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What is beauty? Who is beautiful? The answers will vary; they will be full of abstractions and absurdities. Above all, it sounds bizarre to ask such self-centered questions in this mundane world where figure, shape, and size define beauty. Mainly, today's materialistic people run after cosmetic beauty, exhibited through pageants. The whole world has been seeing a rise in the number of beauty pageants, with many such contests happening in a small country like Nepal as well. The world seems to be enjoying this cosmetic culture of which beauty contests form a part. The number of participants, organizers and titles on offer is increasing day by day, pointing at a growing popularity of such contests. The appreciation of beauty goes a long way back. Per scriptures, Heaven or Indra Lok (the kingdom of Indra) is where such contests used to take place with the angels competing to win the hearts of Indra and his men. The holy books describe Indra Lok as the world of angels and righteous souls. Therefore, people living on Earth desire to lead their posthumous lives there. In contests at his kingdom, Indra would select the angels for the awards on the basis of criteria like their dancing skills, walking and other artistic skills, providing gems and jewelry to the best performers. These books point at Indra’s fondness for angels. In fact, heaven is all about angels and beauty, displayed through the angels’ dances and other artistic skills. Today’s beauty contests resemble Indra’s assembly or Indra Sabha, where Indra and his near and dear ones, seated comfortably on the front-row, watch the performance of an angel (Pari). The assembly is no different from a modern-day beauty pageant, where the organizers and the judges, presiding over the show, select the top contestants. The sole purpose of these modern beauty shows is to entertain the guests and the judges like in the Indra Sabha. The contestants have to win the judges' hearts whether it’s in Indra Lok or in modern pageants. Dance skills, ramp walk, speech delivery and vital stats matter the most in both fora. In Indra's realm, the angels were said to be very attractive. They would dance, act, and show other artistic skills to win awards from Indra, including precious gems and jewelry. Modern beauty shows are no different, with the participants compared with the angels of heaven. Like in Indra Sabha, winners get jewelry and cash as awards. Most of the beauty contests are city-centric and held at star hotels, where a majority of judges and the audience are men, as in Indra Lok. Liquor, beauty, and boldness are the glittering elements of such shows. Despite a dominant presence of men in the jury, most of the pageants are for girls. These men watch the shows as if they were the Indra of modern times. Their body language, gestures and the way they ask questions to the contestants show that they consider themselves no less than Indra himself, while the contestants present themselves as if they were some angels. The organizers act as if they have established a new trend in the beauty world, though they actually are following in the footsteps of Indra, knowingly or unknowingly. Going beyond the glitter, it’s not difficult to find several flaws in such programs. The contestant must have a fair complexion, toned figure, and good height to participate in a beauty contest, which makes it clear that appearance is what matters the most. A few years ago, one of the judges of Miss Nepal, Rashmi Gurung Sharma, came down heavily on the contestant for not applying makeup. Also notable is the fact that Nikita Chandak and Sugarika KC face lots of criticism for their complexions, pointing at a shallow notion of beauty. In our context, the organizers set the criteria for beauty. There are certain eligibility criteria for participation in a beauty contest. How can a judge do justice to a contestant merely by going after her appearance? Most importantly, who gives you the authority to judge on the basis of tone and figure and reject chubbiness? In fact, this is the biggest flaw of these so-called beauty pageants. The judges would do well to remember that different communities have different notions of beauty. Actually, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. For instance, Karishma, Rekha and Namrata might be called the most beautiful women in Nepal, but different notions of beauty apply in Africa, where thick lips and a dark complexion are among the symbols of beauty. So, it's vain to tag somebody as beautiful. The physical appearance—height, weight, smile—can be no measure of beauty or caliber. These features do not form a sound basis for judgment. Rather, they are manmade and subjective elements that should be done away with. There are many examples to prove that physical appearance does not matter much. Socrates was not handsome, Stephen Hawking and Jhamak Ghimire cannot be called good-looking, going by the strict criteria of beauty contests. But their contribution to their respective fields is immense. These examples make it clear that character is more important than physical appearance. These false assumptions and notions of beauty must be rectified as soon as possible. Otherwise, the beauty of Indra Lok and the Earth will be for a particular profit-making mob. Lastly, we can't ignore the dark side of beauty pageants. Cases of sexual harassment against contestants taking part in such shows are coming to light. One of the notorious organizers, Manoj Jaisi, was  imprisoned  on a sexual harassment case. So, the state should monitor these contests seriously and the people should also be aware of the ugly aspect of the shows.

