Why Nepal’s poorest people are risking their

भिडियो हेर्न तलको चित्रलाई हटाउनुहोस

The ancient temple town of Janakpur in Nepal. Revered as the site of the mythological kingdom of Mithila, the birthplace of Sita (or Janaki), the town attracts thousands of pilgrims every year.But one day early in January, a general strike was being observed. Buses and motorcycles were few and far between; farmers with head-loads of fodder walked in rows on the side of the road, which cut through fields of mustard and wheat. At a crossroads, as the farmers turned, the broken road disappeared entirely.

Further down, in Das Ka Tola on the outskirts of Pipra village, a hamlet inhabited by Tatma Dalits, the mud path had turned to slush. But newly-constructed brick houses lined the path. Sukan Das, a 28-year old in a bright blue singlet and jeans, said these constructions were a result of individual effort and sacrifice. “We earned and built everything,” said Das. “The government did nothing.”

Das, who quit school when he was 13, works in a garage in Saudi Arabia and was home on a brief holiday. Nearly one-third of Pipra village’s population of about 10,000, particularly those between 20-45 years of age, work in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Malaysia. Across communities – Bhumihar, Dalit, Paswan, Muslim, Yadav – anyone who could manage a loan to pay the recruiting agent’s fees had left for the Gulf.A broken road, with brief patches of asphalt punctuating potholes filled with water from the previous night’s rain, led to the ancient temple town of Janakpur in Nepal. Revered as the site of the mythological kingdom of Mithila, the birthplace of Sita (or Janaki), the town attracts thousands of pilgrims every year.

But one day early in January, a general strike was being observed. Buses and motorcycles were few and far between; farmers with head-loads of fodder walked in rows on the side of the road, which cut through fields of mustard and wheat. At a crossroads, as the farmers turned, the broken road disappeared entirely.

Further down, in Das Ka Tola on the outskirts of Pipra village, a hamlet inhabited by Tatma Dalits, the mud path had turned to slush. But newly-constructed brick houses lined the path. Sukan Das, a 28-year old in a bright blue singlet and jeans, said these constructions were a result of individual effort and sacrifice. “We earned and built everything,” said Das. “The government did nothing.”

Das, who quit school when he was 13, works in a garage in Saudi Arabia and was home on a brief holiday. Nearly one-third of Pipra village’s population of about 10,000, particularly those between 20-45 years of age, work in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Malaysia. Across communities – Bhumihar, Dalit, Paswan, Muslim, Yadav – anyone who could manage a loan to pay the recruiting agent’s fees had left for the Gulf.

भिडियो हेर्न तलको चित्रलाई हटाउनुहोस