Half this village votes in India, other half in Nepal
Siwan village is a classic example of the deep-rooted relationship between India and Nepal.
A village on the Indo-nepal border half of which is on the Indian side, while the other half is on the Nepal side, has lived through ups and downs, unmindful of the deteriorating relations between India and Nepal. Siwan village is a classic example of the deeprooted relationship between India and Nepal and possibly a ray of hope as well.
The recent legislation in Nepal is the talking point in the village, but has failed to drive a wedge between the people living here. Since Siwan village near Raxaul in Bihar, falling under the Pantoka Panchayat, is located on a noman’s land, as such the village has been witness to neglect by both the countries. A border pillar right in the middle of the village signals the beginning of Nepali territory. The people have, however, chosen to overlook the same. A kaccha road leads one to the village and the authorities on either side of the border have never cared to build roads here.
The village is divided into two separate tolas. The portion on the Indian side is Siwan tola, while on the Nepal side is Alaun tola. People living on the Indian side have their shops on the other side and business has been usual for them, catering to customers from both sides of the border until the lockdown.
A Hanuman temple on the Alaun side has been attracting worshippers from both sides and most of the religious functions in the village as well as marriages are solemnized jointly. The elderly in the village from both sides prefer to spend their evening together by the temple. The primary school on the Indian side was buzzing with students from the other side of the border prior to the lockdown. A private school in Alaun Tola has been doing brisk business with a majority of the students going from the Indian side for their education. The private school even sent school buses into the Indian side to transport children to and from the school. A majority of people on the Indian side have their relatives living on the other side of the border which actually never exists for them. Binod Patel’s younger brother and sisters got married in Nepal. Talking to The Sunday Guardian,
Binod Patel said, “Our village has lived through neglect. No one has bothered to develop this area. Neither the Indian government nor the Nepali government ever cared for this village. It’s indeed a noman’s land here.”
He also indicated that the Nepal Armed Forces have of late started stopping people and unnecessarily harassing them and at times, admonishing them not to cross the border. “Where is the border? We have never understood this difference of border. If they stop us, will I not go to meet my brother or sister on the other side?” he added. There is another thing very peculiar of this village. The likes of Aman Patel and Sambhal Patel, both residents of Alaun in Nepal territory, built their houses on the Nepal side, but their extended house comprising the cowshed is on the Indian side. This has been for ages. Both of them have cultivable land on the Nepal side, but purchasing tractors in Nepal is very costly; so they purchased tractors in India to till their land on the Nepal side and the same is kept in the cowshed of their house which is in India.
Half of the village votes in India, while the other half votes in Nepal. But despite political differences existing on both sides characterized by allegiances, it has never come to the point of bickering by the to sides. Professor Birendra Kumar Patel, a resident of the same village, is, however, concerned about the deteriorating relationship between the two countries. He indicated that the people on both sides are agitated over the recent legislations in Nepal and more so on the issue of denying citizenship for seven years to those Indian brides married in Nepal. He said, “Now people on the Indian side are becoming apprehensive. They don’t want to send their girls in marriage to the other side. I wish things normalise soon.” He added that the people in Siwan tola have lived in perfect harmony for ages not knowing that any boundary actually exists between them. He wished the two nations bury their differences and the same old relationship is restored. He added, “Everyone knows Nepal is doing all this at the behest of China, but we have the same culture on both sides and China will never be able to replace India.”