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Bechan Kori, aged 50 is hurt more by the pain of caste based discrimination than economic insufficiency.

While explaining about his grief Bechan Kori from Korianpurwa, Hirminia VDC becomes very emotional and says-"I do not feel unhappy for being poor, but I become very sad when anyone discriminates and hates me on the basis of being a lower caste person" Not only Bechan but many Koris like him are facing the same kind of problem for being called lower caste people.

The barrier of caste does not even allow them to enter freely inside the temple for worship. Laxmi Kori explains her pain by saying-"Nothing happens until we are recognized but as we get identified as lower caste person they don’t even allow us to put our feet on the temple."

After the discrimination, social injustice and abuse from so-caste upper caste people became unbearable the Kori people made their own community-"We were prohibited to touch water taps and wells and we were not allowed to enter inside temples. So, there isn't any meaning to live in such village. There fore with the purpose of making our own society we have established a new village of our own community." says Deuji Kori, aged 62.

They don't have any school in their village therefore they have to go Saraswoti Primary school which is a bit far from their village. But even in the school the teachers treat them different from the rest of the children.

There are some people like Rama Narayan in the Kori community who are struggling in order to do something. He explains his grief by saying-"The so-called upper caste people give unnecessary force and create obstacles in the process of getting citizenship for depriving Kori people from different opportunities. Sometimes it becomes unbearable for us but we remain quiet." "Although there are many organisation who work for the freedom and sensitization of dalit community but they have not still reached up to the ground of Kori community" says Rama Narayan.

It has been found that the Dalit non-governmental organisation federation is still ignorant about the pain which Kori community are facing at the present moment. Central president of the federation Mr. Jash Bahadur Viswakarma says that they don't have any record whether the work for the welfare of dalit living in Terai is done or not. He says "We have also heard that the organizations working for the welfare of dalits have not still reached up to the dalits of Terai. We are thinking about coordinating with them in our further steps."

The content above has been produced by The Regional Media and Resource Centre in Nepalgunj. It is taken from one of the bulletins, titled “Barrier” which is published on frequently basis and distributed to various media, decision makers and NGO’s in Nepal. The Regional Media Resource Centre/NPI is one of MS Nepal’s partners.

For further info click into NPI’s website www.npiktm.org  or take a look at the partner  Profile at our partner section.

Photographer: Morten Rarroe