Anyone hardly deny if someone says that Nepali society is a non-egalitarian society, prejudiced and discriminatory practicing society. Indeed, it is very much prejudiced, non-egalitarian, patriarchal, racist, casteist, sexist and misogynist society at almost each and every Nepalese living in Nepal has experience one or other of form of such prejudice based on their biological sex and skin color that they are born with and in class, caste, creed, culture or cult that we belong to while they were born.
In fact, when we human are social beings born in this earth for which we didn't have any choice in which sex and skin color to be born with and in which culture, caste or ethnicity, country, place, family type, tradition and religious ritualistic faith or belief system following family or parents to be born with.
Our birth is predetermined by the nature based on the natural selection process. Therefore, even so-called powerful holy priests, pundits, pastors or any religious gurus/teaches can't do anything about it. Based on an individual person's karma (intended thoughts, speech and action) that we did in our this or past life as a living being we are born with in this world as a human being. Some people are born in a socially privileged group whereas others are born in less privileged groups. However, those people who are born in a privileged group consider self super duper gifted by God thus they have rights and power to dominate, discriminate and disadvantage other people who are not born with it. This is not other than illusion and delusion that they had in their mind imprinted by their family members, and society in which they are born.
Naturally we all are born as a human beings which is our privileged to be as a human beings. This is because we as a human beings are the highest intellectual beings among the mammalian animals who can do whatever we can in our lives. Like sky has no boundary or limitation likewise there is no limitation set by nature for human beings if anyone wish to do something significant in their lives. However, we, human beings because of our own ignorance have set the limit within our mind believing on whatever said by others or read books or scriptures written others without critically analyzing it or observing it based on our own experiential live events. In fact, there are lot of limitation or restriction set since ancient time by clever human beings especially men who love ruling and controlling others. This is the how religion has been coined in ancient time by clever minded men in order to establish law and order in the society controlling people behavior and actions so that they can easily govern the society and people as per their wishes.
There is no doubt that religion is a tool coined by archaic ruling minds to fool, bull and rule mass human beings this is the reason why a Roman Stoic philosopher, and statesman, Lucius Annaeus Seneca who died in 65 AD said, "Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful."
While digging out the history of ancient India same can be found. This is the reason why a Prince Siddhartha Gautam who became Buddha was against the organized philosophy or so-called Dharma of by then India. Dharma is not a religion in its etymology.
However, there is no difference in its cultural ritualistic practices observed by either Indian Hindu or western world Christians or middle east Muslims or else whose minds are preoccupied by their own forefathers faithful ideological and philosophical belief system that have indoctrinated their mind since they are born within particular family or sacrifice themselves in their youth or adulthood time in one of the cults to comfort themselves in making them to feel safe and secure being as associated with one of dogmatic belief cult world. Believing whatever written by their forefathers in their deluded belief system scriptures or so-called holy books some people believe that they are God gifted people. This made me laugh understanding their deluded belief. The God has been coined from the imaginative mind of archaic clever mind men. Till date no one has proved God exist in this world. Only we are told to believe it based on whatever written in the so-called holy scriptures or books. As a highly intellectual conscientious beings who can think and analyze critically I wonder how anyone can just believe without analyzing it which many people just love to believe it whatever said by their forefathers. Accordingly they consider themselves super human beings than others and take and get privileged accordingly based on their sex, race, caste, ethnicity, cult culture and tradition. This is in fact, a mental illness suffering from illusion, delusion and hallucination.
In anthropology, according to the Oxford Dictionary the term "Privilege" means, "A special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group." Whereas in sociology, privilege is the perceived rights or advantages that are assumed to be available only to a particular person or group of people.
In Nepal, government has classified different caste and ethnic groups based the privileged that they had in access and control over state resources since 1854 AD. Of which still till now, Tamang including many indigenous societies have been categorized as a disadvantaged and marginalized ethnic groups because they lack access and control over state resources since historical period and they were deprived of such resources due to state imposed discriminatory practices rules and regulations [1,2]. In Nepal, Khas Arya caste group (Brahmin and Chhetri) peoples are generally termed high caste Hindu, are considered religiously pure, are the top of the caste hierarchy, have historically been the most socially advantaged or privileged group in almost every sphere of life, and have enjoyed the best access to various social, economical and political resources. This is the reason why Khas Arya people get special preference, rights and advantage granted by the state since the state rulers and power holders are still Khas Arya in Nepal.
If any nomination has to be done by the ruling political party government then always preference goes to an individual based on their caste group. In the subtle way the nomination criteria is predetermined based on their caste, sex and political ideological lineage rather than individual's capacities, abilities and qualification that one holds. Due to the entrenched religious belief and practices that people hold in Nepalese society to be born as Khas Arya or to establish martial relationship with them are privileged in Nepal. This is the reason why non-Khas Arya females who marry to Khas Arya men prefer their husband's family name even though they are separated or divorced. Likewise, in order to get privileged by the state or ruling political party government Khas Arya women who marry to non-Khas Arya they prefer to have both their own as well as husband's surnames so that they can take advantage of the special provision, for example, quota system to ensure representative participation and involvement based on the government of Nepal's gender equality and social inclusion strategy and policy. In both ways, Khas Arya men and women are getting and taking advantage and privileged based on the caste system political nomination relating to nepotism, favoritism and chauvinism, which are deeply rooted caste related power politics that remain in Hindu society according to the Law of Manu (Manusrmiti). The caste system power politics and privileged will remain in Nepal forever unless and until there would be a revolutionary transformation take place in order to destroy the societal racist, casteist, misogynist and prejudice mindset, which is not possible in the society where people are too much dogmatic and can't think beyond their religious belief and ritualistic habitual practices.
Reference
1. Bhandari P, Williams N, Chan L, Young-DeMarco L, and Sun C. 2016. Social Exclusion and Migration: A Case Study of Caste in Nepal. The University of Michigan and University of Washington.
2. ADB 2010. Overview of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Nepal. Asian Development Bank, Philippines.
If any nomination has to be done by the ruling political party government then always preference goes to an individual based on their caste group. In the subtle way the nomination criteria is predetermined based on their caste, sex and political ideological lineage rather than individual's capacities, abilities and qualification that one holds. Due to the entrenched religious belief and practices that people hold in Nepalese society to be born as Khas Arya or to establish martial relationship with them are privileged in Nepal. This is the reason why non-Khas Arya females who marry to Khas Arya men prefer their husband's family name even though they are separated or divorced. Likewise, in order to get privileged by the state or ruling political party government Khas Arya women who marry to non-Khas Arya they prefer to have both their own as well as husband's surnames so that they can take advantage of the special provision, for example, quota system to ensure representative participation and involvement based on the government of Nepal's gender equality and social inclusion strategy and policy. In both ways, Khas Arya men and women are getting and taking advantage and privileged based on the caste system political nomination relating to nepotism, favoritism and chauvinism, which are deeply rooted caste related power politics that remain in Hindu society according to the Law of Manu (Manusrmiti). The caste system power politics and privileged will remain in Nepal forever unless and until there would be a revolutionary transformation take place in order to destroy the societal racist, casteist, misogynist and prejudice mindset, which is not possible in the society where people are too much dogmatic and can't think beyond their religious belief and ritualistic habitual practices.
Reference
1. Bhandari P, Williams N, Chan L, Young-DeMarco L, and Sun C. 2016. Social Exclusion and Migration: A Case Study of Caste in Nepal. The University of Michigan and University of Washington.
2. ADB 2010. Overview of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Nepal. Asian Development Bank, Philippines.
