Sudha Khakurel's poem ('A dalit is born', From the Nepali press', #318) is being talked about because the author is from the dominant group that controls media and other sectors in Nepal.

The poem lists handicaps that have been associated with being a dalit or a janajati in Nepal for the last 238 years. Yet they were never the concern of the Nepali state or of the socially dominant groups. Suddenly they become the talk of the town because one person from the dominant group writes about them as his or her problems. Twenty percent of the population is dalit and owns less than one percent of land in Nepal. Thirty percent of the population totally dominates society.

The Maoists, despite their inherent deficiencies and antiquated ideology, brought this to the forefront. Yes, a truly discrimination-free society should be the consensual goal of the country as a whole. Or the Maoists will be proved right that their violent path is the only means to bring about a just Nepali society.

Rajendra Khadga,
Lazimpat