“I’ve seen how caste confines not just the Newar community, but all of Nepali society. That’s why I’m committed to deeply understanding and challenging it.”
Sarina Dyola is a Newar Dalit woman from Bhaktapur and currently serves as the Dalit woman representative in Bhaktapur Municipality. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Law and is a member of the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party. Her family belongs to the Dyola community - historically labelled with terms such as Pode - and has long done the labour assigned to Dalits: farming, fishing, and crafting the bamboo goods that urban and ritual life depends on. She has met caste discrimination since childhood, from mockery at school to the daily weight of caste-assigned roles, and those experiences drive her activism. She speaks openly about caste injustice and the historical neglect of Newar Dalit voices, and works to empower other Dalit women and break the silence around caste, gender and structural exclusion. She also presses for policy change to reduce discrimination within government systems and equalise access to power and resources.
