Posted by: Nepali_American September 30, 2011
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This stereotype of baahuns - cunning, snooty, loud, discriminating - seem to be true in my experience too.
Just the other day, I had the opportunity to visit a program for Nepali children here in the US. One of the mothers, obviously a baahun - by nose and by surname - was acting quite snooty and loud. "I'm a lawyer," she mentioned several times, without much context or conversational necessity. She looked down her long nose at everybody, even other baahuns. When she met other parents whose professional positions could be of some help to her career, she suddenly transformed herself into being very friendly. Aaishyo, bhanishyo, garishyo... rolled out of tongue like water down the Niagara Falls. But then, another parent who had come to the US just recently approached her, she turned on a dime into that discriminating, high-brow harridan again.
Now the sad fact is, I see this behavior too far often among "baahuns" .
But, and this is a very important BUT,
some of my very good friends are "baahuns". They are the most humble, most helpful, most benevolent people that I know. Sure they are smart, but not cunning. They are loud, only when they are just plain having fun among friends. They do not discriminate among their friends, be them baahuns or non-baahuns. They are far from being snooty, in fact they are quite generous and carry the air of integrity.
So, that puzzles me. And I am sure I am not the only non-baahun who feels this way.
Many times, in and out of Nepal, we see the "stereotypical" baahuns. Not to say that other castes - [Disallowed String for - castist reference]s, [Disallowed String for - castist reference]s, matwalis, etc - do not have the negative qualities. But it is far easier to find these deplorable attitudes among "baahuns". Hence, the stereotype of baahun, I guess.
However, I turn around and look at my friends. The stereotype just does not gel. THEY ARE THE MOST DECENT PEOPLE AROUND AND THEY ARE BAAHUNS.
So, is it just the matter of individuals? Then why is the stereotype so justified in far too many instances?
Is it the socio-economic class that determines these qualities? Again, this argument does not hold up because the baahun friends I talk about come from all levels, and they are all wonderful people.
Maybe where they hail from matters? We hear that Jhapali baahuns are the most "dhurta". Or that the Shyangjali baahuns can beat those jhaapali baahuns in "dhurta-ness" in sleep. Wrong, in my opinion. Two of my best friends come from each of those regions, and they are both straight as arrow.
So what is it?
Just the other day, I had the opportunity to visit a program for Nepali children here in the US. One of the mothers, obviously a baahun - by nose and by surname - was acting quite snooty and loud. "I'm a lawyer," she mentioned several times, without much context or conversational necessity. She looked down her long nose at everybody, even other baahuns. When she met other parents whose professional positions could be of some help to her career, she suddenly transformed herself into being very friendly. Aaishyo, bhanishyo, garishyo... rolled out of tongue like water down the Niagara Falls. But then, another parent who had come to the US just recently approached her, she turned on a dime into that discriminating, high-brow harridan again.
Now the sad fact is, I see this behavior too far often among "baahuns" .
But, and this is a very important BUT,
some of my very good friends are "baahuns". They are the most humble, most helpful, most benevolent people that I know. Sure they are smart, but not cunning. They are loud, only when they are just plain having fun among friends. They do not discriminate among their friends, be them baahuns or non-baahuns. They are far from being snooty, in fact they are quite generous and carry the air of integrity.
So, that puzzles me. And I am sure I am not the only non-baahun who feels this way.
Many times, in and out of Nepal, we see the "stereotypical" baahuns. Not to say that other castes - [Disallowed String for - castist reference]s, [Disallowed String for - castist reference]s, matwalis, etc - do not have the negative qualities. But it is far easier to find these deplorable attitudes among "baahuns". Hence, the stereotype of baahun, I guess.
However, I turn around and look at my friends. The stereotype just does not gel. THEY ARE THE MOST DECENT PEOPLE AROUND AND THEY ARE BAAHUNS.
So, is it just the matter of individuals? Then why is the stereotype so justified in far too many instances?
Is it the socio-economic class that determines these qualities? Again, this argument does not hold up because the baahun friends I talk about come from all levels, and they are all wonderful people.
Maybe where they hail from matters? We hear that Jhapali baahuns are the most "dhurta". Or that the Shyangjali baahuns can beat those jhaapali baahuns in "dhurta-ness" in sleep. Wrong, in my opinion. Two of my best friends come from each of those regions, and they are both straight as arrow.
So what is it?