“Mother had no choice but to leave home. Father’s brother would beat her. He was cruel to all of us. And his wife was no better. My father had died and his brother and his wife wanted us to leave. Mother might have thought that life would be better living in the streets than living with the heartless couple. When she left the house, she tells me, I was only 2 years old. We were four girls and two older boys.

Mother came here to Terai. Luckily, she brought with her gold earrings. She tells me she had hidden it in her waist wrap. She met a distant relative who helped her sell it. She loaned some more money from her brothers who lived in Bombay and she bought some land. She made a little hut where we all grew. My eldest brother left when he started his family. Never supported mother. My other brother was a good person but he too died of a heart attack while he was working at the railway station somewhere in India. Now, we were the only women left in the house with no daily income. One by one, we were married and sent away. Unfortunately, for me, my mother was pressured into giving me away to an old man. His wife was not able to give him any children so he was looking for a wife. He was rich, the neighbours, and our relative pressured mother into giving me to him. In desperation she did. I was 13 years old and this man was 40. Mother also might have given me to him because one of my eyes did not work. It had rotten when I was little and people would come and say,” Oh, I feel pity for this girl and for you. Who is going to marry her?”After three years, I bore my first son. I have three today. Although I have had a difficult life, I have always found peace in nature. Every time I would, feel down or missed home or when the difficulties of life did not leave, I would come to the forest and just sit listening to the birds. I would come by the bank of the Karnali and listen to the gushing of the rapids. When my heart felt full and tears dried, I would return home to tend to my sons and my old husband. I knew about life. Not only human life but also animal and plant life. I knew how every being needed its place on this earth. A plant can feel, a tree can feel. The rivers understand and in sync with nature. This love made me start advocating about conservation about the Karnali.

You see, the river is being destroyed. Just 5 years ago, we would be able to cross the river by foot but now there is a lot of excavation going on. When they remove the sand, stone and gravel from the riverbed, the shallow waters become deep. They change course and the whole community has to live in fear of the river. Nature is a friend but it can turn into an enemy when it has lost its patience.

I could sit by the banks of the river and shout at the trucks and the tractors all day but they are not going to stop excavating. I spoke about this with the men and women in my community and we formed a group. We were not going to allow this rampant excavation and let them put our lives at risk. This was to apply to all the unregulated fishing too. Today, we go and patrol the area in groups of 10. Every time I hear about illegal mining in the river, I run. I obstruct them from carrying out the excavation and my group supports me to stand against the illegal miners.I have received a lot of threatens over the phone and in person. “We will come to your house and kidnap you at midnight. Why are you doing this? You are a woman. Why don’t you focus on your kitchen?” I yell back, louder and challenge them. I am not afraid. I know these rivers and forest are our gods, which gives us life. We must respect them and preserve them. That is our duty. That is what humanity truly means – to extend compassion to all beings and not just to humans.

(Rajeshwori Devi Khatri, Janaki GP 9, Jagatpur, Kailali)

(Rajeshwori Devi Khatri is a member of the Community-Based Anti-Poaching Unit formed with the support of the USAID Paani – पानी in Lower Karnali Watershed. She leads the unit for stopping destructive fishing practices and monitor of unsustainable riverbed mining activities in the bank of Karnali)

