Quest for Peace and learning poverty

Shreeram Chaudhary

Quest for Peace and learning poverty

Learning form childhood to youth

The word poverty is not new for me. I was born in poor tribal “Tharu” Family. My father always used to tell me the numbers of story about the poor and poverty in the beginning of my live I liked to listen in him very much. Most of his stories were about poor people, poverty and their coping strategy. When I grew up to ten years, I started to question myself and him why man became poor? How can man be rich? The answer of grand father always related with religion. He always used to tell me the god make men poor and rich the richness is Parshad of god and poorness is the punishment of God. From his aspect I tried to analyze the society. But I found the poor are very innocent, hard worker, kindness, honest and rich man are cheater cruel tyranny .I confused and against to my grandfather, why the god does like to cheater and cruel man? My grand father replied they will punish in their second life. Our poorness is certain punishment of our previous live. Although I liked my grand father’s logic and aspects and I am also impressed to do good work for society but never could belief all to all.

Gradually I grew up and study in school and college. There also I found the same analysis of the poor and poverty. But when we got democracy in our country in 1990 my belief is changed. I got the opportunity to listen and knew and confirmed the poverty is not punishment or offering of god. It is man make matter and can be solve by human being.  My beginning belief was changed. I started to observe my society, beliefs and scripture in another eyes. And also follow the political leader for some time. The political system changed the exiting situation of the society was not changed .The situation of poor was not changed .I started to hate the political leaders because I knew that they are using the people for their own self-interest and self seeking so I left them.

Fortunately I got opportunity to work with the social organization named SPACE in 1996. I worked with the poor and poorest people in the different part of the country  the action research with the local people to understand local situation .I had been working in three themes the first was education second is organizing one is livelihood  and third improving . Although these are very simple but many times, the government blamed the organization to do politic and arrest some organizers. My family member and relatives pressurized to live the organization because of this reason.  Many of my friends left the organization. They joined to governmental job but I decided never leave to organization. We faced many kinds of problem and fund crisis but continue to organize bounded labor, Dalit, ethnic people, women and poor of the poorest. As a result we able to mobilize the local initiatives and success to made government to declare the freed bounded labor and government also provided the piece of land and housing program special for the bounded labor but it is even not enough, I enjoyed with the people, so didn’t calculated my working period, almost all I spent the eight year in the poor and marginalized village.

Now Nepal is in crisis. There is big conflict in different aspects. There is rigid cast system, gender discrimination, and hierarchical economic system cruel monarchial political system. Some political parties including CPN Maoist are fighting for civil rights. And in another hand   Dalit, women, children, ethnic people and poor people are being victim of conflict. Most of the young people from hilly area of the country have migrated to neighboring country such as an India, Malaysia and Arabic countries for the purpose of saving their lives. We have innumerable tension in our country. The innocent people are dying day by day. In this context we are waiting in the village with fearful minds and a little hopeful hearts.

Encounter with school of peace

One day on the 5^th January of 2006, Mr Dhruba called me in the field office. He shared about school of peace and the training and asked about my interest. He always used to talk about the training because of his long background of the training. I heard just his ideas and remembered the one quotation of Indian activist, Mr Bibek Pandit from Maharastra. One at a time he had shared me “Talim to Kutte log-ko Dejati Hai” the meaning of this quotation is that the training is only given to the dogs. So I immediately do not response to him. I requested him for some time for the thinking. At last I decided to join the training and sent my curriculum vita and individual form to Mr Max. I was suffered my many jik-jack thinking by my selves before coming to Bangalore. When I came to Kathmandu for going to Bangalore, I made many-many pre listening about the training. I thought about international training, Bangalore city, luxurious hotels and white faces etc. When we came to Bangalore airport, a gentle man was waiting for us. He was Mr Max. I felt he was very helpful because before introduction he helped us to carry our bags into the vehicle. I impressed with him and appreciated him that how simple he was.

When we reached to the Visthar, it was at 11:00 o’clock at night and the area was also far from the city. We were very hungry. Mr Max carried us to kitchen but there were not varieties of foods. We found only dry chapatti and boiled cabbage, even it was so cold. We Nepalese people faced to faced and smiled and started to eat. Just then, Mr Bibek was making joke. He pointed me and told Shreeram Ji, it is special food of Bangalore city. I didn’t reply only reply. Only smile. After our dinner, Mr Max pointed the room for us and also taught about room partner. I got Pilipino room partner, who was Mr Noor. Although we had already introduced each other but we again introduced. He asked me about religion. I replied I am hindu but not pure, I am from tribal society of Nepal. He again asked me, do you eat pig? I replied of course. Then he made his nose and mouth contemptible. And I asked him do you beef? He replied yes I said we didn’t’ eat it. Such a way we make a common under standing. The next day we introduced with Vishtar’s staff and took the more information about school of peace. I felt it is very peaceful area and also well managed by natural beauty. I felt staffs of vishtar are very friendly and helpful.

Interaction and Reflection

When we started to discussion about I felt my self as empty vehicle. Because of my pervious understanding is very limit and not so clear. I used to define poverty as a lack of economical opportunities and crisis of property. I have not deep thinking so far. But when we discussed different aspect such as economic system, social system, ideological system, political system international power center of the global social structure. At that time I only could fell the holistic definition of poverty.  We also talked about gender, religion and caste system as well as root cause of poverty and social justice. It made me turn to my working area and to press to thinking time to time my self. When we discussed about some ideology and the words sympathy and empathy, I remembered many-many mistake in my own program activities. I could find that most of our program activities are running through sympathy. This is great mistake. Because of standing in sympathy, I felt”we are going to create dependency among the people.” I realized we might be enemy of people because dependency force to people be slave at last.

