By Gokarna Dayal, Baitadi, Mar. 8: Amid the celebration of International Women’s Day 2020, Devaki Chand, 71, of Patan Municipality-6 has been dealing with injustice, immense difficulties and sorrow.

Chand’s story reveals the bitter truth of conditions of women in rural areas. Here’s how:

Chand’s husband left her and got married to another woman 38 years ago. Her in-laws didn’t provide citizenship to her to prevent her from claiming property share. She doesn’t have a house to live in and both of her sons are mentally unstable.  

Chand, who used to live in a well-facilitated house long ago, is now in search of a shelter.

“The god too is angry at me,” said Chand, shedding tears. She is now staying in safe housing for women or ‘Surakshit Mahila Awash Griha’.

 “My husband was a manager in a bank. We were living a decent life, but it didn’t last long as my husband got married to another lady in 2038 B.S.,” she added.

Chand said that she had hoped that her sons would support her in her old age.

But both of Chand’s son have become mentally unstable.

“The villagers said that the god was angry with me,” she added.

Chand doesn’t have a house and she doesn’t own any property.

The Patan Municipality provided citizenship certificate to Chand at 71 years of age. 

Even though her husband left her, she still puts ‘Sindoor’ (orange-red color powder) on her head in the name of her husband.

She said, “I have been wearing this Sindoor, praying for a long life of my husband.”

I don’t want to stop wearing Sindoor, even though he left me a long ago.

“It is said that even the stone melts one day but my husband’s heart hasn’t melt yet,” she said with a heavy voice.

Pointing at Suryana River near the house, Chand said, “The amount of tears I have shed in the name of my husband is equivalent to the amount of water that flows in this Suryana River.”

Keshab Bahadur Chand, Mayor of Patan Municipality, said, “Devaki Chand’s husband left her 38 years ago while I was the head of village council (Pradhan Panch).”

The issue of entitling Chand with partition property was raised at that time too, he said.

“Now 3.5 decades later, I have become the Mayor but Devaki Chand’s problem hasn’t been solved yet,” he said. “This has made me emotional.”

Mayor Chand said that Devaki Chand’s name had been enlisted in the list of people receiving old age allowance.

Devaki Chand, however, said that Mayor Chand, who was also her relative and neighbor should not show his greed in providing her with the partition property from her husband Khadga Bahadur Chand.

Mayor Chand said that it would be easier to provide house to Devaki Chand under People’s Housing Project if she had the land ownership certificate.

Rajendra Bista, Ward Chair of Patan Municipality-6, said that Chand’s sons, Karan and Dipak Chand’s mental health was unstable.

“They have not received treatment,” Bista said.

He added that none of her in-laws had supported her in making the citizenship certificate.

The ward office issued recommendation for her citizenship certificate, in initiation of the municipality, with great difficulty.