-Dila Datt Pant,
15 August 2009_
Una bagdi Mahakaali shirmaa seto himaal
Lekhkhiyeilo sammidhaan maannau banlo nayaa Nepal
( Downward flows Mahakali as in its origin stands a white Himal;
I believe the constitution shall be written to give birth to New Nepal)
A 30 year old Dalit woman Kesa Devi Tamrakar of Sasauda-6 Dadeldhura sang Deuda to share her hopes about the new constitution being written. Known as the most beautiful headquarters in the region- Dadeldhura has a beautiful history of rich political culture as well. Perhaps this is why Kesa Devi as well as many other women here has a big hope to see their constitution issued on time when people from across the country express doubts on the same. Despite living with the difficult circumstances as a Dalit woman, Kesa Devi keeps awesome hope that the nation shall move forward and Nepali people will get to see their dreams of progress and peace translated. Asked why she had such a firm conviction, Kesa puts it in simple terms,' We don't know anything. Our work was to elect leaders, which we have done and it's them who should act now.'
It is true that ordinary people have elected their leaders to get their voices represented in wider political arena. But there is litany of complaints from different walks of life that things have not turned that way round. Indicating the mudslinging of political parties and power politics, otherwise hopeful Kesa also blames the leaders that they have not performed their duties honestly. Reminding leaders the power of constituents and implying a warning, she makes an analogy of pre and post election status of the political leaders and says, 'It seems leaders have grown feathers by now, but that will not serve them forever…. even if they reach the moon, they will have to fly back to us for votes again.' Adding to what Kesa Devi says, another Dalit woman Sabita Bhool of Manilek-6 also adds 'If leaders miss this opportunity of writing the constitution, why should they come back to us?'
Indeed neither Kesa nor does Sabita know the intricacies of ongoing politics but what they bluntly say is very political and simple. Their expressions are what perhaps democratic polity tends to relate to the principle of 'accountability'.
In fact the local Dalits, who have to live hard with scanty resources and are suffering from the age-long legacy of untouchability, do not understand the core dynamics of the country's politics but what they feel confident to say is that the making of a new constitution is a 'must'. 'ham gareebaun lai aggasa pattalai kuradi chahiyein, bas hamlai hamro sammidhan re bikas jasari lai hunupadyo(We poor people don't need tall talks; all we need is our new constitution and development),' said Raju Nepali-21 of Koteli-1 bashully, who did not want to expose herself before camera. Unlike Raju, many locals here went on saying the same thing so conscientiously as if talking about the disputes of political parties and delays caused thereof in constitution writing was a flagrant sin in their eyes!
Majority of ordinary people here understand that the constitution is something they need more for their development works rather than for anything else. Kanti Tamrakar of Sasauda- 6 is also one of them who do not know and even do not bother to know what 'constitution' and 'process' of writing it is all about. But it seems she has a fair speculation about the importance of constitution that it should help them resolve the problems of her day-to-day life. Perhaps this is what she wants to imply when she puts it through deuda again,'khaanaalaai pet bhari hoijaau, hoijaau lattaa baas; hati jaau chhuwaa re chhut yei chha hamari aash(May one get to feed with plenty of food while clothing and shelter be available; may the untouchability be eliminated-this is all we hope for).
Thanks to all NGOs, CBOs and political workers active in the district, most of Dalit community members here are very much aware of their socio-political rights. A local Dalit youth Som Lal Damai -25 from Rupal-6 has his own understanding of the society and political development of the country. For him, the constitution is primarily a vital tool required for proportional development of the nation and for bridging the gap between the rich and the poor.
Almost everyone here can express their feelings through Deuda and Som Lal was not an exception either. Indicating towards the existing gap among the rich and the poor he let it go,' kasaika suna ka haar kasaika potya nai; kasaiki basmati chamal kasaiki kodya nai(some are so privileged to own the chains of gold while others do not even own the normal bead; likewise some feed in the Baasmati rice while others do not even have millet to eat.)' Som Lal's concern here was about the unequal distribution of state resources and capital. It was concern about exclusion, right to food and access to opportunities. And above all, it was an honest depiction of hunger-stricken societies, listening to which even an alien would be able to speculate what these people expect from the new constitution!
All these participants had shared their hope and feelings in a Loktantrik Sambad(democratic dialogue) programme, organized by a local NGO NNSDWO in order to get Dalit demands of Dadeldhura endorsed through a public hearing.
Earlier, this NGO, with financial support of SPCBN/UNDP had collected Dalit voices from around 10 VDCs of Dadeldhura in order to ensure their say in the new constitution. SPCBN/UNDP has provided financial grant to 15 different NGO consortiums across the country in order to help the marginalized, minority and Dalit communities participate in the writing of their constitution.
