“I always have the same dream that a group of Maoists guerrillas loaded with lethal weapons come to my house. They yell at their loudest and fire gun shots indiscriminately. They nag my helpless father. My father pleads innocence in front of monsters who knew nothing but violence” Thuli Maya describes her nightmare. Thuli Maya is now a woman of 34 from Kanda Village Development Committee of Chitawan district.
Thuli Maya’s father was accused of playing foul against the People’s War. He was tagged informant of the Royal Nepal Army and the Armed Police Forces who were fighting the guerrillas. Afar from politics, Thuli Maya's father an innocent Chepang was a farmer struggling to make his living. His first love was hand to mouth problem. He spent most of his time looking after labor jobs near by the constructions in the market. One would know that if he was not at the cow shed which he himself constructed, he would be in his plot of land where he grew his staple food.
The Maoist Party declared him betrayer of its self-applauded war. The self-proclaimed revolutionaries decreed him hard labor for six months-no trials, no judges and no evidence were put forward. A cruel decision was sufficient enough to shatter the dreams of that house where there were 6 children.
Talking about the horrific incident seven years later, Thuli Maya, who still is living a life in fear recalls the black day, “My elder brother was away in the city. We were five at home- my parents and my two siblings and myself. It was around 8:00 in the morning when we heard an angry mob coming to our house.” She takes a long breath and pauses for a moment. “I want to believe that everything I am telling you is a dream” Thuli Maya says. She in no time burst into tears.
“They circled our house. Five of them entered the house and shut the main door. I heard them beating my father. My mother later told me that they stuffed her mouth with clothes for the fear that she would plead for help from the villagers. They accused my family playing messenger’s role for the benefit of the State Army.
“My father who was constantly pleading innocent was dragged to a nearby jungle. My mother’s multiple requests to leave her husband alone were met with multiple kicks. My mother insisted that she would go with her husband. They poured kicks and punches on her frail body. Some time later she went looking for her husband in semi-conscious state.” said Thuli Maya wiping her wet eyes.
“We followed her. To our greatest dismay”, she continued, “We found our father’s almost dead body some distance away from home. His hands were tied. He had cut all over his body. He was half killed."" Now my father is paralyzed mentally and physically."
Thuli Maya’s had a long story to tell. They sought help from the villagers to carry out her father to the hospital. Engulfed in the horrific psychological terror no one came forward. “That night is just too difficult to forget. We wept, wept and wept. The night was just too long. I had hoped that neighbors would come to our help in the morning. Everyone turned their back. I lost my faith to Almighty that night I called for help numerous times, He failed to prove his presence.”
The incident was too severe to comprehend. Everyone looked disturbed. They hardly slept. They tried to console each other but with little success. No sooner Thuli Maya would fall asleep, she would wake up shouting “don’t kill my father, he is innocent.” Children of the house stooped going to the school. Thuli Mayas’s long seated wish to become the first lady teacher from the village never materialized.
There are many Thuli Maya in the community who have gone through the hard time of the conflict and have been traumatized by both the sides, who were mere child of three/ four years in that time now they are grown up.
Almost like Thuli Maya, these grownups now want to translate their dreams by making their sons/daughter doctor, engineer, civil servants, nurse and many more but they don’t have access to it. Education as fundamental human right is a far cry so to make it a reality your support might be helpful so please join hands together to transform the life of a chepang girl for detail please visit
www. laxmipratisthan.org.