RAMECHHAP, JULY 5
In Makadum in Khandadevi Rural Municipality-6 of Ramechhap district, non-Dalit women have begun learning to play traditional musical instruments that, by long-standing social custom, have only ever been played by members of the Dalit community, a small but telling shift in a village where such boundaries have held for generations.
The women say their motivation is straightforward: music is not the property of any one caste but a shared cultural heritage that everyone should be able to learn and perform. They began the initiative with the aim of participating in local cultural and social events on their own terms, without depending on others to provide the music.
Local resident Keshav KC said the effort has brought new energy to the village and expressed hope that it would help build the women's confidence while also chipping away at the caste-based distinctions that have long governed social and cultural life in the community.
Local elected representatives and community members have welcomed the development, saying they believe it will raise social awareness and encourage a shift in traditional attitudes.
Women taking part in the training described the initiative as an example of what equality and women's empowerment can look like at the village level - not as a policy or a programme, but as a choice made by ordinary women who decided to pick up an instrument and play.
