she probably wants to start an INGO and corrupt lots of money in the name of women freedom and respect. Hindu dharma has always respected women, Durga mata, Kali mata and other goddesses are considered most powerful and respected the most. this lady is totally wrong. 

I couldn't find the picture...but she could be this person.

Nirmala Sharma

Address:

Residence

Telephone:.977-01-4783427

Email:.nirmalaji@mos.com/nirmalajee@yahoo.com

Mobile Number: 9851075426

: New Baneswore, Kathmandu

Organization:

Telephone: 977-01-5538549,5546715. Fax:.5547291. Email: sancharika@wlink.com.np

Website: www.sancharika.org

Sancharika Samuha

Mailing Address:

G.P. O. Box 13293

Sancharika Samuha,

Ekantakuna, Lalitpur.

Present Designation:

General Secretary of Sancharika Samuha

Secretary, South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA)

Former Executive Member, Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ)

Editor of Sancharika Feature Service

Experience

Sagarmatha & Everest Herald National Dailies, Radio Nepal, Sagarmatha FM, Sarathi National Weekly

: Fifteen years of experience in media representing Adarsha Samaj Daily, Pokhara, Shree

Qualification :

M.A.

Training:

•

Short-term Investigative Journalism Training

•

Media and Gender Training for Trainers

•

Conflict Reporting Training

•

Gender Training

•

Affiliated with Nepal Press Institute , Sancharika Samuha and other media organizations.

Political Reporting Training

Chief Skills:

Facilitation of Programs on Gender and Media, Journalism Trainer

Reporting, Editing, Writing Columns, Production of Radio Programs, Resource Person and.

Area of Interest :

production of radio programs, editing, training on journalism and gender issues.

Investigative reporting in all issues, especially on gender, social and political issues,

धर्म को उदय कायम गर्न हो , अद्रिस्य सक्तिको दरमा शासन गर्न र् गराउन सजिलो हुने हुनाले हरेक धर्म मा छ , अनी हरेक धर्ममा पुरुस्लाई सर्बे सर्बा र महिला अछुत सरह बनाइ पुरुसको सेवा नै ठुलो धर्म बनाइेको छ ,

सबै सन्स्क्रितमा लेखिएका ग्रनथ्य लाऐ धर्मिक पुस्तक को संग्या दिने महापुरुस हरुलाई भन्नु केही छैन, यो बौद्धिक शोषनका नमुना मध्हेको एक हो ?
के भारत खन्ड मा पनि श्वास्थानी ब्रत मनाउदछ त ? थाहा भएन , हुन सक्छ कुनै दिन पन्डित खुशी भएर ल तिमीहरुलाई पनि मोज मस्ती को पुस्तक लेखी दिन्छु भनेर सुरु गरे होलान, बिना अन्कुस त दिनु भएन छाडा होलान भन्ने दर पन्डितलाई अनी पार्वती को कथा जोडेर लेखी दिए कुरो को अन्त्य पुरुसको महिमामा । पिरे , हरेक TRIBE ले आफ्नो दल मज्बुत बनाउने र सन्ख्यात्मक रुपमा बदाउनु नै हितकर भएकोले रास लीला लाई अगाडि ल्याइेको होला वा त्यो पनि महिला खाली प्रजाजन र रास लीला का लागि मात्रै हुन भनी महिला बर्गको शोषन र अपहेलनाको सिकार भएका हुन कि ?
वा सिल्पकार्का उपज मात्री हुन ? तर पिरेले एस्लाई धर्म्को नाम दिऔ ?

Nirmala Ji

I am in New York but still I read swasthani and I have never thought in a way you have thought. If i read your article it seems that you have not seen Nepal in detail. I come from the far western part of Nepal. Till now I see a man getting married to a woman who is much smaller than him and the society accepts it even in Kathmandu if you go and spy on all the higher class then you will find that there are tons of man who has relationship out of their wedlock and it is not just the fault of man it is the fault of woman who accepts it. Let me tell you this until and unless woman doesn't want to be exploited no body could exploit and use her. You should start your research in polygamy which is very common in Nepal. Polygamy exists because female wants it specially the lady who gets married to the used man already knowingly who do u blame for it?Let's not point to the swasthani because no body knows what happened in the past. If you want to make future better just take care of present and forget the past. If you don't want don't read it.

 I would be aghast if Swasthani Brat Katha is today's story.  So much misogyny just makes me vomit.  

I used to listen to it when I was little.  If I were to read it to my kids, I would definitely preface it with the fact that it is a story from very old times (dare I say, even less civilized times?) when the social values had not developed to current level.  

We should take the story as is and not give modern credence to it.  While it might be a mirror of society back then, it is important to understand the values depicted there have little or no place in today's world.

