Naina Kumari Mahara
Naina Kumari Mahara’s marital home is in Tharuwahi Tol of Ward 12, Jaleshwor Municipality, Mahottari district. Naina, who is studying for her Bachelor’s degree, is also an Early Childhood Development teacher. She was married while she was still in grade 7. She had told her parents that she wanted to continue studying after her marriage. Her father talked to her father-in-law, who agreed to
let her stay with her parents and complete her SEE exams.
There are 8 people in her family. They own 4 katthas of land. They also work as sharecroppers on about 10 katthas of land, which contributes toward their livelihood. The family also runs a spice-grinding mill. Naina’s husband drives an auto-rickshaw to add to the family income.
Naina has experienced child marriage, alongside a weak financial condition. She regrets the fact that she could not study in the technical fields owing to the family’s weak
Naina Kumari Mahara’s marital home is in Tharuwahi Tol of Ward 12, Jaleshwor Municipality, Mahottari district. Naina, who is studying for her Bachelor’s degree, is also an Early Childhood Development teacher. She was married while she was still in grade 7. She had told her parents that she wanted to continue studying after her marriage. Her father talked to her father-in-law, who agreed to
let her stay with her parents and complete her SEE exams.
There are 8 people in her family. They own 4 katthas of land. They also work as sharecroppers on about 10 katthas of land, which contributes toward their livelihood. The family also runs a spice-grinding mill. Naina’s husband drives an auto-rickshaw to add to the family income.
Naina has experienced child marriage, alongside a weak financial condition. She regrets the fact that she could not study in the technical fields owing to the family’s weak financial condition. But all these hurdles couldn’t defeat her desire to get more education and move forward. She saved money from working at an organization for 22 months, and enrolled herself into school for a higher secondary education. She is currently working while also continuing her studies. Naina, who has endured discrimination since a young age, finds herself facing all kinds of questions: who created the caste system prevalent in our society, and why? After reading more about the caste system, she believes that higher and lower castes were created by one group to rule over another. Accordingly, numerous myths were created to support that system. As a part of learning about caste, gender and sexuality, Naina wants to interrogate issues that affect Madheshi Dalit women. She wants to see child marriage and caste-based discrimination end. She is determined to educate women, especially from the Dalit community, and contribute to their advancement.
