In her house of Amdala, Sumtali Budahthoki, aged 39. Sumtali in front of her three children, a son aged 12, named Novin, and two daughters aged 10, Tika, and 7, Bhodi. Sumtali ensures alone her family’s survival since 1998. Her husband, who had no relations with the Maoist rebellion, was executed by a patrol of the military police. In spite of this “blunder”, the policemen returned repeatedly to her home, accusing her of having murdered her husband, and beat her heavily, with their fists or using sticks, going even as far as throwing her out of a window on the first floor, before the eyes of her two children (the youngest not yet being born).
Sumtali Budahthoki finds great difficulties to feed her family and seems overworked, after seven years of daily conflict, at the heart of the issue:”we have not much more to be waiting for than the end of our life.”, she tells me this making sure she cannot be heard by either of her children nor by members of the Maoist party.
November - December 2005 - Rukum - Nepal.
© Pierre-Yves GINET