Sometimes back a national media published a news regarding the unusual and hateful names of Dalit people in their citizenship documents. The news disclosed the naked reality of our society where the traditional caste system is deeply entrenched. It shows how the so-called upper caste people treat minorities in our society. The officials involved in the citizenship issuance process apparently had no qualms approving the certificates issued to the people whose names were clearly assigned as insults by the people from the so-called upper caste. These civil servants are no doubt academically qualified to hold their respective jobs, but they also lack morality. This is the sad reality of our bureaucracy, which is run by mindless pen-pushers. The Dalit community of Nepal is the most victimized and oppressed groups of our society. But our society by and large rather than voicing their solidarity with the Dalits, they resent reservation actions like reservations for minority groups. In a democratic system, certain policies are made to ensure participation and representation of marginalized and deprived groups. In the context of Nepal, Dalits are more deprived of their socio-political and human rights. Due to this discrimination, the presence of Dalits in mainstream politics and state bodies is very little. The very structure of Nepali society is responsible for depriving Dalits of their rights. The caste system doesn’t give proper space to Dalits in the social sphere. For example, most Dalit candidates in local level election didn’t get votes from non-Dalits, particularly for executive position. Take any local unit of Nepal and you will invariably find that its head is a non-Dalit. This indicates the poor view of our society towards Dalits. The majority of non-Dalits openly dismiss a candidate if he or she happens to be a Dalit or a member of other minority groups. They cannot imagine a person whom they have oppressed and insulted all their lives becoming an elected official. This anti-Dalit stance runs deep in our society. So ensure Dalit participation, the government has provided nine percent reservation facility for the community. It has done the same thing for women, indigenous groups, disabled, Madhesi, Muslim, etc. But for many non-Dalits, reservation for Dalit community is intolerable. They argue that the reservation for Dalits has reduced the opportunity for qualified non-Dalit people. If so then why is Nepal, which was ruled over by the so-called upper caste people for centuries, still underdeveloped? It is only the reservation policy for Dalits that irks the non-Dalits. They believe the Nepali society is free of caste discrimination and that the reservation facility for Dalits is unnecessary. Clearly, as non-Dalits, they have no idea what it is like to be a Dalit in Nepal. They certainly do not reflect on their own biases when they vote, when they hire workers and even when they make friends. They don’t know the pain and suffering faced by Dalits. They don’t know what it is to be ostracized and discriminated against all their lives. They don’t know the feeling of being told not to enter someone’s house or a temple. They don’t know the shame planted by society on the minds of Dalit children, who grow up to resent themselves when they grow up because they were born to the so-called lower caste family. Therefore, the nine percent reservation quota for Dalits is not enough to right all the wrongs they have gone through since ages. But the non-Dalits do not see this, as they have never put up with the humiliation of being a Dalit in Nepali society. There are many Dalits who don’t want reservation as long as the society guarantees equal treatment and respect to them. They say reservation facility can’t heal the wounds of caste discrimination. It can’t revive the lives of Navaraj BK and Sete Damai, who lost their lives on the account of being Dalits. Every non-Dalit should come to the terms to the fact that reservation policy is not a compensation for caste discrimination. It is just a gesture offered by the state in hopes of healing the Dalit trauma. To grow up in a hateful environment and compete with those who have been enjoying the structural dividend from ages is unfair to Dalits. Non-Dalits should realize this. It is easy to criticize or form half-baked opinions. But it takes a lot of introspection, historical understanding and moral courage to understand the pains of Dalits.

The house-visit phase of the 12th national census has just concluded and by now all the requisite data must be in. The census staffs had visited people's homes, asking for their names, castes, religions, sex, etc. On the other hand, some Dalit activists and atheists have been vociferously expressing their dissatisfaction with the whole process. Dalit religious activists are saying that the Dalits should not have had to select ‘Hindu’ as their religion as they believe Hinduism is the main cause of their discrimination. Likewise, the atheists are asking: why couldn’t they say they believe in no god at all?

On the basis of the census tabulations, the state will come up with various plans, policies and programs to lift the status of certain groups. Moreover, census figures will be used to gauge the rise and fall in the number of adherents of certain religions. Expect some drastic changes in the religious mix.

This time, the census will show a higher number of Christians and a lower number of Hindus. But why has the number of Hindus gone down? The Hindu extremists may even accuse others, mainly Christian missionaries. But they will not analyze themselves, not see how they have discriminated against other human beings on caste basis. They will continue to ignore the demand for Dalit religious rights. The ignorance and insult of high-caste Hindus is a major factor making many Dalits change their religion. This is why the number of Hindu adherents may be down when the results of the census are published.

