4.5 Sita’s struggleWhen we reached the residence of Sita Basnet of Saruwa Dada, Goltakuri-9, she wasn’t there. She had gone to a nearby forest to feed her goats, but we found two of her daughters playing with dolls in the front yard. When we asked them about their mother they replied, “Mother has gone to the jungle, she will come back later in the evening.”
Sita’s daughters have to mind their home at an early age. In addition to the kitchen chores, Sita has to do everything that a male head of household must do. In 2002, her husband was killed by security forces in a community forest of Motipur, Urahari-6, allegedly because he was a Maoist.
When we asked the youngest daughter, a mere four years old, about her father, she replied, “Father has gone to God’s place. Police killed him and sent him there.”
Widowed Sita is now working as president of Pashupati Women’s Savings Group, formed by SEED. She has reared goats and with her savings she has managed the family’s expenses. The eight kattha of land held in the name of her husband yields rice that is barely enough for six months. For the rest of the year she has to do daily labour to fend for her family. In the event of emergency or sickness, she has to borrow money. SEED has admitted her daughters to a school and is covering all expenses for their education. “Despite all the troubles in life, it is a great relief to me,” she says.
Following the death of her husband Sita is without any support. In her journal she expresses her feelings: “I am not just a widow, but have been afflicted with mental problems throughout my life. Sometimes I have a headache, sometimes a stomach ache, sometimes fever, but when I go to the doctor I am told nothing is wrong. They have advised me to laugh at least once a day. But how can I laugh, when I am overwhelmed by sorrow?”