All Stories

"These days I spend my time in the fields cutting grass. I tie the hay, I cook, I wash dishes and this is how my day is spent. For me, I have not been to school and I do not know how to read a book....

"I do not know how to fish. The women here do not go fishing. It is what men do. But I do know how to row a boat. I usually take the boat to collect grass from the pasture across the flood plain of...

"I have been living near the Koshi for the last 25 years. My ancestors came from the nearby town of Bhardah. I go to catch fish two times a day. In the morning and in the evening. My father was also...

"Everyday, there is drinking and yelling here. Most of the time, I try to find a corner and study. I like reading stories from my Nepali book because most of the stories are happy ones."

"I had two friends who sat in the front bench in the classroom and I went to sit with them. But I was asked by my teacher to go sit in the back, alone, because I am a Badi."

"But I have two daughters to look after. I try to be strong. The suffering of the past continues to be the suffering of the present. I want a good education and a good future for them. I do not want...

"My first birth was a son. My husband was very happy. A son meant we would get salvation after death. We invited the Chief District Officer to join the Chait celebration. My husband was happy that...

"I met him at the Sildevi Mela at Devisthan. He looked healthy and I was attracted towards him. We had started talking to each other and our love grew. Not long after our first meet, I eloped with...

"I do not know how to tell you if my husband is at home or he is away. If I tell you he is home, he is always away drinking. And if I tell you he is away, he comes in at night without notice asking...

"I think I was 8 years old when I started asking questions about my ‘Badi’ caste. Why do people talk to us in a condescending manner? Why is there no food for us to eat? Why are poor while others...

"She must have met him at the bus park. Or in a hotel. I cannot talk about what I do not know of. She would come home after she walked out of the Tole. She would also bring money every day. One day...

"Mother lost her mind when I was little. She would wander around whispering. I never could understand what she said. We feared her sometimes. What was she going to do next? What was she going to say...

"Mother became lonely after fathers death. So she eloped. I was 11 years old. My eldest sister took care of us. Since I was little, I cleaned septic tanks. But the money was never enough to feed our...

"I am the son of Rangay Badi. My name is Deepak Badi. I have had a little to drink this morning. There was a celebration in the town yesterday. And there was goat meat. They were generous to give me...

"In the old days, men in this community were busy collecting wives. My father married my mother because his first wife could not bear him children. We were 9 siblings. 2 of them were sons and that...

"Maybe the old times were better. At least, every occasion, every festival and every celebration we were invited to entertain the guests. We danced and we sang. Sometimes we received money and...