PART: THREE
Women Participation in Democratic Movement
 

The courageous battle of Nalapani cannot be forgotten while talking of Nepali Women Movement. Nepali women had fought bravely against British Imperialism in Nalapani. Even when the British army blocked the sources of water, they fought bravely, hand-in-hand with men, carrying babies on their back and khukhuris in their hands. The British rulers themselves have mentioned of the courageous battle the women fought with them.

Following this event, the participation of women has noticeably increased in series of historical events. Nepali history has recorded how Queen Rajendra Laxmi Devi Shah took power in her hands and gave rise to such incidents as kot parba and bhandarkhal parba, both killed a large number of top officials and other people. History also witnesses how Jung Bahadur Rana assumed power and consolidated it with the help of Royal-maids, who informed him of the conspiracies being hatched against him. Such historical incidents created pressure to abolish the sati pratha, a social practice in which a wife was burned alive on the funeral pyre of her deceased husband. Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher was compelled to abolish the system in 1920.

There have been many such incidents in Nepali history where women have a considerable participation. The participation of women in democratic movement can be classified as below:

Women started an organised effort to fight oppression from 1918. The first organisation of Nepali women nari samiti (women committee) was founded under the chairpersonship of Yogmaya Neupane in 1918. Equality and freedom were the main objectives of the committee. Nari Samiti worked to create awareness and organise women through the medium of religious functions and songs.

Yogmaya was a child widow. She had experienced inhuman and tortuous life of a widow in a conservative society. The committee constituted under the leadership of Yogmaya concentrated its activities on the exploitation against women in the name of religion and tradition, particularly the widow marriage, child marriage and polygamy. Within a few years of its activity, the committee submitted a 24-point petition of demands stating the problems facing women to the Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher. Following the death of Chandra Shumsher, Yogmaya and her disciples came to Kathmandu and met and discussed the matter with Juddha Shumsher and his wife. After receiving assurance of reform in religion they returned back to Bhojpur. But, instead of working on the letter of demand, the government killed four revolutionaries in 1940. Yogmaya's group lost hope. Finally with a firm statement that "it is better to die than to live in the lawless state", Yogmaya and her disciples collectively sacrificed their lives in protests by jumping into the Arun River in 1941.

In 1993, Chandrakanta Mathema set up a Women's School at Makhan, Kathmandu. Along with literacy classes, the school provided training on sewing and knitting. Women became involved in political as well as educational movemen ts through the school. For the first time, co-education school was established at Naghal in 1944. These schools encouraged women to participate in political movement. Most of the women taking part in the movement were from these schools.

Labour Movement began from Biratnagar in 1947. Women also took part in the movement. Some of them, including Nalini Upadhyaya, Kamini Giri, Indira Acharya and Dibya Koirala, were arrested for this. But, they were not labourers.

For the first time in the history of Nepal, women took part in the procession of "civic rights movement" held in 1947. The procession began from Padmodaya High School. Thirty-nine people, including four women: Sadhana Adhikari, Sahana Pradhan, Kanaklata Bajracharya and Snehalata Shrestha, were arrested. All of them were imprisoned together inside Singha Durbar and were released after a week.

During the same year, on first week of August, a gathering of women at Mhepi founded Nepal Womens' Association. Mangala Devi Singh was not present on the occasion. However, as Ganesh Man Singh was in prison, the gathering decided that his wife should be the President. A committee was constituted with Kamaksha Devi as the Vice-President and Snehalata Shrestha as the General Secretary. Under the leadership of this Association, a delegation met Prime Minister Padma Shumsher demanding education, employment and voting rights for women.

Another movement took place in 1948 in the name of National Congress. Eleven persons including six women were arrested in this movement.

A procession of women took to the street in Kathmandu on the day of ShreePanchami in 1951. The procession began from Bangemudha and concluded at Swayambhu. It had a good participation of peasant women. Pamphlets on the rights of women were also distributed in the procession. During the same year, King Tribhuvan went to India. The Rana rulers coroneted Prince Gyanendra, but the public protested it. A British Mission from India came to Nepal to seek public support for Gyanendra as the King of the country. The Mission was also denounced by showing black flag at the airport. Police responded it with lathi-charge the protesters were dispersed. Despite police suppression, a procession led by Shanta Shrestha was quite successful in showing black flags to the Mission. Everyone praised her courage. Nepali women also took part in other anti-Rana activities.

At the same time, autocrat Basnet families murdered the family of Danti Bhoteni of Solu and confiscated their property. But Danti Bhoteni did not loose hope. She came to Kathmandu on foot disguised as a man wearing Daura Suruwal. She then began asking for justice at the Royal Palace but later, on her return back to the village, she was murdered.