I would emphasize how women have gained grounds over centuries and how the equality is the right thing versus what is depicted in the story.

I disagree with Mrs Sharma, too. I used to read Swasthani myself for my family. I still love it. My parents and autns all loved it. My grandma loved it. I wonder why they just loved it. Why they did not say it was anti-woman.

I feel the author has some unspilt inspiration towards literature. If that is the case, write a new epics in Nepali instead, a lot of folks in Nepal will like it.

Agree with Pire, Riten, Eklo et all.

With her theory we need to rewrite Ramayan, Mahabharata, Geeta and every other religious scripture. How could they say a monkey and bear could talk? How could they say head transplant between a human being and an elephant works: this gives a wrong idea to medical field. Geeta/Mahabharata preaches polygamy (eg Dropadi, Krishna and every single king) so they should be revised with new edition?

We are buried in the name of religion, are you from Brahmin family? When I was young, I have seen the house wife drinking water from their husband's toe-nail, is that part of religion or suppression or mental slavery? Does your family practiced it? Do you approved it too?

Your family did not see it  because they were may not be quiet educated to analyze  it as Nirmala did or they took it as part of their daily life and did not see it as discrimination. We all heard of it and were part of it, but that was a childish act. 
Bottom line is we do not have to agree on what other believed.

Bottom line is we do not have to agree on what other believed. BUT we also shouldn't force our belief onto others and change the religious scriptures just because we don't believe in them.
I do see a need for law to step in and mandate racial/sexual indiscrimination.

 Surprised why are people so negative about everything. They hate everything. Swasthani, now is read just for fun of it. Its scripture written in those days of male dominant society where women had to be preserved from invaders.
Whatever the case, its just a story. But somebody here asks for changing the story otherway round so that it pleases some people. There are tons of movies, books etc which are for and against something, so should we start the same demand. 
Swasthani should be there to let the younger generation know how women were treated in those days how far they have come.

As somebody said earlier, Little knowledge is dangerous.....truly said man.

 My point is basically these two.

1. Women rights issues are different issues from your heritage issue. Yes, women rights are important. If you saw a husband beating a woman, a woman not getting her rights inside her family, a daughter being kept at home but son being sent to schools, etc etc, these are women rights issues. We must address these issues seriously.

2. Once you start looking for 'scientific basis' in old works--as Nirmala Sharma does-- or once you start judging old works based on what zeitgeist is, then you will have to destroy a lot of things. In fact, since modern science started only in last 100-200 years, you will have to destroy or rewrite everything of the past that precede 200 years. This is a really stupid idea that this author has advanced.

And , since Swasthani is a book written by a Nepali, it should continue to hold special place among all Nepalese. I once read somewhere that Swasthani was 400-500 years old, but it does have flavor of that time, and you feel that there were lots of small kingdoms those days, so must have been written before Prithvi Narayan Shah's unification. I have seen really old (almost 300 years old) swasthani book written in Newari language in some Newar houses. This is a uniquely Nepali heritage. I wonder if others own old Swasthani books too or did I err in my observation? I also believe Swasthani was originally written in probably Newari, rather than Nepali, because the Nepali language written there looks rather new in its grammar style. If anyone knows more about its history, please let me know.

