1.4 Diversity – ethnicity, caste and class
There is no caste-based discrimination among the street children. When they are meeting someone for the first time, they do not ask the caste of that person. If in the course of living or being together, they happened to know the caste of a friend, they addressed that person with their caste. For instance, if that person was from the Brahmin community, they would be addressed as Bahun. Similarly, if someone belonged to the Bhutia community, then they would be called Bhote. But this is not applicable to everybody. For instance, if someone is from a low caste, such as Kami[i] and Damai[ii], then that person is called by their caste. This shows that they have also been influenced by social culture and practices.
Although street children do not make discrimination between upper caste and lower caste, they still tease each other by their caste. For instance, if someone is a Brahmin, the others around him say, “Bahun Baje[iii] won’t eat the food touched by us.” Then the Brahmin replies, “You are almost touching my food. If you touch it, maybe you will eat it too. So let me run away with my food!” Clearly, they make fun of the practice of untouchability that still exists in Nepal. Sometimes they even have a debate on various castes and creed. All this is done for fun, without intending to hurt or derogate another. When these children turn adults, caste-based discrimination becomes a non-issue. Many street youths have gone for inter-caste marriages. Some of them marry while still living on the streets. There are also cases where they have delivered babies on the street. In such cases, various organizations seem to be helping them.
There are also examples of some street youth breaking wealth and class-based barriers. For instance, they have fallen in love with girls from affluent families and even married them. For instance, there was a boy who had been living on the streets for 12-13 years. While still on the streets, he fell in love with a girl who was a resident of Kathmandu. After a few months, the girl’s family found out about their affair and tried to separate them. But the couple ran away and went to Pokhara. The girl’s family brought her back from Pokhara and married her to somebody else. There are many cases such as this one.
However, some affairs have been successful, too. Affluent families have accepted their daughter’s choice. After the marriage, they have supported the street youth to take up various professions. In this way, some street youths have been leading a dignified life.
There is no caste-based discrimination among the street children. When they are meeting someone for the first time, they do not ask the caste of that person. If in the course of living or being together, they happened to know the caste of a friend, they addressed that person with their caste. For instance, if that person was from the Brahmin community, they would be addressed as Bahun. Similarly, if someone belonged to the Bhutia community, then they would be called Bhote. But this is not applicable to everybody. For instance, if someone is from a low caste, such as Kami[i] and Damai[ii], then that person is called by their caste. This shows that they have also been influenced by social culture and practices.
Although street children do not make discrimination between upper caste and lower caste, they still tease each other by their caste. For instance, if someone is a Brahmin, the others around him say, “Bahun Baje[iii] won’t eat the food touched by us.” Then the Brahmin replies, “You are almost touching my food. If you touch it, maybe you will eat it too. So let me run away with my food!” Clearly, they make fun of the practice of untouchability that still exists in Nepal. Sometimes they even have a debate on various castes and creed. All this is done for fun, without intending to hurt or derogate another. When these children turn adults, caste-based discrimination becomes a non-issue. Many street youths have gone for inter-caste marriages. Some of them marry while still living on the streets. There are also cases where they have delivered babies on the street. In such cases, various organizations seem to be helping them.
There are also examples of some street youth breaking wealth and class-based barriers. For instance, they have fallen in love with girls from affluent families and even married them. For instance, there was a boy who had been living on the streets for 12-13 years. While still on the streets, he fell in love with a girl who was a resident of Kathmandu. After a few months, the girl’s family found out about their affair and tried to separate them. But the couple ran away and went to Pokhara. The girl’s family brought her back from Pokhara and married her to somebody else. There are many cases such as this one.
However, some affairs have been successful, too. Affluent families have accepted their daughter’s choice. After the marriage, they have supported the street youth to take up various professions. In this way, some street youths have been leading a dignified life.
No proper research has been conducted to study the condition of street children by caste, religion and economic status. As a matter of fact, these aspects seem to make a significant impact in their lives. In view of some of the ‘estimated’ statistics above, it appears important to conduct a research on their caste and religion.