Hindi is spoken by less than 1% of the people in Nepal as their first language. But it is that language more than anything else that is the bedrock of the Madhesi identity.
Pahadis in power for decades have tried to reduce the Madhesi community to the component castes and subcastes. Until recently the big parties talked of Dalit, Janajati and Mahila, but not of the Madhesi. Now they are starting to.
Pahadis talk of the casteism in the Terai, as if casteism were not an issue in the Pahad. Pahadis talk of sexism in the Terai as if sexism were not an issue in the Pahad.
More Madhesis are assertive today than was the case 10 or 15 years ago. But that assertion falls far short. The Sadbhavana party has not benefited from that assertion. A few Madhesis that are beginning to say a few things are still in the early stages of political consciousness. There is talk of being dissatisfied. But there still is not that vision of total equality.
Equality would mean the country would become a republic, and there would be a 50-50 chance a Madhesi would be President. Equality would mean a party like the Sadbhavana would grow into all 75 districts. Large swathes of the Janajati would adopt the Sadbhavana as their own by overcoming their Pahadi chauvinism.
Equality would mean half the judges in the country would be Madhesi, half of the Nepal Army would be Madhesi. A Madhesi would soon rise up the ranks and become Army Chief.
But people have a hard time thinking those thoughts. Even the conscious Madhesis have not taken that final step of thinking equality. The idea that Madhesis are not fully Nepali, less Nepali and more Indian, has been internalized. The idea of someone in dhoti kurta running the country has not ignited in the imagination yet. It just does not feel natural. It has never happened. A Newar yes, but never a Madhesi.
If there are six million Madhesis without citizenship papers, it must be because they are Indian. I have heard that suggestion from the mouths of some leading activists.
The word Nepali has never included a Madhesi like me. A new Nepal is being born. The term Nepali now has to include the Madhesi. For that the Madhesis have to remain vigilant.
There are Maithili, Bhojpuri, Awadhi and Tharu speakers. But it is Hindi that is the link language, it is not Nepali. Mahendra tried to impose Nepali on the Madhesis, but it has not worked, because it is so unnatural.
The Pahadis who have been lording over the Madhesis for generations will tell you, why do you not talk about Maithili instead, why do you talk about Hindi? They say that with the air of people who have given Maithili its due place ever. The 1990 constitution said people could organize primary schools in their mother tongues. As in, if it is Nepali, the state funds it, if it is Maithili, the local community will have to fund it itself. Maithili was not allowed to be used in the Janakpur municipality. Licenses for proposed Maithili FM radio stations were disallowed.
And they still say why don't you talk in terms of Maithili instead? It is not because they care about the Maithili language. It is called divide and rule. It is classic power play.
Linguistic diversity is at the center of diversity issues in the country.
Hindi as the link language does not marginalize Maithili, and the other Terai languages.
Hindi On Par With Nepali
That is the only way to go. The Madhesi-Pahadi dynamic is the fundamental social dynamic in Nepal. Putting Hindi on par with Nepali is the only healthy way to forge ahead.
The Desi Identity
Nepal has to make common cause and work to make Hindi the sixth UN language. Power lies in numbers. And for that the Nepalis have to learn to claim the Desi and the Asian identities, and the Blac identity.
So the Pahadis don't do it just for Madhesis but also for themselves.
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1 comment:
You write:
1. Hindi is spoken by less than 1% of the people in Nepal as their first language.
2. Putting Hindi on par with Nepali is the only healthy way to forge ahead.
Isn't there a big jump going from your premise (1st point) to your conclusion (2nd point)?
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