Nepal's young goddesses at modern crossroads
Pastor Dale Morgan
Sunday June 17, 10:00 PM Reuters
*Nepal's young goddesses at modern crossroads*
By Mark Felsenthal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The goddess likes to play with a toy cell phone
when she's blessing supplicants.
Or blow up balloons. It's tough to sit still on a throne answering
people's prayers all day when you're only 10 years old.
Sajani Shakya is one of several Nepali children designated living
goddesses -- kumaris -- in the Kathmandu valley, where her people
observe Buddhism with elements of Hinduism thrown in. She was identified
by priests at age 2 as an incarnation of the Hindu goddess Kali and will
be worshiped until she reaches puberty.
Sajani and her fellow kumaris are the subjects of a documentary film
that juxtaposes ancient tradition with contemporary political upheaval
in Nepal, where a bloody civil war and a civilian uprising have
challenged the country's king and monarchy.
For much of the day Sajani sits on a painted wooden throne in her
family's house in the town of Bhaktapur, wearing heavy black and red
make-up and a red brocade robe. The devout offer flowers and money while
she blesses them with a daub of red paste to the forehead.
But sometimes, like any 10-year-old, she seeks distraction. The film
shows her occasionally playing with a toy like a plastic cell phone
while she's receiving worshipers.
"She embodies the goddess as a child," said Ishbel Whitaker, the film's
director. "She understands the protocol that's expected -- but she also
gets bored."
Visiting Washington this week while the film, "Living Goddess," screened
at the Silverdocs documentary film festival, Sajani greets visitors at
her posh hotel room wearing pink pedal pusher pants and a white T-shirt.
"When not doing her religious duties, she's a normal kid," said Marc
Hawker, the movie's cinematographer.
Sajani, bright-eyed but shy, bounces from the sofa to the laps of adults
travelling with her during an hour-long interview. Shown photographs of
Nepal, she leaps up to identify places and objects.
"That's Bhaktapur!" she says, pointing to a picture of a square in her
home town.
"Rice and vegetables!" she shouts, looking at a photograph of a
traditional Nepali meal.
In the U.S. capital, Sajani visited an elementary school, toured the
Capitol, and plans to see the pandas at the National Zoo.
A YOUNG GODDESS PLAYS TAG
At home, Sajani wears a school uniform, does homework, and plays tag
with her friends in the courtyard in front of her house.
But dressed in her divine accoutrements, she becomes more sombre.
Carried through the streets under a red parasol by family members, or
riding in a palanquin during a religious festival, she remains impassive
as bystanders bow to her and take her blessing.
In one scene of the documentary, the murmurings of priests praying
during a festival are momentarily drowned out by nearby protesters
shouting pro-democracy slogans through bullhorns.
Nepal is due to hold elections later this year that could abolish the
monarchy.
As Nepal's monarchy comes under siege, no one knows what will happen
with these ancient practices, Whitaker said. "The push forward for
democracy will have an inevitable effect on tradition," she said.
The government of Nepal itself is investigating the whether the
tradition violates the child's rights in any way. The girl who fills
Sajani's role in Kathmandu, the so-called royal kumari, is subject to
greater restrictions and may not leave her house except for religious
observances.
Critics say the child is denied a normal life and the practice violates
her fundamental human rights. Others counter that the girls are given
proper care and education and live with dignity, including receiving
allowances for when they retire.
From an outside observer's perspective, it seems difficult to imagine
that the cult of the kumari would ever actually disappear, Whitaker said.
"It's very much entrenched in people's hearts, it's a very meaningful
symbol to the nation," she said. "But it will change."
(Additional reporting by Mary Childs)