subjects, I became only a Dalit, but he was called a theologian without studying.
In Ambedkar’s words, the ancient Brahmins envisioned an ideal religion and an ‘ideal society’. That ‘ideal society’ had its own name – Chaturvanrya or caste system. This ideal society is connected with the Vedas and this Veda is logical. The Vedas are God’s commandments. Because no word of the Vedas can be questioned. Therefore, the caste system as a model of that ideal society was also logical and could not be questioned.
That ideal society gave birth to Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. There was a hierarchy between them. Where Brahmins were given special rights. Shudra got the status of a servant, who had no rights, only a duty of a lower rank.
Hundreds of castes were created in four characters. One of its castes is Chamar. The cobbler was forced to throw away his body. Of course, the Sino boycott movement of 2056 BS gave some relief. But, even today, my identity has not changed. I am grateful to Manu’s partisans who pushed Shudra to hell alive. I am grateful to those who say that we build an ideal society, which gave me the status of untouchable.
When I went to school in India to study Plus Two, they used to call me Nepali. Being a Nepali citizen, calling me Nepali was no different. And my introduction became Nepali, but the question kept arising within myself. Am I really Nepali? I found the answer to the question. When I went to the district administration office to apply for citizenship, I became a Madhesi. Finally get citizenship. Then I came to Kathmandu to study higher education.
I became a Madhesi student in the university, my introduction became a Madhesi student. While studying at the university, I realized that I was a ‘brother’ in Kathmandu. Am i not nepali Do I have to go to another country to be Nepali? I understood that my caste does not match with the ruler, religion does not match, social traditions and culture do not match, festivals do not match, dress does not match, language does not match and the color of my face does not match. After all was said and done, I became not a Nepali but a ‘brother’. I understand, the main reason is King Mahendra. He said the same language, the same disguise, the same religion and the same culture. He did not accept different civilizations and cultures.
While studying at the university, I realized that I was a ‘brother’ in Kathmandu. Am i not nepali Do I have to go to another country to be Nepali?
I started working as a human rights activist. Then I became a Dalit rights activist. When I was a journalist, I became a Dalit journalist. When I was the headmaster, I only became the Dalit headmaster. I have never seen equality. When he went to the house of a friend of the upper caste, he was given food on a broken plate.
Even general discrimination can tear the heart apart. Even the educated dalits should continue to suffer. The so-called educated non-Dalits usually say, ‘You don’t look like a Dalit, or are you not a Dalit?’ The mentality of an educated society shows that Dalits are servants or slaves.
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It is about the year 2070. MPs used to gather there. District leaders were also found there. He asked my name. I said, ‘Raksharam.’ He asked again, ‘What is Raksharam?’ He wanted to know my caste. He imagined that he could not be a young black poet. I said, ‘I’m a cobbler.’ He was surprised.
He smiled and said, “We are the same.” But, after knowing my caste, his behavior changed. Nepal’s constitution is the only major law known to Nepalis. Manusmriti or Veda, Purana is not any other law created by Manu. However, the evil practices of Manusmriti and Veda are more prevalent in the society than the provisions of the Nepali constitution.
According to the constitution of Nepal, all Nepali people with multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural characteristics are a nation in general. All mother tongues spoken in Nepal are national languages. But, how did I become Madhesi, Dalit or ‘Bhaiya’ just because I did not speak Khas language? Why don’t I have the identity of a free citizen as provided by the constitution? Why don’t I get to know people?
Dalits do not need the ‘ideal society’ envisioned by the Vedas, they do not need Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Ram Rajya’, they do not need Prithvinarayan Shah’s ‘real India’. What Dalits need is a society with full people based on equality and equality, Gautam Buddha and Dr. As Bhimrao Ambedkar said, it is a human society. Where only the human race is enough for introduction. Where the principle of ‘freedom, equality and brotherhood’ of every human being is accepted. Just be a man to tell my identity.
