This is right time, I think, we can talk about Equality in Mockery. In context of Nepal, Madheshis have been being mocked for long time in Nepali media and in Nepali society. The mainstream nepali native speakers easily make fun of Madheshis in terms of Nepali accent and they enjoy bursting, big, forceful laughter and some madheshis also show artificial laughter concealing their inner shame since they have been also mocked and have been made fun of many times esp. in pahadi society. Laughter by madheshis is a psychological attempt to prove that they are educated ones and they can speak better Nepali in comparison to illiterate Madheshis.
But till now no madhesh based media has ever dared to mock Nepali speaking people in terms of Bhojpuri, Maithali, Awadhi, Hindi or on the base of other Madheshi language accents, why? Is it because Madheshi people don't dare or is it because most of the medias are sponsored by Nepali people, and not Madheshi. ( Nowadays I feel pain to call myself Nepali because whenever I said I was easily rejected by Nepali people, though all of them didn't directly oppose me but they used "hami nepali tapai (if slightly respected) madheshi" ie.-we nepali you Madheshi, most of the time they call "timi" ie.disrespectful "you" regardless of the seniority of Madheshi in age specially when the Madheshi is in Junior post or uneducated or illiterate. One of my best friends, a Newar girl, trying not to hurt me, calls me "hami nepali ra timiharuko jaat" ie.we nepali and your race).
The positive thing now I found in Madheshi medias is that they are at least trying to write freely and favoring Madhesh unlike the Nepali medias who are writing and speaking apparently against Madhesh. The impact of the mockery of Madheshi is so deep that they feel humiliated and many of them have lost self esteem. As a result they try to follow or imitate Nepali accent every time even with their friends and family to such an extent that they have almost forgotten their mother tongue. This is the clear evidence of their psychology that they feel shame to speak their mother tongue.
Some Nepali people may find my logic offensive but I am sure if they think honestly they will find it logical. If they (Nepali Medias) were not meant to offend madheshi then at least original Madheshi should have been given chance to play those roles of mocking madheshi accent. This is a bitter irony that many Nepali actors achieved high respect in Nepal and became very famous TV and movie stars just because of the mockery of Madheshi language accent. But almost no Madheshi is found famous in Nepal as an actor. And it is simply because Nepalis never gave a sentimental proximity to Madheshis.
The positive thing now I found in Madheshi medias is that they are at least trying to write freely and favoring Madhesh unlike the Nepali medias who are writing and speaking apparently against Madhesh. The impact of the mockery of Madheshi is so deep that they feel humiliated and many of them have lost self esteem. As a result they try to follow or imitate Nepali accent every time even with their friends and family to such an extent that they have almost forgotten their mother tongue. This is the clear evidence of their psychology that they feel shame to speak their mother tongue.
Some Nepali people may find my logic offensive but I am sure if they think honestly they will find it logical. If they (Nepali Medias) were not meant to offend madheshi then at least original Madheshi should have been given chance to play those roles of mocking madheshi accent. This is a bitter irony that many Nepali actors achieved high respect in Nepal and became very famous TV and movie stars just because of the mockery of Madheshi language accent. But almost no Madheshi is found famous in Nepal as an actor. And it is simply because Nepalis never gave a sentimental proximity to Madheshis.
It is perhaps practices of all over the world. In Indian Cinema some people play as mocking Englishmen, Nepali, Punjabi, Gujarati or even Chinese or Japanese people etc. In Nepali movies also the Nepali actors, as a revenge... perhaps, make fun of Madheshi. Earlier I thought big and rich people or Country only can do this against weak and small but I was wrong because India is not richer and stronger than China or Japan and England but may be it is equal in power nowadays. One may argue that it is only limited in certain locality not in international market. So OK, no problem, let madheshis do it in Madhesh based media only, can you? I solemnly believe that this would make madheshi realize big freedom.
I am called "black sir" or "Madhishe" in my school in Kathmandu by an innocent three class newar girl. Some times she calls me "Babaa" ie."Dad" as well, in response to my address to her as "chhori" ie.”daughter". Other students of class five also try to call me black but I usually don't mind because many of the newar students are far blacker than I am. But when students of class eight call me "dhoti" I am badly infuriated. Now the question is who taught the three class girl to call me Madhise or how did the eight class students dare to call me "dhoti"? Did their parents teach no manner? How many Madheshi students mock Nepali teachers in Madhesh? My clear answer is -Not even a single student. But now I guess Madheshi students may do it in future as a revenge and as an impact of Madheshi Movement.
