Rajbiraj, November 15

Around this time last year, Sunita Marik of Maleth-2, Saptari barely had any free time as she, along with her family members, would be busy making various bamboo-based items like dhakiya, phuldali, koniyan, chhiti and supli.

Marik is a self-employed woman who uses her family’s traditional expertise to earn her livelihood. This year, however, she has been able to sell just a handful of the items so far, thanks to the prolonged strike in the plains.

Similar is the case with Birendra Marik of Chhintamasta. He had used over 200 bamboo poles to make bamboo-based products last year. This year, however, he is out of work. “Earlier I would make a good living selling the products, especially during the festive time. However, the Madhes agitation has disrupted my business,” he said.

Many other members belonging to the Dom community of Melkapur, Jamuni Madhepura, Chhinamasta, Brahmapuri, Kanchanpur, Maleth, Hanumannangar and Bhagatpur of the district, who would earn their livelihood by making and selling bamboo-based items, have been badly affected due to the protracted strike in Madhes.

“In the previous years, we used to get paid in advance to make bamboo-based items. This year, however, we couldn’t even sell the items that we’d made,” Sunita lamented.

Musaharu Marik of Maleth wondered how he would provide for his family. “The bandh has not affected people belonging to the upper class as much as it has affected us,” Musaharu said.

Dom Uplift Society Saptari Chairperson Yuktilal Marik also rued the hardships created by the ongoing agitation. “Almost all Dom families are landless. They were somehow making a living by making and selling handicraft items from bamboo.

But, the ongoing bandh has broken their backs,” he argued. Suggesting that the agitating parties change the form of their protest, Marik said, “As what they are doing now has hit the downtrodden the most, the leaders should change the form of their agitation.”

Meanwhile, agitating Joint Democratic Madhesi Front Saptari coordinator Ramprit Yadav blamed the government for the prolonged bandh. “The current agitation is for the rights of the Madhesis, but the agitation has been prolonged as the government has been dismissive of our demands,” he said.