laddu mati le NGO ko paisa pachaune meso garnu bhaye jaso
हे साझायात्री मुनी तथा मुन्नी हरु यो लेख पढेर के लाग्यो त ल बिस्तारमा सुन
एकादेशमा अङ्रेज भन्ने जाती हरु संसार घुम्दै आउँदा भारत भन्ने देश मा आएछन
ति पदारीनाथ ले हिन्दू धर्म लाई कसरी नस्ट गर्न सकिन्छ त भनेर संक्रित पढ्ने ईछ्या राखेछन
तेस पछी के भो त कुमार जि आग्या गर्नु हुन्छ हे साझा यात्री
त्यो पादरी एता उती डलर को मुथो लिएर डुलेछ तर कतै पनि पन्डित हरु उसलाई सन्स्क्रित पडाउन राजी भएनछन
तेस पछी एक गरीब ब्रामन लाई असन्ख्य दान दक्षिणा , डलर ले पूजा गरी गोप्य रुमपा सन्स्क्रित पदेछ
गरीब पन्दितले पनि के बदाउने त यो पादरिलाई भनी द्यान गर्दा कुटिल्यको अर्थशास्त्र पदाएछन
सन्स्क्रित भाषा पदी सकेपछी पादरी आग्या गर्छ हे पन्दित गुरु देब तापाइको धर्म शास्त्र त हाम्रो भन्दा हजारौ गुना अगाडि रहेछ
ज्ञान एही रहेछ बिज्ञान एही रहेछ अर्थशास्त्र , राजनीति देखी कुटनिती एही रहेछ तर पनि तपाईं को देशको हालत किन एस्तो ?
सो पादरिको कुरा सुनेर पन्दित आग्या गर्दछ्न हे पादरी भाईया यो सब समयएको खेल हो सुन्छौ भने म भन्छु ल सुन
धेरै बर्ष पहिले को कुरा हो , त्यो भन्दा पहिले भारत बर्ष मा पर्ने देश हरु निकै सम्पन्न थिए , सो देखेर खाडी राष्ट्र तिर बाट
अाएका मुस्लिम हरुले ठुलो आक्रमण गरे , बेद जलाये , पुरान जलाए , पन्दित हरुलाई काते ,माहिलाको अस्मिता लुटे , अहिले भरात भन्ने देश ओर पर ठुलो आक्रमण मा पर्‍यो 
तेस्पछी भरात तथा बङलादेस्मा रहेका हिन्दू लाई जबर्जस्ती मुस्लिम बनाइयो । तेस्पछी के गर्ने त भनेर बचेँका केही पन्दित हरुले नयाँ ग्रन्थ लेखेर हिन्दू हरुलाई कडा बनये मनु ले मनु ग्रन्थ लेखे ,हिन्दू माहिला हरु नरम स्वोभाब का हुने हुनाले मुस्लिमको प्रतिकार गर्न स्वोस्थानी जस्तो ग्रन्थ लेखियो जस्ले
माहिलालाई धर्म परिवर्तन गर्न बाट रोकोश । जस्ले गर्दा पुरुष तथा महिला दुबइ ले बैरी हरुको प्रतिकार गर्ने निस्चित होस् ।
तेसैले हे साझा बासीहरु डलरमती का लेख पडेर आफ्नो मती नबिगार हो
कुमार जि आग्या गर्नु हुन्छ हे साझामुनी तथा मुन्नी हरु मन नपरे बहिस्कार गर्दा हुन्छ
डलर खाएर पुनरलेखन जस्तो उपर्माउलो नगर हो ।
आज को समाज लाई ५००० बर्ष पछी हेर्दा यस्तै नमिल्दो लाग्न सख्छ
तर समाज बर्तमानमा हिंड्न सक्छ न भुत काल मा न भबिस्य कालमा तेसैले
हिजो को कुरा लाई पुनर्लेखन गर्दैमा सत्य बादलीदैन
ईती श्री ...

 I am surprised by what you wrote. So, you obviously think that if a person writes 90% of correct stuffs, and 10% of wrong stuffs, we have to focus on 90% of correct stuffs. But in reality, a man has to write 100% correct stuff. Even if someone is inserting 1% of her biased stuff among the correct stuffs, he is a fake person, and his dishonesty has to be denounced.
-> Are you saying that you are not biased at all?

Another thing is, to make statements like " I think the women's situation in Nepal is very much connected to the cultures and faith we carry." is easy. In fact, it is obvious. But it has nothing to do with Swasthani per se. In our own culture, brothers have to 'dhog' their sister, parents give money to their young daughter but not to young brother in religious ceremonies and several girls are often considered deviko awavatar. We can't pick things selectively to denounce our heritage.
-> How can you absolutely say that swasthani has nothing to do? There are obviously many good things including the ones you wrote in our culture, but there are many as she wrote. Isn't understanding and debating is the way in the right direction?

This woman has plainly written that "Swasthani needs to be rewritten" . Go and read this article. What do you mean by rewritten? Then she goes on to say why this thing is unscientific or that thing is unscientific. Find me a culture that doesn't have unscientific, unbelievable things written in their scripture of those era. This doesn't mean we have to erase or rewrite those things.
-> I agree with this part. I would be concerned on correcting in the present as rewriting is not going to change. But one thing I would like to point is that many of us still have blind faith in what is written. Many still do fasting during swasthani even for a month long and I doubt if they would give roti to their daughters.

bekar ko bahas.
-> I won't call it bekar ko bahas.

1. Women rights issues are different issues from your heritage issue. Yes, women rights are important. If you saw a husband beating a woman, a woman not getting her rights inside her family, a daughter being kept at home but son being sent to schools, etc etc, these are women rights issues. We must address these issues seriously.
-> Some of these things are very much connected to the cultures and stories we believe absolutely (e.g. swasthani).

2. Once you start looking for 'scientific basis' in old works--as Nirmala Sharma does-- or once you start judging old works based on what zeitgeist is, then you will have to destroy a lot of things. In fact, since modern science started only in last 100-200 years, you will have to destroy or rewrite everything of the past that precede 200 years. This is a really stupid idea that this author has advanced.
-> I agree about not making sense about rewriting.

Khoikkhoik and danphe,  
you guys are nuts; did you even care to click the page 1 at the bottom of this thread?