In the Land Everyone Takes Pride in as the Birth Place of Buddha, We are Very Short on Compassion

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The caste system is highly corrupting. It has corrupted the minds of so many Nepalis for so long that, even while taking pride in the country as the birth place of Buddha who introduced compassion to the world and denounced the system, we are very short on compassion.

And this blog post documents just one example of that: responses to a tweet by a Dalit woman desiring "to live as a human being today."

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The Story of Eklavya and Dronarcharya: More of Caste Supremacy Than Model Discipleship

Read more about the article The Story of Eklavya and Dronarcharya: More of Caste Supremacy Than Model Discipleship

Studying, living, working abroad, unconstrained by closed and inward-looking Nepali culture, society, and people, I questioned a lot of what I had been taught in Nepal.

One was the Hindu-mythology-based beliefs, practices, and values.

One lesson was taught through the story of Eklavya and Dronarcharya. We were taught that the story was about model discipleship. But after deeper questioning I have come to the conclusion that its more of caste supremacy than model discipleship.

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Like Gods, Like Humans? Or, Like Humans, Like Gods? Or, Like…F*cked up?

Read more about the article Like Gods, Like Humans? Or, Like Humans, Like Gods? Or, Like…F*cked up?

If the Gods discriminate, why can't -- or even shouldn't -- the humans as well?! If the Hindu Gods themselves discriminate against some humans (at least Dalits) the way at least some Hindus believe they do, what’s wrong with humans discriminating against the same humans?! After all, who better to follow than the Gods?! Right?

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Caste System Fostered and Propped up Groupism in Nepal Corrals People into Small Social Circles Part II

Read more about the article Caste System Fostered and Propped up Groupism in Nepal Corrals People into Small Social Circles Part II

The "brilliance" of the caste system is what Ambedkhar characterized as its inherent "graded inequality."

In Nepal, the gradation can be found not just between the five castes, but also between the ethnic groups, between communities that make up an ethnic group, within communities and therefore between individuals.

And because social status is valued so much, the gradation has determined who you could marry and form a familial alliance with, which in turn dictates who you socialize with the most. Were inter-caste marriage the norm, the caste system would break down.

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When Looks Can…Deceive

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Nepalis generally make a lot of assumptions about and are judgmental of fellow Nepalis based on their appearance and/or their name and/or surname, a consequence of our social system, the monstrous caste system.

In this blog post I relay a typical incident of a fellow Nepali making assumptions about who I am and what I do based entirely on my facial features -- my ethnicity.

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