“हाम्री आमासँग घर छोडेर जानुको बिकल्प थिएन । काकाले उहाँलाई पिट्नु हुन्थ्यो । हामी सबै प्रति निर्दयी हुनुहुन्थ्यो उहाँ । काकी पनि कम थिइनन् । हाम्रो बुबा बित्नुभएको थियो । काका-काकाले हामीहरू निस्केर गैदिए हुन्थो भन्ने सोच्थे। यस्ता निर्दयीहरूसँग बस्नुभन्दा त बरू सडकमै बस्नु ठीक होला भन्ने आमालाई लागेको थियो । आमाले घर छोडेर जाँदा म २ वर्षको मात्रै थिएँ रे । आमासँग हामी चार बहिनीहरू र दुई दाजुहरू थियौँ ।त्यसपछि आमा यहाँ तराई झर्नुभयो । भाग्यले नै भनौँ, उहाँले सुनको झुम्का पनि साथै ल्याउन सक्नुभएछ । पटुकीमा लुकाएर ल्याएको भन्नुहुन्थ्यो । एकजना टाढाको आफन्त पर्नेले त्यो सुन बेच्न सहयोग गरेका थिए रे । अनि बम्बैमा बस्ने उहाँका भाइहरूसँग ऋण लिएर यहाँ एक टुक्रा जग्गा किन्नुभएको थियो । त्यहिँ सानो झुपडी पनि बनाउनुभयो आमाले । अनि हामीहरू सबै त्यहिँ हुर्कियौँ । ठूल्दाजुले बिहे गरेपछि हामीलाई छोडेर जानुभयो । आमालाई फर्केर नि हेर्नुभएन । सान्दाजु बरू असल थिए । तर इन्डियाको एउटा रेलवे स्टेसनमा काम गर्दा ह्रदयघाटका कारण उहाँ पनि बित्नुभयो । त्यसपछि हामी घरमा सबै छोरीमान्छेहरू मात्रै बाँकी रह्यौँ । घरमा पैसा कमाउने कोहि थिएनौँ । आमाले एक एक गरेर हामी सबै छोरीहरूको विवाह गरेर विदा गरिदिनुभयो । दुर्भाग्यवश, मेरो चैँ बिहे गरिसकेको अलि बुढो मान्छेसँग विवाह भयो । उसकी बुढीले बच्चा पाउन नसकेकीले अर्को बिहे गर्न लागेका रहेछन् । ऊ धनी थियो । छरछिमेकी र आफन्तहरूले आमालाई दबाब दिए पछि त्यस्तोसँग मन नलागी नलागी आमाले मेरो बिहे गराइदिनु भयो । त्यतिखेत म १३ वर्षकी मात्रै थिएँ र त्यो मान्छे ४० वर्षको । मेरो एउटा आँखाले पहिले देखि नै काम नगर्ने भएकोले आमाले सायद त्यस्तो मान्छेसँग बिहे गरिदिनुभएको थियो । सानै देखि मेरो एउटा आँखा बिग्रेको थियो । मान्छेहरूले मलाई “बिचरी! यस्तीसँग कसले बिहे गर्छ होला” भन्थे ।तीन वर्षपछि मैले पहिलो छोरा जन्माएँ । आज तीनजना छन् । मेरो जीवन कष्टकर नै रह्यो तर प्रकृतीमा मैले शान्ती भेटेकोछु । जब जब म दुःखी हुन्छु, घरको न्यास्रो लाग्छ वा जिन्दगीमा केहि कठिनाइ पर्छ, तब म जंगल जान्छु अनि चराको चिरबिरचिरबिर सुन्छु । कर्णालीको तिरमा आउँछु, नदी सुसाएको सुन्छु । मेरा मन हलुङ्गो भएर आँसु सुकेपछि मात्रै म घर फर्किन्छु । मलाई जीवन बारे राम्रोसँग थाह छ । मान्छेको मात्रै हैन जीवजन्तु र चराचुरूङ्गीको जीवन बारे पनि । पृथ्वीमा सबैको लागि बस्न ठाउँ चाहिन्छ भन्ने कुरा मलाई राम्रोसँग थाह छ । एउटा विरूवा वा रूखले पनि महसुस गर्न सक्छ । नदीले पनि सबै कुरा बुझ्छ र प्रकृतीसँग बग्छ । प्रकृतीसँगको मेरो यहि प्रेमले गर्दा हुनुपर्छ, कर्णालीको संरक्षणका लागि म पैरबी गर्न थालेँ ।हेर्नुस् त, नदी त बिग्रिसक्यो । ५ वर्ष अगाडी मात्रै हामी पैदलै नदी तर्न सक्थ्यौँ । तर अहिले जताततै बालुवा, ढुङ्गा र गिटी निकाल्न थालेकाले नदी अहिले गहिरिएकोछ । नदीको धार पनि परिवर्तन भएकाले पुरै गाउँ जोखिममा छ । प्रकृती हाम्रो मित्र हो तर यसले धैर्यता गुमायो भने हाम्रो शत्रु बन्न कति पनि बेर लाउँदैन ।म नदीको किनारमा बसेर दिनभरि टिप्पर र ट्याक्टरलाई गाली गर्थेँ । तर तिनीहरूले नदीको दोहन गर्न छोडेनन् । अनि मैले गाउँका सबैजनालाई भनेर एउटा समुह बनाएँ । नदीमा जताततै खनेर तिनीहरूलाई हाम्रो जीवन जोखिममा पार्न दिएनौँ । नदीमा अव्यवस्थित माछा मार्नेलाई पनि हामीले छोडेनौँ । १० जनाको समुह बनाएर आजकाल हामी नियमित गस्ती गर्छौँ । जब नदीमा कसैले अनाधिकृत रूपमा खन्न थालेको कुरा म सुन्छु, तब म दौडेर तिनीहरूको डोजर रोक्न जान्छु । मेरो समुहले पनि त्यस्ताको बिरूद्ध लड्न मलाई साथ दिन्छ ।मलाई धेरै पटक तिनीहरूले फोनमा र भेटेरै पनि धम्की दिएकाछन् । “तेरो घरमा राती आएर अपहरण गर्छु । किन यस्तो गर्छेस्? आइमाइ होस्, घरधन्दामा ध्यान दे न” भन्छन् । तर म डराउँदिन । उल्टै, झन् ठूलो स्वरमा तिनीहरूलाई नै कराएर चुनौती दिन्छु । मलाई राम्रोसँग थाह छ कि यो नदी र जंगल भनेका हाम्रा भगवान हो, जसले हामीलाई जीवन दिन्छ । हामीले यसको सम्मान र संरक्षण गर्नुपर्छ । यो हाम्रो कर्तव्य हो । मान्छे प्रति मात्रै हैन, सबै जीवजन्तुसँग माया साट्नु नै मानवताको साँचो अर्थ हो ।”(राजेश्वरी देवी खत्री, जानकी गाउँपालिका-९, जगतपुर, कैलाली)______________(राजेश्वरी देवी खत्री समुदायमा आधारित चोरीनिकासी विरूद्धको इकाइकी सदस्य हुन् । तल्लो कर्णाली जलाधार क्षेत्रको उक्त इकाइलाई युएस्एड पानी परियोजनाको सहयोग रहेको छ । कर्णालीमा अव्यवस्थित माछा मार्ने कार्य रोक्न र नदीतटको अनाधिकृत दोहन अनुगमन गर्न उनले इकाइको नेतृत्व गर्छिन् ।)