“I´m not allowed to enter the kitchen when I´m having periods but that makes little sense to me. What if I am hungry and there´s no one at home? I don´t see any point in following a practice without any reasonable explanation,” says 17-year-old Aayuna Baidya, a student.[break]
But Aayuna´s mother Rajani Baidya, 45, begs to differ. “Not allowing women to do the kitchen chores during periods is what we have been taught. It is part of our culture and hence the practice should be given continuity,” she says.
The way people view marital relations also reflects the changing mindset of the younger generation. In the past, men and women did not date before marriage as it was considered immoral. But the young view this as an anachronism in today´s age.
Such other examples abound in the Nepali society. “Talking about whether the new generation like to follow such practices, much depends on how they have been brought up. The outlook of people can be different in the society. Culture is dynamic and it cannot be generalized,” says Dr Ram Bahadur Chettri, Professor of Anthropology at Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur.
There were, and still are, numerous social restrictions. Girls are still not allowed to stay out late. Underage drinking is not at all acceptable unless it is culturally approved during certain family events. No one is actually unaware of this but the young want a change.
“In the family, the elders should respect our point of view too. Although we are younger, they must let us have our say and not force us into doing something that makes no sense,” says 18-year-old Ankita Shah, a student.
The negative aspects of modernization should always be discouraged. But it is high time that our elders not impose us on age-old practices that are no longer relevant now.
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