LOGIN DASHBOARD

    Perspectives

    5 MIN READ

    Hum aab Sita nai banbau

    Kalpana Jha, Pallavi Payal, February 22, 2021, Kathmandu

    Hum aab Sita nai banbau

      Share this article

    Sapana Sanjeevani’s poem took aim at the patriarchal foundations of religion and society, and for that, she’s become the target of death and rape threats.

    (The Record)

    On February 12, 2021, Sapana Sanjeevani recited her poem, ‘Hum aab Sita nai banbau’ at the women’s march, part of the ongoing ‘Nagarik andolan’, as a symbolic deconstruction  of the historic domination of women in the name of religion, culture, and tradition. In the poem, she named religious and mythological characters like Sita, Draupadi, and Saraswati to make her point. The poem, although drawing inspiration from mythological characters, was aimed at undermining the pervasive oppression of women and marginalised communities. As she recited her poem, the crowd of young and old, women and men, all cheered, joining in her call for a revolution against the patriarchy. 

    Sanjeevani was widely covered by national television and a video of her reciting the poem was viewed and shared hundreds of times on social media. Sanjeevani received immense support from many but particularly from women who could relate to her anger and the voice she represented through her poem. 

    However, since February 14, Sanjeevani, along with other women who participated in the march, began to receive threats on social media, including verbal abuse and rape and death threats. Some were extremely triggering and graphic. Sanjeevani particularly was targeted for her poem, with threats of rape and even vulgar music videos made with her photos. Madhesi activist Rita Sah, former National Human Rights Commission member Mohna Ansari, and women’s rights activist Hima Bista also received threats. Their photos were shared publicly on social media, with declarations of reward money for anyone who “blackened” their faces. 

    As close observers and participants of the women’s movement, we have supported poet Sanjeevani and the other women on social media. But even speaking out in support of these women culminated in death and rape threats against one of us. A female journalist who shared the video of Sanjeevani’s poem also received threats and was forced to take it down. Furthermore, Sah, who did not speak at the march, and Ansari, who did not speak about religion, are being targeted by religious extremists. 

    As these hostilities unfolded, the difference between the threats men, women, women from marginalised communities and minority genders receive became vividly evident. These latter groups are often the target of verbal abuse, with rape threats being common. These includes threats to gang rape them, mutilate their bodies, and toss them on the streets. The character of these threats show that women and other marginalised communities do not yet receive adequate space in constructive criticism; instead the mass turns violent and declares an attack on their bodies. 

    The bodies of women and minority genders have, directly or indirectly, always been used as a weapon of war and revenge. Many scholars of gender and violence have argued that extremist groups use sexual violence as it has extensive impacts of disrupting and destabilising families and communities, in addition to stigmatising women. These abuses are often justified in the name of religion and sanctioned based on radical interpretations of religious documents. This form of violence is particularly distinct and deeply devastating, as their consequences remain with the communities at large and continue across generations. In this particular episode, what is of particular significance is how women’s bodies have been placed at the threshold of religious conflict by the self-appointed guardians of ‘god’ and ‘religion’. 

    Most threats have involved lines like “How dare you insult our mother goddess Sita and our Hindu religion? We will rape and kill you.” This is worrying because it shows increasing intolerance and rising religious extremism in the country. The majority of threats coming from the Madhes also shows that the anger and frustration of marginalised groups are coalescing into religious extremism and communal orthodoxy. Sanjeevani, Sah, and Ansari all belong to the Madhesi community. However, the pushback from the same community they belong to reflects the deeply held belief that refuses to consider women as individuals with their own choices and voices, but rather, sees them as torchbearers of the community and the religion they belong to. 

    Sanjeevani’s poem questioned the very foundations of patriarchy and refused to idolise submissive mythological characters who are revered for tolerating extreme forms of violence. Sita, who was put through an agniparikshya to prove her chastity to Ram, is held up as an ‘ideal woman’ whereas Surpanakha, who openly expressed her love for Laxman, is portrayed as a woman of questionable character and punished by having her nose cut off (a symbol of being dishonored that can also be seen as a metaphor for sexual abuse/rape). 

    Sanjeevani’s poem challenge

    d these skewed notions of women’s characters and the dubious standards of morality. Social media trolls and men in influential positions have even resorted to calling her Surpanakha, based on these distorted interpretations of women’s characters. 

    This incident illustrates the perpetual threat of violence within which women exist. It is emblematic of the patterns of violence that cut across communities, cultures, religions, and nations, manifested in a range of atrocities directed towards women. The struggles of women in Nepal, especially those emerging  from intersectional experiences of caste, class, and ethnicity, thus needs deeper attention and engagement. The ongoing ‘Nagarik Andolan’ against the corrosion of democratic space and seeking a change in the nature of the state and the system of governance will also be incomplete without due acknowledgement of the issues associated with the women’s movement. 

    :::::

     



    author bio photo

    Kalpana Jha  Kalpana Jha is a PhD candidate at the University of Delhi and author of the book, 'The Madhesi Upsurge and the Contested Idea of Nepal'.



    author bio photo

    Pallavi Payal  Pallavi Payal is a researcher based in Kathmandu. She has a Master's in Development Studies from Roskilde University.



    Comments

    Get the best of

    the Record

    Previous Next

    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

    Culture

    5 min read

    Taking a look at Kathmandu’s growing coffee culture

    Shristi Sherchan - December 20, 2021

    Judging by the number of cafes in the Kathmandu valley, it can be safely assumed that coffee culture has become a part of urban living in Nepal with young people at the heart of it.

    Features

    5 min read

    Let us now stop praising famous men (and women)

    David V. Johnson - September 7, 2019

    Being critical of the famous and wealthy can help rein bad behavior.

    Explainers

    5 min read

    How the country’s vegetable cartels continue to rip off both farmers and consumers

    Ishita Shahi - August 17, 2020

    Nepal’s vegetable prices are largely determined by the middlemen traders rather than by the logic of actual supply and demand

    Explainers

    6 min read

    Unequal citizens

    Praveen Kumar Yadav , Mohan Kumar Karn - July 5, 2020

    The proposed citizenship bill is unfair to women who marry Nepali men and will do nothing for those rendered stateles

    Perspectives

    5 min read

    Sooner or later we all face death. Will a sense of meaning help us?

    Warren Ward - October 19, 2021

    The last thing the Buddha said to his followers was: ‘Decay is inherent in all component things! Work out your salvation with diligence!’

    Explainers

    3 min read

    Education under lockdown

    Manish Thapa - April 26, 2020

    Is e-learning the way forward?

    COVID19

    News

    2 min read

    Covid19 Roundup, 13 April: 14 cases nationwide, govt’s 6T strategy & PM’s New Year address

    The Record - April 13, 2020

    A daily summary of Covid19 related developments that matter

    Features

    12 min read

    How the Nepali education system furthers gender inequality

    Priyanka Chand , Prasiddhi Shrestha - April 5, 2021

    The gross underrepresentation of women in Nepal’s social science textbooks promotes a lopsided evaluation of Nepali history and society.

    • About
    • Contributors
    • Jobs
    • Contact

    CONNECT WITH US

    © Copyright the Record | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy