Due to the global Corona epidemic, I am relatively free in these days. In this leisure time, I am also trying to get in touch with people who have not been in touch for years. In the meantime, I sent a text message to an Nepali migrant worker in Korea who used to be my assistance in the past. He replied me that he is in difficult time and planning to back Nepal. He mentioned that 7 years ago he had married a Nepali girl but unable to bring her to Korea even after continuous efforts for last 3 years. Now he become hopeless and was preparing to return Nepal. As per his information couple registered the marriage in local authority seven years ago. In the marriage registration certificate, it is said that ABC’s granddaughter, PQR’s daughter named XYZ of age 27 years married as per social tradition. But on the date on which the marriage took place, the bride was 26 years, 11 months and 3 days old. In Nepal, there is a strange practice of saying that the next day after ones birthday another one year is added. The local body has also written 27 years accordingly. Now when he showed the marriage registration certificate to the Korean government authority, they said that his wife was only 26 years 11 months and 3 days not 27 years at the times of her marriage, so his document was consider as suspicious document. He tried to convince Korean authority but the authority asked him to show the evidence of such a practices. In fact, it would not have been a problem if local bodies had mention exact date of birth of the girl.
Instead of writing exact date of birth of the people, only age in year is widely use in government authority even in court. In fact, even today, some Nepali do not know the exact date of birth. In remote areas, giving birth at home is very common. There are ample examples of women from remote areas give birth their babies in forest and return back home along with fodder and newly born baby. Such women and their families are often illiterate and do not care what year, month and day the baby is born.
On the other hand, most of the people of remote areas do not register birth. Children who go to school are given an tentative date of birth by the teacher. In the case of those who do not go to school, government official gives tentative date of birth on their own way. For example, in the citizenship of former Chief Justice Gopal Parajuli, the date of birth is written 21 years instead of exact birth year, month and day. Due to the controversy over his date of birth, he had to resign from the post of Chief Justice. Let’s also take another example. In the citizenship card of Shreeram Chaudhary of Kailali district, the date of birth is written as 25 years instead of writing exact date of birth. Now his younger brother starts taking old age allowances but he is denied such government benefits due to this age problem.
On the other hand rural people prefer to mention their age in years of multiple of five. Instead of saying exact age, they say 20 years, 25 years, 30 years and so on. Government official also record their age in this way in their birth certificate and citizenship certificate. Such practices being the cause of several difficulties which the person faces at home and aboard. This is how that Nepali migrant worker whom I know is facing such a difficult time. It is already too late to bring government directives to use the exact date of birth of every citizen to get rid of such ridiculous problem.