I am called "black sir" or "Madhishe" in my school in Kathmandu by an innocent three class newar girl. Some times she calls me "Babaa" ie."Dad" as well, in response to my address to her as "chhori" ie.”daughter". Other students of class five also try to call me black but I usually don't mind because many of the newar students are far blacker than I am. But when students of class eight call me "dhoti" I am badly infuriated. Now the question is who taught the three class girl to call me Madhise or how did the eight class students dare to call me "dhoti"? Did their parents teach no manner? How many Madheshi students mock Nepali teachers in Madhesh? My clear answer is -Not even a single student. But now I guess Madheshi students may do it in future as a revenge and as an impact of Madheshi Movement.
To compete with Nepali, Madheshi must be guaranteed equality in mockery too.
A few Madhesis and almost all Nepali ask why Madheshi don't call themselves Nepali. The answer is above because of no respect, no equality, no opportunity but only mockery etc. They never provided a clean practical environment which would let Madheshi feel Nepali. Nor is it possible for a conscious Madheshi because here, certain races from Darjeeling to Bhutan are accepted as Nepali but original Madheshis are not accepted as Nepali. How can a Bhutanese or Indian from Darjeeling or Sikkim etc places despite having their Indian or Bhutanese Citizenship be Nepali? It clearly proves Nepali is racism not nationalism. Or it is ethnicity ot nationality.
About 15/16 years ago I showed my copy to Nepali teacher /madam in nine class in my copy that was one copied style from BP Koirala. I had written "I found myself doing something...." The teacher said my language was poor. Then I guessed she had not read that type of language in Nepali because it is English diction. But she could say that because she was a teacher and in the other hand she was native speaker of Nepali. I have found many times some Pahadi people speaking wrong Nepali which is nothing for them but when a Madheshi commits a mistake s/he becomes subject of redicule ( I myself became many times). Once one of my landlords tried to teach me that human feet are called "Goda" not "Khutta" that I had used but even after that I found many native speakers of Nepali use "Khutta". I only understood they tried to correct me for nothing useful only to humiliate me. Once in class in Tribhuvan University in MA our a so-called scholar used "Dhoti" word which reflects the mentality of Some Nepali scholars. And the Madheshi students did little to oppose it.
A few Madhesis and almost all Nepali ask why Madheshi don't call themselves Nepali. The answer is above because of no respect, no equality, no opportunity but only mockery etc. They never provided a clean practical environment which would let Madheshi feel Nepali. Nor is it possible for a conscious Madheshi because here, certain races from Darjeeling to Bhutan are accepted as Nepali but original Madheshis are not accepted as Nepali. How can a Bhutanese or Indian from Darjeeling or Sikkim etc places despite having their Indian or Bhutanese Citizenship be Nepali? It clearly proves Nepali is racism not nationalism. Or it is ethnicity ot nationality.
About 15/16 years ago I showed my copy to Nepali teacher /madam in nine class in my copy that was one copied style from BP Koirala. I had written "I found myself doing something...." The teacher said my language was poor. Then I guessed she had not read that type of language in Nepali because it is English diction. But she could say that because she was a teacher and in the other hand she was native speaker of Nepali. I have found many times some Pahadi people speaking wrong Nepali which is nothing for them but when a Madheshi commits a mistake s/he becomes subject of redicule ( I myself became many times). Once one of my landlords tried to teach me that human feet are called "Goda" not "Khutta" that I had used but even after that I found many native speakers of Nepali use "Khutta". I only understood they tried to correct me for nothing useful only to humiliate me. Once in class in Tribhuvan University in MA our a so-called scholar used "Dhoti" word which reflects the mentality of Some Nepali scholars. And the Madheshi students did little to oppose it.
It seems mockery to Madheshi from Nepali is almost impossible to stop but we can start mockery to Pahadi to balance like the weighing machine to make each other feel all are equal.
Even in Madhesh, Madheshis are made fun of in terms of Nepali accents not in only media but in your face in society they can ridicule you and you have to laugh out of shame. But reversely you are not expected to speak and mock them for their bad Maithali, Bhojpuri , Awadhi, Hindi etc. The day Madheshi will start to mock them back that day Madheshi will come out with inferior complexity and would live happily.
-PAVAN KUMAR SUSIL
http://www.hulakinews.com/blog-equality-in-mockery/
