European Bulletin of Himalayan Research (EBHR)
73 Utopia and Ideology among the Magars: Lakhan Thapa versus Mao Dzedong? Marie Lecomte-Tilouine The Magars form the largest minority in Nepal, with one and a half million indi- viduals recorded in the 1991 census. They are scattered throughout the country, but are more concentrated in their original territory, the Magarant, located in west- central Nepal. The majority of Magars are peasants, but Magar men are numerous in the Indian and the Nepalese armies and often emigrate temporarily to India to earn money. Since the 1990s the Magars have been closely linked with Maobadi activism, both as victims and actors, especially in the districts of Rolpa, Rukum, and Pyuthan.1 Despite the great number of articles that have been published in newspapers, information on this secret war is scarce and difficult to analyse, because it often originates from biased sources such as the police, journalists who have not done fieldwork, leaders of the movement, or villagers talking from hear- say. According to the latter, who are perhaps the best source for an understanding of the sociological origin of the guerrillas, the majority of the Maobadis are young men, comparatively educated, who have no hope of finding salaried work and are unwilling to work as farmers like their fathers. They live in groups in the forests, where they hide during the day. Villagers often say, “During the day the policemen walk, during the night the Maobadis walk.” Maobadi armed groups mainly attack police stations and their aim, according to the people, is to get rid of the police as well as the wealthy men.2 Many wealthy families in the hills owned lands both in the Tarai and around their houses, but they usually preferred to spend most of 1 On this subject, see de Sales (this issue), and on the Nepalese Maoist ideology in general, see Ramirez (1997).
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