The Hindu extremists have never considered that the Sudras also belong to Hindu religion, and have similar castes, cultures and traditions. This has made many Dalits adopt Christianity so that they are treated as equals, both religiously and culturally. In Christianity there is no hierarchal discrimination. Everybody is equal and anybody can be a church pastor. That’s why it attracts Dalits and ethnic tribes.

Also read: Opinion | Alternative politics: Is there still hope? 

According to the new Christian Dalits, changing religion was a kind of rebellion against Hindu rites and rituals that traditionally discriminated against them in social, cultural and religious spheres. The Dalits are barred from entering temples and the so-called high castes refuse to have family relations with them. Moreover, Dalits are often mistreated, manhandled and even killed by so-called high caste Hindus. Many Dalits say they won’t have to face such discriminations in Christianity. Moreover, some Dalits argue, why follow a religion where beasts are loved and worshipped while many fellow human beings are insulted?

The encroachment of a foreign religion is a big challenge and threat to native Hindus. Day by day, more and more people, especially Dalits, are attracted by other religions that respect them. Just see the number of churches that have sprung up in places like Jumla and Kalikot, never mind in the more developed urban centers.

In India Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar converted many Hindu Dalits into Buddhism. Similarly, in South India, many Dalits changed their religion and adopted Christianity en masse. Nepali Dalits may decide to take a leaf out of their books.

If the current trend of systemic discrimination does not stop, there could soon be a drastic reduction in the number of Hindu adherents, with the exit of those who have otherwise been following Hinduism for ages. If Hindus are serious about protecting their religion, the first thing they need to do is respect the rule of law. For that they have to take legal action against those who practice caste-based discrimination. Second, they should adopt progressive policies to make the society a more even playing field. Likewise, the radical Hindus should deconstruct the discriminatory social norms and values, and they must introspect: What is making so many Dalits change their native religion?

After the Rukum massacre, which resulted in the lynching of six Dalit youths, caste-related questions are again getting space in our public forums. Literates, illiterates, scholars, youths, old-age people, everyone is debating them. This is good as it will help more people know about the society’s bitter reality.

Following the killings of Navaraj BK and his friends in Rukum, I conducted a small survey of around 150 college-going youths to find out their views on caste. All seven provinces were represented. They responded via email, Facebook messenger, and Viber. I asked each: ‘What is caste?’, and ‘Are you going to have an inter-caste marriage’ (as BK wanted to do)? To the first question, the majority said caste was an artificial construct and that all men and women are equal. The second question, however, seemed to confuse them. They didn't answer spontaneously.

After a few minutes they said they would not go against their parents’ wishes. In addition, they would by themselves opt for intra-caste marriages over inter-caste ones. Now we can see the real face of our youth. They say all humans are equal and yet they are reluctant to marry out of their caste. They would rather happily stick to their old castes, creeds, and traditions.

Dalits and non-Dalits may be boyfriends and girlfriends, but when it comes to marriage, it’s still a no-no. This is the thought process of our revolutionary youths. It indicates a big gulf between their words and action; it is easy to lecture but difficult to practice what you preach. Rather hypocritically, our youths are simply not interested in fighting a noble cause they supposedly believe in.

Generally, the introductions in our society start with first name, and end with caste and clan. People love this process, as others are quickly categorized as mama, dai, bandhu, or whatever their caste conventions dictate. In Hindu, society caste is your primary identity.

It doesn’t matter whether you are educated or not. Most people continue to deeply identify with their castes. Even our prime minister is obsessed with his caste. That’s why he appends two high-caste surnames to his name. Apparently, the communists have no religion, but clearly not here in Nepal. They give speeches on casteism as a debased system and yet they continue to practice it. The prime culprit of the Rukum massacre is also a communist.

Renowned scholars have written many poems, stories, novels and books on social equality and cultural emancipation. In the western world, James Baldwin has done a lot to champion the cause of Black folks. Similarly, in Nepal the great poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota wrote about caste in his play “Muna Madan”, where he says people become great through their deeds and not through their castes. But who listens to wise men like him?

Everybody in Nepal read this play during their school college and university days. They even wrote long essays on it, denouncing the caste system, in their exams. But, again, very few of them would have practiced what they wrote.

Sadly, our people, society and our lifestyle in Nepal continues to be dominated by a caste-based thinking to a large extent, hollowing out the concept of common humanity we all like to espouse. The Hindu Varna system divides people. As a result, even though all of us are made of the same flesh and blood, we continue to be arbitrarily labelled and discriminated against. Nor, as we see, is this kind of outdated casteist thinking limited to old folks. Today’s youths are as infected by it.