This phase of the women's movement concentrated on such issues as the recognition for widow marriage, abolition of child marriage and polygamy, end of the exploitation of women in the name of religion and tradition, equal opportunity of education and employment for women, voting rights for women and so on. The movement brought about some reforms in the education system and some flexibility in the traditional value system.

With the end of the autocratic Rana Rule, social movements continued taking up various issues in the changed circumstances. On the other side, internal disputes began to rise in different organisations. This also affected the women's' association. Politically, Mangala Devi Singh and Punya Prabha Dhungana had no differences. But as a result of personal conflict, Punya Prabha Dhungana constituted All Nepal Women's' Association in 1951. This association, along with other points, demanded for the recruitment of women into the police force. As a result, 18 women were recruited into police service.

The new government constituted a 35-member advisory committee. The committee represented people only from the Nepali Congress. Protesting this, Nepal Women's Association organised a protest rally at Bhugol Park. Eight women were arrested from the rally. Policewomen behaved more inhumanly than policemen did with them in custody they were released after a week.

In 1952, political parties and peoples'organisations started debating over the issue that the Delhi Agreement was a betrayal. The debate also reflected the differences in political thinking. Mangala Devi led a faction, which believed that women's rights could be aatained through the reform. Kamaksha Devi led the other side with the belief that only a radical change could provide women with their rights. While this debate was going on, the Indian Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru came to Nepal. Nepal Women's Association decided formally to protest him with black flags at the airport. Eight women including Sabitra Shrestha were arrested and were released after a week. Mangala Devi Singh did not support the decision and conflit were intensified in the organisation. Finally, Nepal Women's Association was divided into two different Associations.

Women continued their participation in movements despite tortures and harassment. As a result in 1952, women received the right to vote and also began to take part in parliamentary politics. In 1953, Sadhana Adhikari contested for Kathmandu Municipality elections. She was the first elected woman in the Municipality. Thus, women also began to enter in government bodies.

From 1952 to 1958, peasants' movements concentrated on protests against feudallords and Jamindars in different parts of the country. In these movements, mentionable is the action against autocratic Badahakim Santbir Lama of Ilam. A woman activist Dulalni Bajei pulled Santbir off his horse and garlanded him with shoes. Many brave women like Dulalni Bajei are however not mentioned in history, their deeds have not come to public attention.

A section of an ultra feminist movement had also developed in the Nepali Women's Movement. It has been mentioned in Matritwa (1995) and Mahila Mukti (Volume 5). The demands were limited to education for women, participation of women in the interim government, skill development for women etc. They had also stated that "men are our enemy, we have to keep them under our control. We don't need men, nor are we concerned about them."

The women movement that voiced for radical changes held that women could achieve independence along with others only through struggle against feudalism and imperialism.

Dwarika Devi Thakurani was elected from Dadeldhura district in the first general elections in 1958. She was also appointed as the first women Minister- the minister of state for health.

In 1960, King Mahendra forcibly replaced multiparty democratic system by Panchayat System. Women came to the streets in protest of this reactionary move of the King. Shailaja Acharya, Umadevi and Gauri Rana were in the forefront protesting with black flags on February 18, 1961. They were arrested.

All women organizations were banned along with the declaration of the Panchayat system. But women participation continued in the movements carried out by workers, peasants and students. They continued organising themselves in an underground existence. A large number of women participated in the movement organised by students demanding Free Student Union in 1965 and the movement against DIG Narayan Singh (who tried to harass sexually the woman artist at Rastriya Nachghar in 1966).

The armed struggle of Jhapa in 1971, which is renowned as "Jhapa Bidroha" also, had women Participation. Lila Kattel, Gaura Prasain and Sita Khadka were among the notable women who fought fearlessly in this movement. All three of them served jail terms for this. Among them, Lila Kattel died in a rickshaw accident, unfortunately after a few years of release.

During these movements, women were responsible for providing shelter to the underground leaders, changing their places of living and exchanging news and information. Sharada Mainali is one of the bravest women who have played a significant role in this regard.

In order to keep the public under their clutches, the Panchayat rulers had set up different class organisations. Nepal Women's Organisation was one of them founded under the leadership of the women from the palace and aristocrat family. Established in 1962, a handful of women under the banner of this organisation reaped benefits in the name of women in general. It is noteworthy, however, that the aristocrat women had started celebrating International Womens' Year and International Working Women Day (March 8) in the name of "womens' day" since 1975. The organisation has been gone astray along with the fall of the Panchayat.

