Koshi Province
Dhankuta author ostracised for marrying a dalit woman
The ostracisation is due more to social pressure than a family decision, says a family member.Ramesh Chandra Adhikari
Mukunda Subedi ‘Prayas’, an author and artist based in Dhankuta, has faced social ostracisation at the hands of his own family. Subedi was barred from performing the funeral rites of his father, Yagya Prasad Subedi, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 84. The reason he was shunned from the societal rituals is that Subedi had married Maiya Rasaili, a dalit woman, over two decades ago. Subedi is also prohibited from observing the 13-day long mourning rituals.
This, however, is not the first time Subedi was ostracised. He was even forced to move to the district headquarters after he married Rasaili. All of Subedi’s elder brothers live in Thakle, in Pakhribas Municipality-7, where the funeral rites were performed.
Subedi’s situation is another testament to how casteism is still pervasive in the district, said Subedi’s spouse Rasaili.
But the ostracisation is due more to societal pressure than a family decision, said Durga Prasad, one of Subedi’s elder brothers and a local Nepal Communist Party leader.
“All of our kiths and kins said they would not attend the function if Prayas was present,” Durga Prasad said. “We had no option but to keep him out.”
Subedi said that the incident is “nothing but a gross lack of conscience of the society.”
“I am already bereaved of my father,” Subedi told the Post. “On top of that, I was excluded from the funeral rituals. No one would even talk to me when I reached my village to pay final respects to my father. I feel dejected.”