 Hi and welcome to People's Dispatch. We're here with Urada Giawali, a member of all Nepal Women's Association, also a member of the Central Committee of Nepal Communist Party. She was a former ministry of energy and is now a member of parliament. Thank you for being with us. Thank you. So I first wanted to start off asking about your personal experience. How did you get involved in the women's movement? How did you get involved in the communist movement in the Communist Party? If you could talk a little about that. Well, thank you. I brought up in Shillong, Meghalaya, India. So there I got my education. During that time, our whole society, it seems that is against women. Whole society, mal-dominated, within family. Our brothers, they go to school. But in childhood, my father expired. So my mum told me that I can't support you to continue studying because you are a daughter. You have to leave our house. So it's not our custom to give education to the girl. So I cried in such a way that my mum, she realized. I told her that I will do whatever I have to do, household works and everything I will do. But I want to study. That was my, I cried in such a way that she realized. She couldn't speak out. Then I continued my education. That was in class five. During my class four, my father expired. So after that, I used to do the whole household works. But my brothers, they don't have, our customers like that. Then after that, in school, my teacher was very progressive. So I used to write articles too. Then she asked me to join Students' Union. So at that time, I've been in class eight. I joined Shillong Students' Union. That was my first chance I got in the association. Later on, when I involved in the Students' Movement, I became very active. I became secretary also there. Then my comrades from Banaras, at that time, Banaras was the headquarter of our party, Nepal Communist Party. And then from there, some students came to Shillong and they inspired me in such a way and slowly, I joined Women's Movement. But I wasn't agreed to join the party because at that time, no slight moment was very strong in India. My thought was that I don't want to kill anybody. Just I want to change without killing anybody. But later on, I understood that it's not killing anyone, but it's the theory of changing the whole society, whole family. Then slowly, gradually, after joining Women's Movement, I became first, first time, first committee, I became chair portion in the committee. Then after that, slowly, I joined party also. Then when I joined party, then I have completed my master's degree in political science from Northeastern Guild University. In the university also, I've been very active in the Students' Movement. So after completing my education, I returned back to Nepal and I went to underground, taking my certificate of master's. I didn't tear it because I kept it in some areas. I didn't go into any colleges to teach. But education was very valuable in Nepal at that time. Then I joined Nepal Communist Party. It was coordination committee. After then our party, CPN ML, it was party as a party. Then after that, we united CPN ML and Marxist party. After formation of these two party coalition, it became CPN UML. And in this way, I'm in the right form. In Nepal is 27, I think is 70. 1970, I've been in Nepal Communist Party quite a long time. Yes. So you have a lot of experience organizing women within the Communist Party. Yes. But I'm very much impressed by one lady. She was from Maharashtra. She has written one book, Adivashi Revolt. I've gone through that book. Once I got chance to meet with her in Shilong. She came in Shilong. So I inspired by Navratthi path, Indian comrades. I got very good inspiration as well from Nepal also. So I was wondering if you could tell a little bit about what the experience of organizing women within the party has been, the chen of the challenges and what you're looking forward to the future. Before declaring democracy in Nepal, in the party committee, we were single, single women. Very few women were in the party committees. Not a single woman in the center committee. Just one lady, Sahana Pradhan, she became first center committee. Though our party in 1949, our party was formed by five people. Among them was one was a lady. That broader idea was with Comrade Pushpalal. But later on, they never shaped us as their equal comrades, half comrades. Always we were half comrades. We used to read books, experience from abroad, experiences of our own. But always we feel something is missing there. Our society considers us unequal. But at least I never spoke out. Inside my mind, why our comrades, they don't consider us equal. That was within the party. In the society, the whole society, right from the beginning when I was in class seven, my mom, she wanted to get married to me. She wanted to take out the burden. She didn't want to hear that your daughter had gone there. She was a widow and she had older ideas. She wanted to take out her own burden after getting married to me. But that was my fear. Right from the beginning, always I'm fearing whether my parents will ask me to get married. I was quite small that time. But later on when I grown up, then I denied. No, I will not get married. So in this way, the whole society was not that much favorable in my party. But later on, after the promulgation of democracy, party also realizes our organization, sister organization, we used to work together. But our co-comrades, they don't have to face the difficulties like us. Sometimes our women, they are wrapped by other people. That kind of difficulty, our male comrades don't have to face. And our comrades, we too, we got married underground. Then we got pregnant. We gave birth to the children. So in this way, we have to feed the child. So in this way, carrying the burden of womenhood, and at the same time carrying the burden of the society, that dual burden is quite difficult. And those, our sisters who are living in the house, those are not underground. They have triple burden, that is household burden. In this way, we would like to run together with the four legs. But our one leg is always in the ring. It's quite difficult. Even then, when there is difficulty, there is more courage and there's more determination. In this way, we moved, we march ahead. Yes, we have spent such days. And now women's moment is very strong in Nepal. In our, the promulgation of democracy in Nepal, after the overthrowing the kingship, again we have to fight. So after the promulgation of our new constitution, we have included one third rights. I mean, that is inclusion. Inclusion within party, within society, everywhere. That, that rise, we have preserved in the constitution. But implementation is very, very difficult. Now our party, it achieved near about two-third majority. But, but is, I'm very sorry to say that our party comprises of nine people, secretariat. It's called secretariat. There's not a single lady. Yes. And there's a standing committee of 45. And there's just two ladies. Yes. The after, after two parties merged Maoist Revolutionary and Sipen UML. And now some of, now near about 23 or 24, we are in the Politburo, within party of some sort of male, that is male dominated ideas. I don't blame any male, but those ideas, it is with us, it is with outcome rates also. Both of us, we have. But our future is, our present is very bright in Nepal. And we are, we are doing our best that we want to inclusive democracy, very successful one. And then after development of our country, our people, so the, we want to go ahead to the socialism. That is written in our constitution itself. But the way is very, very struggleful. Yes. From outside, for international pressure is there. Outside pressure and our society, our opposition, we have taken all the solution is a, in a right way. And then we'll be equal. Our slogan is equality, equality. And everywhere in the party, in the social organization, in the state, in the parliament, everywhere. So to achieve those goals, still we have to go ahead without feeling tired, though I'm above 65. But I think I can work more 15 years. They're very energetic. Energy comes, gives by our people. Yes. We depend on the people. So women's movement also is very strong. Our, after the unification of the two party, all left women's, most of all, still two, three small parties left. And, and we are doing, I mean, though we have faced very, very hardship in the past, but our future is very, very bright. And we want to, we want to make good relation without friends abroad too. Yeah, of course. So I wanted to ask now that the communist party has, the two communist parties have been unified and you have a two thirds majority in parliament. Are there any opportunities, any initiatives that the women's movement is looking to push forward in this new, in this communist, in this parliament? Now we are based on our constitution very speedily. We are enacting our laws. So those laws, after enactment of the laws, again, we have to make some provision for its implementation. It's very difficult to implementation. So implementation from some, some directives and laws. And we thought that without laws, we cannot move. Women's movement also, we have to concrete laws. Otherwise, no one will give rights to the women also. So that's why, though we have written in the constitution and now we are writing in the, in the laws, we are forming basis on the, our constitution. So it's, I think most of the laws very needed now for the federal government and the provincial government and the local government. So we are formulating those laws as well, rights for the women too. Well, thank you so much. That's all we have time for and thank you for watching People's Dispatch.