Not only Dilli, many other men from Jumla were in the capital to celebrate the three-day long mid and far western tourism festival, which concluded Sunday. [break]
“The reason is simple. Girls can´t be sent out to faraway locations without ensuring proper security,” said a local of Kalikot, Dhana Prasad Pandey, who has been associated with tourism sector for a long time. “As for boys, if they are good in studies, parents leave no stone unturned to ensure their further education. Even the low income families do their best for their boys,” he added.
According to Nutan Shahi, a visitor from Jumla, girls are actually not given equal priority as sons. “Ours is a very backward region. And the society does not give equal importance to girls. They think education is more important for boys,” said Shahi, who has not completed high school level himself. Shahi´s two brothers graduated from a prestigious college in Kathamndu a few years back.
The discrimination was evident at the even as well because the men far outnumbered women in terms of participation. “This event is very important for the people from Jumla as we are showcasing our artifacts, specialties and our culture. People from our region and the rest of the world should take pride in the diversity and the beauty of Jumla,” he said, who was responsible for bringing a team from Jumla. Against 11 men, 4 women were in the team.
On the other hand, just like the society in Jumla that overlooks girls, the state has completely overlooked the remote district, some visitors from Jumla stated. They say the pace of development in Jumla is too slow. “We have been left out. There is no transportation and other basic facilities, our children still die due to lack of medicines,” said Upadhyay. “Even after the end of insurgency and peace accord, nothing much has changed in Jumla."
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