Doing Baitarni in the Magar Kham community at Taksera, Rukum East, Nepal. Episode - 3

Ep-1 link /watch/MG35yZKbe1yb5 Ep-2 /watch/cvFnRntMgHlMn People want to disappear from the earth along with the journey of childhood, adolescence, the journey of struggle. Or, they are tired of the world and are waiting for death. They have the same desire. - "I could have left something to the society. I could have donated." That desire of the people is known as Baitarni in the Magar Kham community. Baitarni means to donate one's valuables to one's daughter, son-in-law and nephew-in-law. Donating valuables to in-laws also means a lot of fun. In the Magar Kham community, daughters ,son-in-laws and nephews are compulsory needed in every occasion. For example, daughters, sons-in-law or nephews must be involved in birth, marriage and death. Therefore, it is customary to say that if one donates to one's daughter-in-law or nephews before one's death, the burden of selflessly serving one's mother for the rest of one's life is lifted. However, with the passage of time, the Magar Kham community was also affected by the global culture. Hinduism had an impact. The Magars left Jhansi and started calling Brahmins to do Baitarni. The culture of donating cows and money to the Brahmins along with the custom of giving a head covering to the daughter-in-law and niece-in-law or nieces and nephews began to take shape. I have captured the Baitarni video mixed with the global culture that is happening day by day in the Magar Kham community on my camera. The history of Lungi and Feta in the Magar Kham community is also very interesting. For example, in the past, sheep herdsmen of the surrounding Magar Kham villages, including Taksera, used to leave the village in search of food, and still do. During the winter months, they would reach Surkhet, the border of India, i.e. the Terai. Then, during the six months of the rainy season, the Chinese border would reach the mountains of Dolpa district . When they returned to the village, it was customary for the relatives, especially father, to bring a lace on his head and his mother to wear a Lungi. That custom still survives. If a villager comes from abroad, it is customary to bring lungi to the relatives of the village. Even in the marriages of the Magar Kham community, it is customary to give a headdress to the uncles of the in-laws, that is, to the head of the in-laws. It is customary to donate the same lungi and feta to one's daughter and in-law before one's death. That is, there is a tendency to unload. बचपन, किशोर अबस्था, संघर्षको यात्रा पार गर्दै बुदेशकालको यात्रा संगै मान्छे पृथ्वी बाट अलप हुन चाहान्छन । अथवा, संसार बाट दिक्क भएर मृत्युको पर्खाईमा बसिरहेका हुन्छन । उनीहरुको एउटै इच्छा हुन्छ ।-"समाजलाई केहि छोडेर जान पाए हुन्थ्यो । दान गर्न पाए हुन्थ्यो ।" मान्छेहरुको त्यो इच्छालाई मगर खाम समुदायमा बैतर्नी भन्ने प्रचलन छ । बैतर्नी गर्ने भनेको आफ्नो छोरी चेलि र भान्जा अर्थात ज्वाईहरुलाई आफू संग भएको बहुमुल्य सामान दान गर्नु हो । ज्वाईहरुलाई दान गर्ने बहुमुल्य सामानको अर्थ पनि निकै रमाइलो छ । मगर खाम समुदायमा बाँचुन्झेल मर्दा पर्दा चाहिने भनेको नै छोरी ज्वाई हुन्छन । जस्तै: जन्म, बिबाह अनि मृत्युमा छोरी ज्वाइँ अथबा भान्जाहरु अनिबार्य हुनुपर्ने हुन्छ । त्यसैले, आफू मर्नु भन्दा पहिले बैतर्नी गर्‍यो भने अर्थात छोरी ज्वाई अथवा भान्जाहरुलाई दान गर्‍यो भने, छोरी चेलीले जीवन भरी निस्वार्थ रुपमा माइतीको सेवा गरेको भार उतरिन्छ भन्ने चलन छ । तर, समय परिवर्तन संगै मगर खाम समुदायमा पनि ग्लोवल संस्कृतिको असर पर्न थाल्यो । हिन्दु धर्मको प्रभाब पर्‍यो । मगरहरु जैंसी छोडेर बाहुन बोलाउने र बैतर्नी गर्न थालियो । छोरी चेलीहरुलाई आफ्नो इज्यत छोपिने लुङ्गी र ज्वाइँ अथवा भान्जाहरुलाई सिरको फेता दिने चलन संगै बाहुनलाई गाई गोरु र पैसा दान गर्नु पर्ने संस्कृती बस्न थाल्यो । मगर खाम समुदायमा दिन प्रतिदिन पर्दै गएको ग्लोबल संस्कृति संगै मिसिएको बैतर्नी भिडियो मेरो क्यामरामा कैड गरेको छु । मगर खाम समुदायमा लुंङ्गी र सिरको फेताको इतिहास पनि निकै रमाईलो छ । जस्तै:- पहिले पहिले तकसेरा लगायत वरिपरिको मगर खाम गाउँका भेडि गोठालोहरु भेडा बाख्रालाई गाँस खुवाउन अर्थात गाँसको खोजिमा गाउँ छोड्ने चलन थियो र अहिले पनि छ । हिँउड् समयमा ६ महिना भारतको सिमाना सुर्खेत अर्थात तराई पुग्थे । अनि, बर्खाको ६ महिना चाइनाको सिमाना दोल्पाको हिमालमा पुग्थे । गाउँ फर्किदा आफन्तहरुलाई अर्थात बिशेष त बाबालाई सिरमा लगाउने फेता र आमालाई इज्यत छोप्ने लुंङ्गी कोसेलीको रुपमा ल्याईदिने चलन थियो । त्यो चलन अहिले पनि बचेको छ । कोहि गाउँले बिदेश बाट आयो भने, गाउँको चेलीबेटीहरुलाई लुंङ्गी ल्याईदिने चलन छ । मगर खाम समुदायको बिबाहमा पनि माइति मान्दा अर्थात ससुराली घरको मामाहरुलाई सिरमा लगाउने फेता दिएर दोग्ने र माइजुहरुलाई लुंङ्गी दिएर दोग्ने चलन छ । त्यहि लुंङ्गी र फेता नै आफू मर्नु भन्दा अगाडी छोरी ज्वाईहरुलाई दान गर्ने चलन छ । अर्थात भार उतार्ने चलन छ ।

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