Our first meeting with a sub-caste takes place in the town of Nepalgunj, with a group of Chidimar.

The Chidimar are a sub-caste of the Dalit who hunted and killed exotic birds for rich patrons and the word chidimar means “bird killer” in Hindi. Their traditional language is Bhojpuri.

The practice of catching birds was still going strong in 2006 when Mark Koenig, one of our Peace Fellows who developed a great interest in caste, profiled a Chidimar family and wrote a blog about the crossbows they used to snare their prey.

Thankfully, bird-killing is now in its final throes as a result of deforestation and falling demand. The Chidimar population is also declining. The 2021 housing census put the total number of Chidimar in Nepal at 1,625 and around 600 of them live here in the town of Nepalgunj. We learn that only three Chidimar families are still hunting birds here and selling them for about 250 rupees ($1.80). Who would have thought that a rare bird’s life could be worth so little?

We hold an impromptu meeting in the street with Ramu Chidimar, who is a leader in the Chidimar community here and is recovering from dengue fever. He is happy to talk about caste and says that his son was mocked mercilessly at school for being a bird killer. It became so bad that Ramu went with a group of other Chidimar parents to the town council and asked if they could change their last names to Bahelia, a lesser-known sub-caste that used to make fans from peacock feathers but is not associated with bird killing. Their request was approved, which means that the Chidimar-Bahelia can continue to receive the 3,500 rupees a month and health insurance given to Dalit families with over five members.

Then another voice is heard. It belongs to Sunita Chidimar, seen in the photo above. She says that her son, 17, has no problem with his name and doesn’t care what people think of him. (Take that Ramu!). Her own story is even more remarkable. Sunita was betrothed to be married at the age of five by her parents and taken out of school at the age of fourteen to live with her young husband. Her son was born soon afterwards, after a long and agonizing pregnancy.

The news that child marriage is ingrained in Chidimar culture comes as a bombshell to Pinky, who represents BASE in a nationwide coalition of NGOs that are campaigning for an end to early marriage. Early marriage has been criminalized but is so widely practiced in Nepal that 6% of all Nepali girls marry before the age of 15.

Pinky listens attentively as Sunita describes her ordeal. Sunita also discloses the fact that most Chidimar families in Nepalgunj are unaware of vaccinations. She has nothing but contempt for such ignorance and says that the Chidimar take less care of their children than other minorities.

This is not a flattering portrait of her people, but Sunita herself comes across as a strong and articulate advocate for change. Angered that her own education was cut short at the age of 14 she recently enrolled at high school and is currently studying in grade 11 – one step up from her own son.

Sunita is also the first-ever Chidimar to be chosen as a community health volunteer. This is a government post that carries a nominal stipend, but it also gives Sunita the chance to educate Chidimar mothers about the importance of vaccinating their infants and protecting their daughters from early marriage. Even BASE does not have this sort of access and Pinky notes down Sunita’s phone details. I have to think that UNICEF and the UN Population Agency (UNFPA) would also be interested in meeting her.

Sunita will be a relentless advocate for Chidimar women and girls because she will be forever motivated by her own searing experience. Pinky certainly plans to stay in touch.

Next: Badi Prostitution and Coercion