Nepal's young goddesses at modern crossroads

WASHINGTON, June 17 (Reuters) - The goddess likes to play with a toy cell phone when she's blessing supplicants.

Or blow up balloons. It's tough to sit still on a throne answering people's prayers all day when you're only 10 years old.

Sajani Shakya is one of several Nepali children designated living goddesses -- kumaris -- in the Kathmandu valley, where her people observe Buddhism with elements of Hinduism thrown in. She was identified by priests at age 2 as an incarnation of the Hindu goddess Kali and will be worshiped until she reaches puberty.

Sajani and her fellow kumaris are the subjects of a documentary film that juxtaposes ancient tradition with contemporary political upheaval in Nepal, where a bloody civil war and a civilian uprising have challenged the country's king and monarchy.

For much of the day Sajani sits on a painted wooden throne in her family's house in the town of Bhaktapur, wearing heavy black and red make-up and a red brocade robe. The devout offer flowers and money while she blesses them with a daub of red paste to the forehead.

But sometimes, like any 10-year-old, she seeks distraction.

The film shows her occasionally playing with a toy like a plastic cell phone while she's receiving worshipers.

''She embodies the goddess as a child,'' said Ishbel Whitaker, the film's director. ''She understands the protocol that's expected -- but she also gets bored.'' Visiting Washington this week while the film, ''Living Goddess,'' screened at the Silverdocs documentary film festival, Sajani greets visitors at her posh hotel room wearing pink pedal pusher pants and a white T-shirt.

''When not doing her religious duties, she's a normal kid,'' said Marc Hawker, the movie's cinematographer.

Sajani, bright-eyed but shy, bounces from the sofa to the laps of adults traveling with her during an hour-long interview.

Shown photographs of Nepal, she leaps up to identify places and objects.

''That's Bhaktapur!'' she says, pointing to a picture of a square in her home town.

''Rice and vegetables!'' she shouts, looking at a photograph of a traditional Nepali meal.

In the US capital, Sajani visited an elementary school, toured the Capitol, and plans to see the pandas at the National Zoo.

A YOUNG GODDESS PLAYS TAG At home, Sajani wears a school uniform, does homework, and plays tag with her friends in the courtyard in front of her house.

But dressed in her divine accouterments, she becomes more somber. Carried through the streets under a red parasol by family members, or riding in a palanquin during a religious festival, she remains impassive as bystanders bow to her and take her blessing.

In one scene of the documentary, the murmurings of priests praying during a festival are momentarily drowned out by nearby protesters shouting pro-democracy slogans through bullhorns.

Nepal is due to hold elections later this year that could abolish the monarchy.

As Nepal's monarchy comes under siege, no one knows what will happen with these ancient practices, Whitaker said. ''The push forward for democracy will have an inevitable effect on tradition,'' she said.

The government of Nepal itself is investigating the whether the tradition violates the child's rights in any way. The girl who fills Sajani's role in Kathmandu, the so-called royal kumari, is subject to greater restrictions and may not leave her house except for religious observances.

Critics say the child is denied a normal life and the practice violates her fundamental human rights. Others counter that the girls are given proper care and education and live with dignity, including receiving allowances for when they retire.

From an outside observer's perspective, it seems difficult to imagine that the cult of the kumari would ever actually disappear, Whitaker said.

''It's very much entrenched in people's hearts, it's a very meaningful symbol to the nation,'' she said. ''But it will change.'' REUTERS SW VC1932