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Compulsion, if not awareness, has ended "Ghumat" Tradition;
But, women in Kapilbastu still have a long way to go...

A few years ago many villages in Kapilbastu were known as a safe haven for gamblers. Chatradehi village of Dhankauli Village Development Committee, which is situated nearby Tilaurakot - a place where Gautam Buddha spent his childhood - was one such place where drunkards and gamblers dwelt. More than 70 percent men in this village used to play cards and some fifteen cases of fighting and brawling from Dhankauli VDC alone used to be reported in the Area Police Station, Gorusinghe every month. “Earlier the business of men in this village was drinking and playing cards,” says Shiva Lal Yadav, who himself used to gamble earlier. “Earlier I used to play cards, now I don’t. Working for society is like going on a pilgrimage,” added Yadav, who is now the vice chairman of the Sunshine Social Club.

Women, however, did not find even a single hour to rest those days. All through the day women had to work hard in farms after finishing household chores every morning and evening. Raising children and taking care of the elderly was part of their daily routine. And in return, these women used to get scolded by their family members. They had no say in family decisions nor could they utter a single word whether or not they liked the decisions taken by men. Anyone bold enough to do so was beaten up.

Chatradehi is different now. Along with time, the village started changing its colour after government and non-governmental organisations introduced their income generating programmes. The village is now known for vegetable farming. Locals claim that 40 percent of the vegetables that sells in Taulihawa, a city area in the district is the product of Dhankauli, Chatradehi alone. “We started vegetable farming taking loan from saving groups,” says Pujari Yadav. Unlike Nepalgunj and Palpa, Taulihawa in Kapilbastu has “Husband-Wife Saving Group.”

This is because men in this particular place were very dominating and hardly allowed their women to become group members, says a member at Kalika Self Reliance Social Service Centre (KSSC), one of MS Nepal’s partners. He said that his organisation formed the Husband-Women Saving Group to encourage men to send their womenfolk outside their homes and also to make women outspoken and social. However, women now have their own groups. Saraswati and Srijana Women’s Groups are two of them. “We already have 200 thousand rupees in our saving accounts,” says Krishna Shrestha, chairman of Sunshine Club.

Bhanumati Kewat is a member of Saraswati Saving Group, who saves Rs. 50 every month. She already has Rs 900 in her account. Sixty-five year old Bhanumati was inspired to become group member as she thought that her saving would attract her sons and daughters to look after her in old age. She has four sons and two daughters. She is happy that she can write her name. “I feel good that I am a group member. Sirs taught me to write my name,” she said.

Although people here are significantly aware of the importance of education—90 percent children go to school—the ratio of girl and boy students is 75:25. “Despite the high population of girl children, only 25 percent girls are sent to school because they are to be married off,” says Parashuram Yadav, a teacher at Rajpur Primary School. According to him, parents are still conservative as they think, “girls should learn domestic work instead of getting education.” The major job of a daughter is to help her mother at home and in farm during plantation and harvest time. Lack of awareness has made women accept their fate to an extent. “A father wants to send his daughter school but the mother stops him, as she thinks daughters should learn household chores to lead a happy life once married,” Parashuram revealed.

However, even if it may seem obvious that women in this region still have a long way to go. Those working in community development agree that women in southern areas like Gotihawa, Tirkhi and Samia of Kapilbastu have progressed significantly. “Women were beaten up when they tried to become group members. Two years back, we had to go to convince their husbands and family members to form a group. Later on things became easier when some women served as model by generating income on their own,” recalls Sabira Jaiswal, a member of District Development Committee.

While 90 percent men go to college for attaining higher education, only 10 percent women get that chance. However, here, the problem is not of being educated or remaining illiterate but of the orthodox attitude and conservative thinking. One can find a few highly educated women in this historical place (as the ratio of college going men-women is 90:10) but they are confined to the four walls of their house because of the age-old “ghumat” tradition. Ghumat is a kind of traditional practice in which women are supposed to wear veil in front of all except their family members or husbands. They are to stay home and not supposed to work outside. “There are women with university degrees but what’s the use of it; they can do nothing outside of home,” KSSC officials said. “Men in elite families still take women as property and women can’t stand up against it.”

The marginalised groups do not practice Ghumat tradition any more as women of such families should work outside to earn their living. Families having low economic status can’t survive if women do not generate income though it is very low. Women of such backward groups are more outspoken than the elite women. “Without work, there is no food and to work outside women have to open their “ghumto,” said Tara Lohar and Bhanumati Yadav.” “Rich women don’t need to work because they have enough money and they have nothing to worry about.”

Earlier people in Kapilbastu used to believe that it was the government’s responsibility to develop their place. Now they think even the community can take initiatives in infrastructure development. For instance, Gaule Deurali a community-based group has constructed 500 m long road along with a bridge. And the best thing about it was that women are equally involved in such development activities. “Ghumat tradition is no longer a problem for those women who have to earn their living,” said Tara, adding, “and it feels good when women participate in development work.”

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