BuddhiBal Chepang did not know what to answer upon being asked the areas in his community that needed improvement. It is uncertain whether the factors for his lack of knowledge are illiteracy or humbleness, or something else.
When inaccessibility has been your normalcy for all your life, maybe it is only fair if you do not know what developmental changes you would want.
BuddhiBal, 78, shares a small hut with his wife KistaMaya Chepang, age unknown, in Kailash Rural Municipality ward no 7, Dekhari.
BuddhiBal from Dekhari married KistaMaya from Sharsi, a village nearby, in a year they cannot remember anymore. But, according to the couple, they must have been around the age of 15/16 at the time of their marriage.
KistaMaya did not talk much throughout the interview, and BuddhiBal answered all the questions on their behalf.
“I used to call her didi (an older sister),” BuddhiBal adds, “I wanted to marry another girl, but we could not say no to the decision made by our parents.” Even KistaMaya had her eyes on someone else, but times were different back then, and they had no choices.
Speaking of marriage, “bulaki (traditional ornament women wear in their nose) would cost only Rs. 12, and you could get fariya (a traditional Nepali attire for women) for Rs. 7,” Buddhibal adds as he walks us down his memory lane.
The couple spends their time looking after their nine hens and roosters that they sell eventually. KistaMaya likes that her husband fetches firewood and water to prepare meals, and BuddiBal loves that his wife cooks for him.
The couple has not received any organisational help apart from Shangri-La Development Association (SDA).
SDA reached out to the couple during its Shangri-La Reconstruction and Development Project (SRDP). The couple were living in a poorly built hut then. SDA decided to reconstruct their home and make it comparatively stronger for the couple to live. Moreover, SDA also provided a bed, bedsheets, and other materials to the couple as support.
“Sometimes I go to the SDA office by myself or send my relatives to get the food supplies. Staff at SDA also send the goods to my home during the festivals,” BuddhiBal states. The couple has been receiving help from SDA since 2072 BS, for which they are super grateful.
For the questions BuddhiBal did not understand, one of his relatives translated them into the Chepang language for him. And, for the questions he could make out, BuddhiBal responded with apologetic laughter, which perhaps reflects his humble nature.
Happy with the life the couple have managed to live together so far probably speaks volumes on living life on simple terms. Although granted, the couple is at the age where they necessarily do not have many expectations other than not sleeping on hungry stomachs.
On the other hand, their happiness with life is a reality check on all things deprived of as people from the indigenous community whose hardships should be acknowledged, not romanticised.
“There were no schools back in our days,” BuddhiBal further adds, “our lives could have been different if we had access to education.”
BuddhiiBal has travelled to places like Muglin, Kathmandu and India for work. ‘Upper caste’ people would discriminate and pay an unfair amount for the work that he had done or avoid paying. “Maybe I am saying the wrong things,” BuddhiBal laughs apologetically and adds, “ploughing fields and digging were some of the work I used to do.”
Decades ago in Muglin, he only made Rs. 60 after working for three months. “I have also been to India for work with Rs. 40 cash in states of hunger and sleep deprivation,” BuddhiBal recalls his days of struggles.
Denying having any children at first, BuddhiBal slowly opened up in a frustrated tone. Their only two daughters, married off and living in different villages, do not come to visit them except for the festivals.
The couple asked for Sagar Thapa, Coordinator of SDA, whom they know since they have met him several times over the years. BuddhiBal has a likeness for the present days and noodles and biscuits.
Most of the familiar faces of their age are long gone now. “I do not know what I am waiting for since all my friends have already passed away,” BuddhiBal remembers his buddies.
Somehow the couple has managed from the 12000 BuddhiBal receives as an old age allowance every three months. But Kistamaya does not get any old age allowance for her lack of citizenship.
Having citizenship means BuddhiBal is eligible to vote, but his poor sightedness makes it hard for him to cast a vote properly.
“What party do I vote for?” “Most likely all of them,” BuddhiBal replies with a hint of unapologetic laughter.