Suggestion to run a campaign by forming a Dhami group with government agencies and stakeholders
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Religious leaders have suggested that an awareness campaign should be conducted by forming a Dhami group with stakeholders to remove Chhaupadi. The Social Development Office discussed with the dhamis and religious leaders of various deities participating from all 10 local levels of the district to come up with strategies to remove social evils like chhaupadi and untouchability.
The office said that the discussion was organized after there was a discussion that Chhaupadi was believed to be due to the deity and that it could not be eradicated when Dhamis showed fear. Dhami, who participated in the program, said that they are not an obstacle to removing the Chhaupadi system. The 65-year-old Tara Chaane, a Dhami of Bandali Deuta located in Turmakhand Rural Municipality-6, said that Deuta also had to demolish his own shed on the first day of the camp demolition campaign in Achham because he did not want to stay in the shed during the siege.
'I am a man who spent 10 years underground in an armed conflict. In this way, it is not a desire to become a Dhami, but a compulsion,' he said, 'I am a Dhami of the Republic, I am against the tradition that one should be a chaupadi, one should not stay at home, one should go to a barn. God does not say that you should live in a shed.'
In order to eliminate Chhaupadi system, government agencies, stakeholders should form a group of Dhamis of various deities and conduct an awareness campaign throughout the district and should move towards slum management, he said. If something is destroyed, the other Dhamis should also stop saying yes by keeping the chhaupadi at home. Times have changed. Now the thought of Dhami like us should also be changed," he said.
Dhami Motisingh Kunwar of Musto Devta of Sanfebagar Municipality-5 Navthana said that Dhami also has social obligations. Everyone understands that Dhamis do not eat anything that has been touched outside, they do not allow chaupadis to stay at home, they do not touch them. But no one understands the social compulsion why Dhami does this," he said. "Even if it is to maintain social dignity and gain respect, Dhami is forced to say something and to bear the brunt." He said that Dhami also said that those who are sick should be taken to the hospital.
Dhami Karna Bahadur Budha of Bandali Devta of Turmakhand Rural Municipality-4 says that although he could not keep menstruating women at home, he could keep them close to home. It is not possible to keep women who are housewives exactly at home. But now more than ever we keep it closer to home. When everyone is united in the society, Dhami alone cannot say that he should go to the barn," he said. Now you have to say it.'
Dhami Moti Kami of Mangalsen municipality-4 musto god said that the god must be managed. Not everyone has a deity in their house, but everyone has menstruating women. It is easier to manage deities and dhamis than to manage them,” he said. He said that even now there are problems such as having to stay in the shed during menstruation, not being able to go to the water stream, and not being able to use the toilet. He said that the earlier campaigns were not effective and now they should take Dhami along with them to create awareness programs.
Dambar Rawal, head of Social Development Office Achham, said that dialogue with Dhami and religious people has been carried forward to eliminate problems like social injustice, violence, and child marriage. "Dhamis of various deities across the district have been seen against bad culture. Now it seems that it will be easier to do public awareness work in the community," he said.