All Nepal Women's' Association dissolved after the coup of 1960 was re-constituted in 1978 under the convenorship of Parijat. But, this could not carry out any programmes immediately. Therefore, on February 1980, a seven-member All Nepal Women's Association Central Preparatory Committee was constituted under the convenorship of Shanta Manawi with Swasti Bajracharya, Jaya Ghimire, Radha Gyawali, Sanjita Giri, Sharada Mainali and Kamala Rai as its members. From the year, the International Working Womens' Day (March 8) was celebrated at the people's level as an important day of women's movement. It was, thereafter established as the Working Women Day.

Following the murder of Namita and Sunita in 1981, ANWA led a nation-wide protest programme. A grand procession was organised on June in Kathmandu. The procession submitted a letter of protest to the Prime Minister at Singha Durbar and converged into a mass meeting in the premises of Tri-Chandra College. Students, peasants, workers and people from all walks of life, men and women, took part in the programmes organised and led by ANWA demanding stern actions against the culprit and protection for women. The nation witnessed procession and rallies, wall painting, postering and distribution of pamphlets all around the country.

Not only March 8, the Teej, a cultural festival of Nepali women, also became an occasion for women activists to carry out a lot of programmes. Led by ANWA, women throughout the nation utilised the day as an awareness-oriented cultural festival. In 1985, police charged Lathi on the women gathered to celebrate the Teej at Butwal.

In 1988, women immediately took to the streets in protest against inhuman Bhujungkhola Rape case. Taking up this issue, some members of the Rastriya Panchayat obstructed the parliament, while the people revolted in the streets. Women revolt against this incident expanded throughout the country.

Protests were organised against girl trafficking, rape, dowry, and domestic violence and so on while equal rights for women were the main demands of all movements organised during this period. Major voices raised surrounding the movements were for equal rights in socio-economic, political and cultural sectors, guarantee of social security to women; stern legal provisions against social crimes such as murder, rape, girl trafficking and domestic violence; and the abolishment of the dowry system.

Women played an important role in the 1990 popular movement. ANWA had constituted a Central Action Committee in Kathmandu in support of the movement. Other struggle committees of women at different levels were also constituted outside the valley. March 8 of this year was jointly celebrated by different women's organisations giving the public a message about a unified movement. A large number of women were arrested from Kathmandu and other places for participating in the programme. The women introduced a variety of protest events. They covered up their mouths with black bands, held torch processions, corner meetings and mass meetings and moved around the city striking dinner plates. Like their male counterparts, women in the movement also faced lathi charges, kicks, warrants and arrests from police. They also suffered other forms of mental, physical, psychological torture and sexual harassment at police custody.

At the outset of the movement, Janaki Devi Yadav, Muneswori Yadav and Sonawati Yadav attained martyrdom. Shobha Bajracharya, Pampha Khadgi lost their lives in course of the movement. Bidhya Devi Joshi, Sita Bidari and others were also injured by bullet. The news of police attack and barbaric torture of Laxmi Karki in Pokhara further enraged the people to protest against the Panchayat. Around 500 women were arrested in connection with the movement.

The hooligans were however left scot-free. ANWA delegated a fact-finding mission about the incident and continued other forms of movements to pressurise the concerned authority. The association also pressurised the Home Minister to forward the case to the council of ministers. Instead of considering this issue with due austerity, the Home Minister accused the women of their carelessness for their insecurity, and made such silly suggestions as to grow nails, scratch the men who attempt to misbehave and throw chilly dust in their eyes. The women enraged at this remark, organised a mass meeting at Dilli Bazaar against the rape case and the negligence of the Home Minister. The meeting was coordinated by ANWA.

On the occasion of Teej-1990, ANWA organised a cultural programme at Pashupati. For the first time after thirty years of the autocratic rule, the women expressed their feelings in an open atmosphere. They sang songs of their sorrow, rights and struggle. In the evening, they returned back to their homes. As usual in the evening, the queen was on her way to Pashupati Nath Temple. The people who had hatred against the Palace expressed their anger by pelting the queen's vehicle with stones. For this, ANWA was held responsible. In this incident, arrest warrants were issued against Binda Pandey, Pampha Bhusal, Laxmi Karki, Hisila Yami and others, and their houses raided. Bachaspati Devkota, Raju Nepal, Toyanath Thapaliya and other men were also arrested and tortured. In the same year, some hooligans attacked a Teej programme in Arghakhanchi. Demanding action against the hooligans, the women in Arghakhanchi staged a 20-day relay strike and five-day hunger strike.

In 1990, the Constitution Reform Recommendation Commission was preparing the draft for a new constitution. As it came to public, that the constitution is discriminating against women, who played an equal role in the movement, women protested against the possible conspiracy and submitted their suggestions for the "complete civic rights of women".