Katha Mitho Sarangi Ko - Review of 5 stories.

[CLICK ON THE HEADING OF THE STORY TO LINK THE WEBSITE]

I have just listened to five dramas from the website of 'Katha Mitho Sarangi ko' which were aired in different Radio stations in Nepal. All the dramas are related to relationships in families, spouses and society. It covers different issues ranging from gender and sex, adolescence, caste system and different cultural attributes of particular location. Those five dramas I have listen recently were reviewed here. Thanks to the BBC World Service Trust and the artists who have creatively brought forward these different issues in the form of Radio Drama.

1. Story of Rohini [Episode 31-35] : The drama plot casted in a Tharu community highlights several issues intertwined with each other to affect the relationship in a family. Due to new land reform regulation, Chapra divide land among the family members to avoid the confiscating of land by government due to land ceiling. Also, keeping in mind that land should also be used in loan purpose, he register 1bigha in his mother's name and 3 bigha in his own name. This creates a coldness in relationship between Rohini (Chapra's wife and mother). Unfortunately, Chapra dies in one of the accident and the property get transfered to the Rohini's name. Mother get feared of Rohini, if she ran away with somebody the property of the family will be lost from the family hence she force rohini to marry with her husband's brother Lohara. Lohara later flies away with his girl friend leaving rohini alone. In the meantime Rohini gets support from a local young man Budhram for cultivating Tomato and taking loan. She got fall in love with him, but at this moment, Lohara returns home. Lohara try to be as her husband but he didn't find Rohini happy. One day when she knows that they were force to get marriage only becuase of that peice of land, she returns all the land and leaves house. At this moment Budhram stops her at midway and by coincidently Lohara also follows here to return here jwelleries. Lohara asks Budhram to perform 'Churiya peherana' that is the Tharu way of marrying a widow making her wear a pair of bangles. Rohini's story concludes with with happy ending leaving a good message about prerequisites for the relationships.

It has shown that the churiya peherana is a good social tradition which allow a widow to marry but it has shown a misuse of this tradition which couldn't become successful.

2. Story of Shila and Arpan [Episode 26-30]: It is a story casted in urban context portraying sexual harrassment causing a relationship into trouble. Shila, a brilliant girl, joins college in Kathmandu. She has to face different sexual harassment from the boys in the school as well as in the street. She get fall in love with Arpan who take snaps and video clips of kiss in his mobile. Shila beg Arpan to delete it from the mobile but he doesn't take that seriously. Later, Shila get too stressed becuase of this. She spoils here studies and is caught by depression. At this moment, Arpan come across the news of suicide somewhere due to sexual harassment. He realized his mistake and goes to shila to apologize. But, Shila repeats to delete the picture and video clip from mobile. He agrees to delete but by chance he drops his mobile in class. His rival friend finds the mobile and misuse shila blackmailing. Arpan and shila record the voice of blackmailing and using that record there succeed to get back the mobile from Saroj. A little thing done for fun by a boys became curse to a girl.

3. Story of Manika [Episode 21-29] : This story is also casted in Jankpur, a village in Terai. It depicts different relationship issues arose from dowry culture. A beloved daughter Manika gets married with Kishan. Due to different relationship problems and having daughter in the family, kishan's parent starts to give mental torture to Manika asking for more dowry of 5 lakhs. Urmila, Kishan's sister plays a plot to give lesson to Kishan and his family. Urmila and husband makes a plan to play a drama. She goes to his father saying that her husband thrown her out becuase of dowry and will accept only if she can bring dowry of 5 lakhs. This put her parents in trouble. Later, she make her parents realized that they did injustice to Manika. Then, relationships improves and story concludes with a happy ending.

4. Story of Binita and Ashis [Episode 16-20]: Binita and Ashis had to marry without any plan because of pre-marital pregnancy. And, because it was inter-cast the families didn't accepts their relationships. Later they let them to enter house but the caste issues never ends. In the nuclear family of the Binita, she never gets support for her studies from her husband. This sow the seed of coldness in their relationships. Ashis get pressure from the family to have a son quoting the religious scriptures saying that without son son spirit can be liberated. He asks binita to have abortion if she have girl in here womb. This cuased Binita over stressed and leads to miscarriage. Binita blames Ashis for all and she starts hating him. One night, Ashis come home drunk and he makes sex with Binita without her will. She blames him of rape. This event disrupts the relationships. Ashis realizes when his Aunt passes away, her son in America doesn't returns to perform the last rites and her daughter come forward to do. Several such incidences make ashis realize that he was in mistake wanting for Son and all are consequences of that. Later they gets reconcile and he support binita to complete her studies.

The drama cast is very heart touching. It is worth to spend some time to listen this drama, it made me realize many things in my relationship with my family. Hope, I could utilize it for my life.

5. Story of Phurwa [Episode 1-5]: A story of Tamang girl in Rasuwa who had to go through harsh circumstances of life. When her parents were planning to marry her somewhere she run away with her beloved one who turned up to be an drunkard and gambler. To get rid of his tormenting treatments, she run away with a guy called himself Lahure (an indian army). But this guy also turn up to be a pimp. She is sold to a brothel in Delhi. She spend there years with tremendous tortures. One day she could come out from there with the help of an organization. When she come back to home, the society gets work to intimidate her slandering about her back life. These social treatments leads her to attempt suicide. In such condition, Chandra who has been loving her since before her first engagement marries her. Still she had to fight with society in rest of the life. But, Chandra supports and loves her which has enable her to struggle against any kinds of slanders. This heart touching story of Phurwa portrays the alarming issue of girls traffickings and imperatives of social support for those women with such background.