Durga Kumari Khang
Durga Kumari Khang, lost her father when still a young child, and therefore did not get to study as she desired, but now she is enrolled in a Bachelors’ in Business Studies program. Her mother struggled on her own to raise 6 children. Durga, who grew up in Kanchdhatol of Ward 3 in Shambhunath Municipality in Saptari, faced difficulty getting food and clothes, school material and school fees as a child. When the
marriages of her elder siblings incurred debts, she managed to study up to the tenth grade before having to get married.
Because she obtained good marks in the SEE exams, her husband and father-in-law sent her back to school. She completed her high school education on a scholarship. The large compound family suffered from difficulties in making ends meet, and the marriage also added complications to her studies. When she had to leave early in the morning
Since she began stepping out from the home to study, the circumstances and attitudes have changed. The family, which earlier despised it when she left home, has now begun encouraging her to work outside the home, even though the attitude of the community has remained unchanging. She wants to show herself as a successful woman to those who refused to give her employment and mistreated her just because she is a Dalit woman.
Durga Kumari Khang, lost her father when still a young child, and therefore did not get to study as she desired, but now she is enrolled in a Bachelors’ in Business Studies program. Her mother struggled on her own to raise 6 children. Durga, who grew up in Kanchdhatol of Ward 3 in Shambhunath Municipality in Saptari, faced difficulty getting food and clothes, school material and school fees as a child. When the
marriages of her elder siblings incurred debts, she managed to study up to the tenth grade before having to get married.
Because she obtained good marks in the SEE exams, her husband and father-in-law sent her back to school. She completed her high school education on a scholarship. The large compound family suffered from difficulties in making ends meet, and the marriage also added complications to her studies. When she had to leave early in the morning to study, people questioned whether a daughter-in-law should study or help with household chores. In response, she began finishing her share of the chores early in the morning, and cooking for the family before heading out to study.
Since she began stepping out from the home to study, the circumstances and attitudes have changed. The family, which earlier despised it when she left home, has now begun encouraging her to work outside the home, even though the attitude of the community has remained unchanging. She wants to show herself as a successful woman to those who refused to give her employment and mistreated her just because she is a Dalit woman.
Earlier, Durga used to believe that caste is merely the surname, and that it is a creation of God. When the principal of her school said that she would not be given a job because she is from a lower caste, she thought that people are given or denied jobs on the basis of their caste. But after her studies, she says that she now believes all people of every caste should be treated as equals. In her understanding, caste and gender are intrinsically related. She spreads the knowledge gained from her study of caste and gender among the women of her family and her community and teaches that nobody should tolerate caste-based discrimination.
She says that she has learned to think and speak, to explore the stories of others, to question, and to use Google to search and find study material which interest her. ‘I have learned to use the mobile phone and make videos and photo stories. Most importantly, I have found the courage to bring out stories about my own struggles and the discrimination I have experienced. Fear has left my heart, while confidence has surged.’
