Archive for June, 2007

6 years back, Mala Buda vividly remembers how her family was forced to leave the village and come to Tamnagar, Butwal. Maoists have asked them donation of more than 50,000 because her husband was retired Indian Army. Maoists have made rule that a year at service means 3000 donation. So more years you serve, you have to pay more donations. Not being able to pay donation, they left their village leaving everything behind. She remembers if she hadn’t left village, probably they would be dead now. Her village falls in the remote Rukum bordering near Baglung district which is Maoist stronghold. (Mala is below)

Many families fled the village as conflict got momentum. Asha Buda also fled the village and came to Butwal. Her fupu (aunt) Mala was staying at Tamnagar. So Mala called her at Tamnagar where a hut was vacant. So Asha’s family also came to Tamnagar. It’s been six years and now country is in peace process.

(Right is Asha) Maoists have agreed to return back looted properties and Mala and Asha’s village is also peaceful. But they don’t want to go back. Why? Is Maoists still threat? On this question, both of them laughed and said, “No, NO. We don’t want to go back because there’s nothing. Yes we have properties but there’s no infrastructures, no electricity, no drinking water, no roads, no television, no nothing. Even if we returned, what would be earning ways? We have to start from first. May be our animals are dead, our homes are destroyed. We have to rebuild everything there but everything is set here. So we don’t want to go back.” Mala’s son has just given his Bachelor’s first year exam and he too wants to do something on his own, which is not possible in their rural village at Rukum.
They have bought small plot of land. Mala has even just recently built her own house. Both Mala and Asha’s husbands are ex-Indian army. Asked how their daily expenses are covered, Mala replied, “Well, our husband is ex-Indian army. So in every three month, we get pension. We buy everything we need with that money and this is how our life goes on.” When we met them, Asha’s hunband was in Kathamndu for work but Mala’s husband was working in Iraq. I quizzed her over this stating it’s dangerous to work there and even government has banned there. Smiling Mala replied, “My husband is ex-army and so what Iraq is dangerous now, we too faced danger. Iraq has now become like Rukum and remember we are from Rukum. So for him, it’s daily business like in home.” Her answer made me speechless.

(This is Asha’s House. leaving her own house in Rukum, she’s stayin in such small hut.)
Mala was speaking with us but Asha was speaking very little. Finally she said that she wants to go back home but bus fare is very high and after getting out of bus, they have to walk 3 days to reach their village. This is also one reason why they are not going back. When asked what the fare is, they said Rs. 750 per person. And asked whether anyone they knew have returned back, Mala replied, “No, no one in my knowledge has returned. Aba manche lai jaha basyo tehi ramrod (it’s good wherever man stays)”. But both of them have dreams to go back some day. Being hopeful Mala says, “May be someday, my village would be developed and it’s easy to go back. Then I would go there to see my village.”