The women were also called 'Sudeni' for helping to deliver babies and the men were sought after to dispose the dead bodies of cattle. Apart from these, the community would be at service of the locals during marriage and head shaving ceremonies. Chamars were needed to entertain people, play music, sing, and dance.
In the course of their 'social duty' many Chamar women would be sexually abused with some of them even bearing child of so-called'upper caste' men. Avoiding dangers or ensuring security was not easy for women who had to be present at the door of the needy family as soon as they were informed. Speaking out against the atrocities was hardly possible in the society the Chamars had least domination over. Poverty, illiteracy, and lack of awareness would silence them no matter what they had to face.
But change was just around the corner. The fact that Chamars were being treated as no less than slaves of the'upper caste' people had started to bother the people of the community, especially the youths. They wanted freedom from a life without dignity, space, and opportunities. They wanted to live as an equal member of the society.
Then one day, 15 years ago, Chamars and a few other marginalized communities decided to change their fate forever. As soon as they formed an organization under the initiation of a local 'Saraswati community development center', the Chamars declared that they would no more be engaged in disposal of animal's dead bodies. No matter whose cattle would die or who would order them to do the job, they would resist.
Baladev Ram was elected president of the newly formed umbrella organization called – Dalit Sangathan. Baladev need not elaborate too much on how the community had been exploited by the rich people of the society for years. Thanks to the Maoists movement that had taken the entire country by its grip, all the marginalized people had begun to fight for their rights.
However, such developments had not pleased the other communities of the society. Conflict sparked when the Chamars declined to even touch the carcass of Bisunlal Kalwar's cow. Pressure was put on the Chamars to keep on with their traditional occupation. But the Chamars were committed not to do the thankless job anymore. Finally, Kalwar had to manage the waste himself. This was first noticed victory of the Charmars over the long held practice.
However, the path of revolution is never easy. People from other communities thought they should teach the Chamars a lesson for not heeding to the call of duty. The 'upper caste' people announced that Baladev Ram and two other influential youths of the community – Dhodai Ram and Bholadevi Ram – would be boycotted in the society. The three and their families would not be supplied food, besides not being allowed to be at public places to the point where they weren't even allowed to walk in the public paths in Saptari.
"We had already started war with the upper caste and there was no point in turning back. They tried to isolate us, discourage us, but we were only getting stronger," recalls Baladev.
What made the community even stronger was the support of media and social organizations. As soon as the news of the three being ostracized by the society did the rounds, the other side fell weak. "We did not have to worry about water and food. Several organizations came forward for our help," said Baladev.
According to Baladev, the war of sorts went on for over a month. The marginalized community had to encircle the local administration demanding action against the landlords who had taken extreme action against them. "For a whole month they did not allow us to travel freely on the roads, or roam in markets. We were banned from enjoying our basic human rights," Baladev said adding that the landlords later had to give up as time was not in their favor anymore.
Today, Baladev's son is an executive director at an NGO called Dalit Sangam. He is a bachelor degree holder. There are many others in the community who have successfully completed their higher education. Similarly, while the men are making their earning through several kinds of jobs, women have also made presence felt in the field of adult education as teachers. Some women have become social activists consistently making efforts for greater change in the society.
"If I hadn't been courageous enough to revolt and if the community hadn't supported me, then my son would probably have had a hard time right now. But then, you see, he is an officer today," says Baladev with a smile.
Transalated from Nepali by Anjali Subedi
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