Aagya Khabar,

Sarlahi

Amid prolonged drought that has left farmland dry and unproductive, an unusual cultural protest was staged in Ramnagar, Ishwarpur Municipality–9 of Sarlahi district. On Tuesday, women from the local Tharu community symbolically compelled two elected representatives to plough the fields.

Federal Member of Parliament Ram Prakash Chaudhary from Sarlahi Constituency No. 1 and Provincial Assembly Member Urmila Singh Tharu were symbolically “captured” and made to plough the field by Tharu women. Dressed in police-like uniforms, the women took the lawmakers to the fields and carried out a mock rice plantation. While the women held the yoke, the lawmakers were made to walk behind it, imitating the act of ploughing—a display that was both striking and serious.

Among the Tharu community, there is a long-standing tradition of making village elders or influential figures plough the fields when there is a lack of rain. In this instance, the women not only upheld this cultural tradition but also used it as a form of protest to express dissatisfaction toward their elected representatives.

“We pleaded many times, but no one listened,” said one local woman. “Now we are forced to call upon both nature and the government.”

At the protest site, the women also performed rituals to Lord Shiva, praying for rainfall. Farmers in the area are increasingly disheartened, as they have been unable to plant rice due to the lack of water. In what is supposed to be the peak of the monsoon season, the Tharu community and other agriculture-dependent groups are facing serious setbacks.

Though parts of Madhesh, including Sarlahi, received some rainfall on Monday, Ramnagar remains mostly dry. On Tuesday, the weather remained cloudy but no significant rainfall occurred.

This cultural protest, which blended tradition with civic frustration, sent a strong message about the urgent need for local development, improved irrigation systems, and agriculture policies that are responsive to changing climatic conditions.