As long as Nepal denies the existence of the highly exclusionary. discriminatory, and deeply corrupt social system, the caste system — and everything else based on it — no other system and structure in the country, such as economic, political, education etc., will be free from corruption.
But sadly, neither formal nor informal education systems in the country STILL educate the population sufficiently about the highly pernicious and insidious monstrosity of the regressive social system. What’s the reason? If we were to go by the grade 8 social studies textbook, one reason appears to be that the caste system and religion are “small issues.”
As if the entire history of the country were insufficient evidence and proof of the hollowness and deeply flawed nature of Nepali society, we STILL take issue with or are just uncomfortable with many of the hard truths about the social system. Worse, we do everything we can to hide such truths and pretend that they don’t exist instead of acknowledging and confronting them.
But the quakes of 2015 and now the pandemic have exposed its corrupt core for what it is in a very dramatic and sustained manner.
How corrupt is the caste system? It is so corrupt that it corrupts the mind and spirit and, with them, pretty much everything else. It can also strip one of one’s humanity. I can’t think of anything else more corrupt and pernicious than that.
It demands — and makes — many in the country humiliate themselves all throughout their lives.
To give but just ONE example involving the difference in the way Nepalis address one another based on caste. Those who think of themselves as superior and occupying higher social status (“taha” in Nepali), humiliate others in the pronouns they use.
While in general the pronoun used by the young when addressing someone older than themselves is usually one of the more formal ones — to denote respect, or to show respect — a so-called “higher caste” young person might not. Often they may use a pronoun that denotes more familiarity such as “timi,” if they feel “charitable.” I have had younger hill so-called high caste Hindu adults use the informal “timi” when talking to me, for instance!
The norm however is to use the most informal, highly disrespectful and demeaning pronoun “ta” (“तँ”) to reinforce caste hierarchy and let them know their “taha” (“place/position in society”). Someone who thinks or believes or is convinced that are — or just because they belong to — a so-called “higher caste” using the demeaning pronoun when addressing an older AND more qualified and/or wealthier so-called “lower caste” is NOT unusual. When it comes to addressing Dalit adults, the lowest caste, it’s NOT unusual to find even young children belonging to other castes following that norm!
Many in the society are expected and, in many cases, also demanded to accept such treatment all through their lives silently. But of course, pretty much every status-obsessed Nepali — which is the majority — will tell you that that is just how it is, that is just the “order of things”, or that is just our “sanskriti” (culture).
The caste system is so insidious and pernicious that it can — and does — kill the spirit in many.
The percentage of the so-called high caste Hindus in the country is about a third of the population. That means, the potential for the caste system killing the spirit of a large or even just a significant percentage of Nepalis who belong to some other caste is huge! After all, they make up about two-third of the 30 million strong population of the country.
If you don’t know that the caste system can do that — and likely has done that for generations — then you don’t know enough or you haven’t been taught enough, or, again, you are living in denial.
What’s a dead spirit in a living body?!
In still many others, it induces and teaches them to dehumanize others and, in the process, causes them to lose their own humanity. As if that weren’t enough, the social system also prevents and obstructs them from seeing the humanity in many others. But then, of course, how would one see humanity in a people they have dehumanized for generations?!
Ultimately, it has created a value system in the society that places different values on the lives of the members based on their caste. Many learn to — and do — value the lives of many others much less than those of their own social group, for instance. That of course has had devastating consequences for many for generations, throughout the history of the country.
The behaviors and actions of MANY — including those of regular individuals — during this pandemic, over the course of a little over a year now, has (again) exposed that dramatically for all to see, something that the 2015 quakes also did…unless, again, you are in denial of the social system. If you are indeed in denial, something that our education system and our society would have taught you to be in, you wouldn’t have viewed what has unfolded for what it is and where a lot of it comes from.
That, those with power and money are CLEARLY dead set (excuse the pun) — and are engaged pretty exclusively — on power plays and/or on making money on the backs of this merciless coronavirus and its exponentially increasing victims, for example, is but ONE glaring evidence of that.
That unflinching (and almost maniacal?) drive for power and money with impunity and ABSOLUTE disregard for — or complete obliviousness to (which I doubt) — the dire DIRE consequences of that to hundreds of thousands of people of the country (which everyone takes pride in as the birthplace of the champion of non-violence and compassion, The Buddha), during an UNPRECENDENTED PANDEMIC, comes from a deep seated belief in their sense of “deserved” or “earned” privilege and entitlement, privilege and entitlement derived from their BIRTH caste.
Well…at least that’s how I see it. How do you see it?
References
Added after the publication of the blog.
Setopati (May 16, 2021). ओलीले जस्तै गल्ती गर्दा ओबामाले दोहोर्याउनुपरेको थियो शपथ. This is about Prime Minister Oli deliberately NOT adhering to the constitutional requirements when taking his oath of office. He refuses to utter certain words but the headline charaterizes it as a “mistake” which they weren’t. That was deliberate. [Added on May 16, 2021.]
Deshanchar (May 16, 2021). विशेष अधिवेशन बोलाएर प्रधानमन्त्री र राष्ट्रपतिलाई कारबाही गर्न भीमार्जुन आचार्यको माग. More about the utter disdain the Prime Minister Oli displayed at his oath taking ceremony. [Added on May 16, 2021.]
The Record (May 22, 2021). The devil on one side and a pandemic on the other. “A defining characteristic of Nepal’s leadership has always been callousness. Whether it was the Ranas, the Shahs, or the myriad Bahun men who came after, the welfare of the citizens — a concern for their right to lead dignified lives — has never figured on their to-do lists.” [Added on May 22, 2021.]
OnlineKhabar (May 23, 2021). भोकै मर्नुपर्ने समुदायको कुरा सुन्ने निकाय नै छैन | (No Branch of the Government Exist That Cater to Those Dying of Hunger). Want to get an insight into how the caste system kills the spirit of many Dalits, read the article. [Added May 23, 2021.]
Click here to read the twitter thread on which this blog post is based.