The theoretical classes were very important. In these classes we knew many-many powerful wards and quotation. Among them one quotation which Mr max shared us “The Education never be neutral “I can never be forget this ward. Because it helped me, for reflecting to our education system. I remembered our curriculum from primary level to higher level and was quite angry. I remembered the subjects such as moral science, culture and history which are compulsory in our country and included only elite groups and royal families’ history and Hindu religion, Hindu culture and Brahmanism. I understood that this education system is powerful tool and backbone of cruel monarchy system. And these kinds of educational factory can product the servants and slaves.

We also got the opportunity to learn about the organic culture. Which are very important for our daily life and the context of our country? We have too many natural and physical sources in our country; most of the people from Nepal are farmers. It is also very easy living way because it is focused in traditional knowledge and skills. The bio gas and making compost fertilizer are may be best ideas for Nepalese people. Because we use to import fertilizers from an India and Bangladesh and these are too expensive. On the other hand electricity is also too expensive. The other opportunity is that we NGOs people are with poor people. This Parma culture also guarantees the food sovereignty of the people.

When we discussed about WTO, IMF and WB, I got valuable knowledge about international power structure and it’s negative impacts in poor country. I knew,” how does the country be poor? And how do the rich countries be rich and richer? Why and how does the Nepal become poor? I assumed the some insights.

Same way I liked tools and techniques very much which were interaction, sharing, stories, poem, songs, drama, panel discussions. I could able to gain some new presentation skills. Problem posing method like Sakti’s story was very helpful to analysis the society. These will be helpful in my further working. I can never forget these kinds of ideas.

Field visiting and reflecting my self

According to our groups division, I got opportunity to visit the Andrapradesh. We were five in our groups. Before visiting the area, I used to think an India is better than Nepal. It is big and democratic country. I was also well-known that India had been economically supporting to Nepal and another small countries like Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Srilanka etc. Therefore I used to think India is rich country and people’s life style of India is better than Nepal.

But I found different reality. In Andrapardesh we visited 14 clusters from districts which were Nellore, Chitture and Pillar. In selected area we encountered with schedule cast, Tribal schedule caste and backward schedule caste. The common problem of the areas were landlessness, housing, unequal wages, illiteracy , health, gender and discrimination with caste wise and class wise. We are facing same kinds of problem in Nepal.

When we reached the Anadi, tribal village, stone cutter village and some dalit village, I found very sensitive and terrible picture of poverty. We discussed with 35 people including male and female in the Anadi village. There was no water even for drinking. People seemed to very estrange and we also smelled peculiar smell. I remembered the story which was shared by favor. In the previous week he had shared this story and told we that we can find people by smelling. At that time I felt difficult to belief. But now I found it was true. I observed some huts. There was nothing without fishing nets and cooking pots. I really upset. How they are managing their life? How are they cooping? How do they sleep? What do they eat? I have many-many questions with me still now. There was nothing without hope of life because people from the village seemed to be happy. There was clear picture of poverty. 

I wanted to ask some question to the people about education. But my friends not allowed me. I didn’t agree with them and finally asked the question. Friend blamed me foolish. But the question helped to know more about poverty. The villager shared that all of them use to send their children to the school but not for education only for feeding. Because the Indian government used to provide foods to the primary school children. It is quite different from Nepal.

When we visited the watam Bedu I found another picture. There was big temple in the middle of the village. This temple was of Sisdeshwari. I really up set because the villagers have no land and the temple has much land. About 320 accords land was registered in name of temple. How exclamation!!!

Temple is rich but people are poor , I really angry with the Bramin pundit , they are using murder and god as means of exploitation . Why the din not fight for their right? Why they did not know the exploiter? I asked my self. We have also same problem in Nepal, Bramin from Nepal and India are same. They are using temple and Hindu religion as means of discrimination.

The stone cutter village also trusted me. I listened there ethno history. They use to think they are generation of Triputi /Balaji they even use to write their cast as trupati has never been to Triputi. We also visited the Trupati / Balaji Temple .And compare with alive Tirupati and statue of Triputi. Statue of Triputi is the richest of  the temple in India . And another hand alive Triputies are poorest in India. In our country we have also same kind of problem. In Nepal Kirate ethnic people use to say they are pure generation of lord shiva but they are not respected. But statue of Shiva is worshiped every where in the country .I think it is great problem.

In visiting period we found many kind of discrimination in area. The upper caste reddy (Bramin) people are holding all the means of production, esources and all the political power. I felt these people are like Nepalese Bamins.We also found man many saktee . In the field are when we visited the union APPVU and SHANIWASH and their activities. They are organizing people and advocating for their right it may be good strategy. But even it is not enough.

Learning and challenge. 

I learned many -many things in the period of one month. Most of them are very important I want to apply it my one context .And real life but the situation and reality of own context is not so easy. That’s why I am feeling both possibility and challenges. The major learning and challenges are in below.

·        I knew the basic idea to analyze the poverty.

·        Interrelation between our standing point and transformation.

·        The education is never been neutral.

·        We can learn world through the words.

·        We should recognize root cause of poverty other wise we can’t solve the conflict.

·        Gender and attitude so it can change by transforming our attitude.

·        Although the elite are in minority in the society they maintaining and controlling all the power and resources by middle class and poor class.

·         The elite groups create and promote the culture of oppression to continue the unjust society.

·        The religion and caste system is root cause of poverty of India and Nepal.

·        All the economic, socials, ideological and political system are control bye limit elite group .So they are taking benefit of form labor majority.

·        The power of poor is their number of majority and their organization.

·        The Global label structure is manipulated by WTO, WB and IMP.

·        WTO is more powerful than Governments and even more powerful than United Nation.