The Constitution of Nepal has ensured reservation to deprived groups, women, Madhesis, indigenous people and the needy ones. How many Chepangs, Rautes, Muslims, Musahars, Rajbanshis have benefited? In the autumn of 2006, after the spring revolution in Nepal, this writer was in Saptari’s Nepal-India border region; the landscape was smoky, virtually due to haze or sometimes like an isolated barren village portrayed in some 16th century fairy tales, symbolic though truest, chaotic and restive, scary and barren because seemingly life seemed not to exist. People smoked some ‘bidi’ [local cigarette] or rolled ‘khaini’ to keep themselves awake from the burning heat of day time, or even if they were yawning or taking naps, they inhaled khaini. Small Mithila single storied chalets were fuming early morning and early evening. I tried to go inside with my head bowed down, it was more occupied with smoke rather than human presence with dozens of people inside, and the ladies became more attentive when I entered. ‘Jay Ram jeeki’ [literally a prayer for Ram (a character portrayed in Ramayana] though therein it was a greeting, some ‘chay for sahab’. I refused it stating just I took some five minutes earlier in my broken Maithali and even requested them not to call me sahib. My eyes wandered through the occupied kitchen, ‘Ramsahay caught three fishes today, so we will have a good dinner’, said the lady in kitchen who looked like a model. It was her obligation, no money for a full dress to cover up her uncovered body parts, all of them were dressed thus, young girls of early twenties, boys and others with large portions of their body uncovered even in the burning heat, and the extreme cold during nighttime. The family head used to plough rice fields of their ‘malik’ of the neighborhood and managed to feed his family, some questions were already suppressed due to the setting, the theater was gloomy. He was a farmer with no land, even his small yard was not irrigated though the Koshi river was flowing relentlessly within some miles from this chalet. It looks like some Tagore’s setup to start some verses of Geetanjali, though it was the setting of an isolated village. Through this, elites go to Rajbiraj dusting the entire neighborhood and naked children see it interestingly. Many of them stayed there before India or Nepal existed and have no citizenship, neither land title. Education and health were just day dreams for them and even for water they were not allowed in their nearest drag well, seemingly sarcastic, though they were so called ‘Dalits’! Children used to roam on the harvested rice fields or go for mouse hunts or sometimes fishing with their nets, schools? Never, sometimes harassed by superior classes, sometimes self-harassment due to clothing! Indeed, this seems epic to elite Kathmanduites or even for those upgraded feudals of Madhesh, though tragic and bitter reality overwhelms and continues for centuries. Madhesh was burning, reservations were there, but what the heck was the reservation supposed to do if they have never seen a school? Who got the reservations? Had it been for Madhesh, why not Musahars, Dalits and others? Indeed ‘Ajadi’ sounds quite pleasing but when it is masked for interest of some elites, it is more brutal than pleasing! Still Madhesh is in agitation of some kind, after several months of embargo faced by Nepal due to Madhesi parties’ demands and still there are contentions regarding the Madhesh movements, though none speak on behalf of those landless people, everyday people work on the rice fields of their ‘malik’. No demands for food supply and livelihood issues of Musahars, no talks on issues of the Tharus who were there fighting with malaria and developing resistance when others used to be scared to see Madhesh, just politics for the elites and who have opportunities already. Even if there will be ‘east to west single province of Madhesh’ do Musahars become chief ministers or MPs? No, never, how can an illiterate who is struggling to dine everyday become a MP or CM, virtually impossible. Indeed, many people in Madhesh are tantalized; they have no citizenship, education, health, food security, and many more written in the constitution but they never know if they really deserve that. Witchcraft and dowry are killing thousands of women in Madhesh, but no political forces in Nepal are raising their voices. Where are those issues of feudalism? Witchcraft, social disequilibrium, untouchability and poverty? If there has to be special consideration for Madhesis then do Rautes, Chepangs and others deserve anything? The Constitution of Nepal has ensured reservation to deprived groups, women, Madhesis, indigenous people and the needy ones. How many Chepangs, Rautes, Muslims, Musahars, Rajbanshis have benefited? Virtually none, the livelihood issues of such groups is never accounted for as they can’t go beyond the Nepalese border and throw bricks, never agitate in front of Singh Durbar or cast votes for changing governments. Madhesh is waiting for ‘azadi’ from feudalism, gender discrimination, untouchability, poverty, and many more. No more paradigms are needed, see their own past official tenures as ministers how much they have done for Madhesh? Retrogression in Madhesh is hugely undergirded by widespread feudalism and also partly by the spectacles which see every tan skin as Indian. A holistic resolution should be undoubtedly there in the constitution not the provisions to boost up some feudals who distribute sarees in elections and win. The writer has majored in Anthropology