Journalist and writer Janakraj Sapkota’s new novel, ‘Magani Marik’, was launched at Nepal Academy in Kathmandu on Thursday, bringing the experiences of the marginalised Dom community in Madhesh to the fore.

The book was jointly unveiled by Anju Kumari Marik, an 18-year-old Dom student studying in Grade 12 on a scholarship, Dr Ramji Ram and the author. Centred on a character named Magani Marik, the novel explores the struggles of people at the bottom of Nepal’s caste hierarchy.

Speaking at the launch, Anju recounted her struggle to pursue an education in a society marked by caste discrimination. “I am the only girl from the Dom community across 12 districts studying in Grade 12 on a scholarship. My father has played a major role in my journey,” she said.

She also highlighted the double standards that shape attitudes towards the community. “Our society denies us not only equal access to education but also the dignity we deserve,” she said. “People accept our blessings and the water we touch at births and weddings, yet treat that same water as impure in everyday life. The same society that believes lighting a deceased person’s funeral pyre, a Hindu rite known as mukhagni, helps them attain heaven still treats the Marik community as untouchable.”

Anju said she hoped to become an example for other girls from her community despite the obstacles ahead. “The road is not easy, but I want to set an example for the girls in our society. One day, girls from our community will be recognised for their education and abilities, not their caste,” she said.

Ram said the novel captures the contradictions faced by marginalised communities in Madhesh and raises fundamental questions about Nepal’s political system. “We have a republic, but caste rule persists,” he said. “Those who overthrew the monarchy may have kept its old mindset and operating system. The book asks whether the republic has managed to dismantle caste hierarchy.”

Ram praised Sapkota for documenting the lives of people often overlooked by political leaders and the media. He pointed to the continuing reality of people being denied access to drinking water because of their caste, while politicians and cameras remain confined to carefully controlled spaces.

Sapkota said the novel grew out of two decades of reporting in Madhesh, drawing on stories and experiences that never made it into his news reports but stayed with him in his diary. “Caste discrimination, poverty and poor health and education conditions in Madhesh are alarming. Many things were left out while I was working as a journalist, so I used to write them down in my diary,” he said.

Recounting the challenges of reporting in villages, including language barriers and difficulties in capturing conversations, Sapkota said he completed the book only after visiting people in their homes and observing their lives and emotional worlds up close. “Madhesh is only 150 to 200 kilometres from Kathmandu, yet the voices of its suffering and oppression still take a long time to reach the capital,” he said.

He added that he was pleased to bring girls such as Anju to the stage to share their own experiences.

Commenting on the novel, writer Shyam Sah said that despite its brevity, the book had the power to unsettle readers. It addresses caste oppression in Madhesh, foreign employment, human trafficking and the insensitivity of the bureaucracy.