Badi ( ne, बादी) is a Hill

Dalit Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the Caste system in India, castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold Varna (Hinduism), varna syste ...

community in

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

. The 1854 Nepalese Muluki Ain (Legal Code) categorized Badi as "Impure and Untouchable (''Pani Na Chalne'')" category. Badi are categorized under "Hill

" among the 9 broad social groups, along with

Damai Damai ( ne, दमाइँ) is an occupational caste found among Khas people. They comprise 45 subgroups. Their surnames take after the subgroup they belong to. People belonging to this caste are traditionally tailors and musicians. They are ade ...

, Sarki,

Kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

and

Gaine The Gandarbha caste ( ne, गन्धर्व जाति) or Gaine ( ne, गाईने) are a Dalit community which belongs to the Indo-Aryan ethnic group from the central, hilly region of Nepal. They have also been called a "caste of prof ...

by the Government of Nepal. 'Badi' means ''Vadyabadak'', one who plays musical instruments, in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

. Sometimes called untouchables among the untouchables, they support their impoverished families through daily wages and fishing, woodcutting and making musical instruments. Due to many caste-based discriminations in

, the government of

legally abolished the caste-system and criminalized any caste-based discrimination, including "

untouchability Untouchability is a form of social institution that legitimises and enforces practices that are discriminatory, humiliating, exclusionary and exploitative against people belonging to certain social groups. Although comparable forms of discrimin ...

" (the ostracism of a specific caste) - in the year 1963

A.D. The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means 'in the year of the Lord', but is often presented using "our Lord" instead of "the Lord", ...

With Nepal's step towards freedom and equality, Nepal, previously ruled by a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

monarchy was a

nation which has now become a

secular state A secular state is an idea pertaining to secularity, whereby a State (polity), state is or purports to be officially neutral in matters of religion, supporting neither religion nor irreligion. A secular state claims to treat all its citizens ...

, and on 28 May 2008, it was declared a republic, ending it as the Hindu Kingdom with its caste-based discriminations and the

roots.

History

The Badi remain the lowest ranking untouchable

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

in western Nepal. The rules of orthodox Hinduism dictate that members of the higher castes (Braham,

Chetri Chettri ( hi, चेत्री) is an Indian surname. Spellings include Chetri, Chhetri and Chhetry. Notable people with the surname include: Chetri * Aman Chetri (born 2001), Indian footballer * Hem Chetri (born 2000), Indian cricketer * Lax ...

, or

Thakuri Thakuri ( ne, ठकुरी) is a sub-caste of Khasas tribes in Nepal. It consists of the historical ruling class, and is made up of the descendants of the Great Khasa Malla kingdom rulers of the Baisi and Chaubisi principalities. The former ...

) cannot allow the Badi into their houses, accept water or food from them, use the same village pump, or even brush against them; although higher caste men are allowed to have sex with Badi prostitutes. "For many years, I thought it was my fate to be a prostitute," says a Badi prostitute. "Now I realize this system wasn't made by God. It was made by man."Cox, Thomas E. (2000) "The Intended and Unintended Consequences of AIDS Prevention Among Badi in Tulispur"
''Himalaya, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies'': Vol. 20: No. 1, Article 8.

Representation in Culture

A novel 'Nathiya(नथीया)', written by the author

Saraswati Pratikshya Saraswati Pratikshya ( ne, सरस्वती प्रतीक्षा ) is a writer known for her novel ''Nathiya'' published in 2018. Before writing the novel, she had published three poetry books: ''Yadhyapi Prashnaharu'' (collection of ...

is based on this community. This is not the reality of Badi community and the author has picked up the random family story and considered the culture of Badi community which is not true. 'Nathiya(नथीया)' can be found in any community and it doesn't mean that the community holds that culture.

Notes

References

* * Photos of badis at plates 38–30, 41, 48, 50, 51. * {{Cite book , title = Fallen Angels: the Sex Workers of South Asia , last=Kelly , first=Thomas L. , year = 2000 , url = http://thomaslkelly.smugmug.com/Books-Published/FALLEN-ANGELS/7107725_MLYup#455732279_VT , publisher = Roli Books , location = New Delhi Photojournalism. Ethnic groups in Nepal Dalit communities