Bajrabarahi and Chitlang Valleys [बज्रवाराही र चित्लाङ]

 

हालै मैले काठमान्डू उपत्यकाभन्दा पश्चिमको क्षेत्रका केही भागको यात्रा गरेँ । सहर छाडेर म ककनीबाट बाहिर निस्केको थिएँ, नुवाकोटको बट्टारमा रात विताउन । त्यसपछि म टिस्टुङ देउराली हुँदै मकवानपुर जिल्लाको नबिथोलिएको र विमल बज्रवाराही उपत्यका पुगेँ । चन्द्रागिरि र दामन डाँडाहरूको बीचमा फैलिएको यो बस्तीमा जान मलाई धेरै अघिदेखि मन थियो । बज्रवाराहीबाट एउटा सानो थुम्को चढेर चित्लाङ पुगेको म बडादसैँको विहान लालबहादुर श्रेष्ठको घरमा बिउँझिएँ । चन्द्रागिरिको पश्चिमी काखमा रहेको यो सानो र शान्त अावादीमा म यसपाली तेस्रोपटक पुगेको थिएँ । I recently travelled to the region west of Kathmandu Valley. I exited the city via Kakani to overnight in Battar of Nuwakot jilla. Next, I went to the pristine valley of Bajrabarahi via Tistung Deurali in Makwanpur district. I had always wanted to visit this area tucked between Chandragiri and Daman hills. From Bajrabarahi, I crossed over to Chitlang village to wake up in the morning of Dashain Day in the house of Lal Bahadur Shrestha. This was my third trip to the beautiful hamlet nestled at the western base of Chandagiri.

 

Surya Bahadur Gopali on his way back home in the Gahate neighbourhood of Bajrabarahi valley after making a leisurely trip to the bazaar.
Surya Bahadur Gopali was on his way back home in the Gahate neighbourhood of Bajrabarahi valley after making a leisurely trip to the bazaar.
बज्रबाराही उपत्यकाको गहते बस्तीका सूर्यबहादर गोपाली खुट्टा तन्काउन बजारसम्म पुगेर घर फर्किदै थिए ।

 

Gopali people live in the Kunchhal neighbourhood of Bajrabarahi valley. Fields and houses.
Gopali people live in the Kunchhal neighbourhood of Bajrabarahi valley. A recent Nepal magazine report by Sitaram Baral noted it’s the largest Gopali settlement in Nepal. I was struck by the varieties of colours seen in this image.

बज्रबाराहीको कुन्छाल टोलमा गोपालीहरू बस्छन् । नेपाल खबरपत्रिकामा सिताराम बरालको हालैको एउटा रूचिपूर्ण रिपोर्ट अनुसार यो नेपालमै सबैभन्दा धेरै गोपालीहरू बस्ने गाउँ हो । यो तस्बिरमा देखिएका रङहरूले मलाई मोहित तुल्याए ।

 

Harimaya Gopali of Bajrabarahi said her house suffered a minor damage in the April 2015 earthquakes.
Harimaya Gopali of Bajrabarahi said her house suffered a minor damage in the April 2015 earthquakes. Her relative’s house across the road partially collapsed. She said she makes a monthly trip to Kathmandu to sell things that are produced in the village. Those corns are kept that way because there’s not enough space inside the house to store them.

अप्रिल २०१५ का भैचालाहरूले अाफ्नो घरलाई सामान्य क्षति पुगेको बज्रबाराहीकी हरिमाया गोपालीले बताइन् । सामुन्ने सडकको अर्कोपट्टी रहेको उनका अाफन्तको घर अांशिक भत्कियो । गाउँमा उत्पादित सामानहरू बेच्न महिनामा एकचोटी जस्तो काठमान्डू जानेगरेको उनले बताइन् । घरभित्र भन्डार गरेर राख्ने पर्याप्त ठाउँ नभएकैले मकै त्यसरी झुन्ड्याएर राखिएको हो । अहँ, पानीले भिज्दैन ।

 

यो फोटो निबन्ध तल निरन्तर छ । तपाईँलाई इमेलमै पछिल्लो ब्लग, लेख र तस्बिर पठाउँदा म खुसी हुनेछु । बाकसमा आफ्नो इमेल ठेगाना हाल्नु होला । अनि अाफ्नो इमेल इन्बक्समा अाएको लिंक थिचेर कन्फर्म गर्नु होला । यो लेख इमेल इन्बक्समै पढिरहुन भएको छ भने केही गर्न पर्दैन । धन्यवाद :

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Man flies kite in Narayanhitti, Chitlang village
A man flew kite in the Narayanhitti neighbourhood of Chitlang village. Chandragiri hill separates Chitlang with Kathmandu.

म बज्रबाराहीबाट चित्लाङ् छिर्दा नारायणहिटी टोलमा यी व्यक्तिलाई चंगा उडाइरहेको अवस्थामा भेट्टाएँ । चित्लाङलाई चन्द्रागिरीले काठमान्डूबाट छुट्याउँछ ।

 

Fying kite in Chitlang
Flying kite in Chitlang

Lal Bahadur Shrestha runs a homestay business from his house in the Narayanhitti neighbourhood of Chitlang village. I had stayed at his house in 2013 for the first time when I hiked up to Chitlang and Markhu.
Lal Bahadur Shrestha runs a homestay business from his house in the Narayanhitti neighbourhood of Chitlang village. I had stayed at his house in 2013 for the first time when I hiked up to Chitlang and Markhu along with a colleague and his family. Lal Bahadur never went to school. He is primarily a farmer. He trained himself four years ago from an NGO to get into the hospitably sector.

He said he wanted to put his business on the internet to attract more customers from Kathmandu and beyond. But he didn’t know how to do it. I promised him to put him on the web so here are his numbers: 9891059337/9816268109 for those who wish to stay at his place. His two wives and two daughter-in-laws help him run the business which is profitable, he said. Customers are served with local vegetables including the buffalo meat that Lal Bahadur dries on his terrace on balmy days.

His elder son is with the Nepal Army and currently stationed in an African country. His younger son dropped out of high school and hasn’t been able to find a day job. Lal Bahadur wasn’t happy when he talked about his younger son. His eyes welled up with tears.

लालबहादुर श्रेष्ठ चित्लाङको नारायणहिट्टी टोलस्थित अाफ्नो घरमा पर्यटकलाई खाने बस्ने सेवा (होमस्टे) उपलब्ध गराउँछन् । उनको घरमा म यसअघि २०१३ मा बसेको थिएँ । त्यतिबेला म एकजना सहकर्मी र उनको परिवारसँग काठमान्डूबाट चितलाङहुँदै मार्खुसम्मको पदयात्रामा गएको थिएँ । लालबहादुर कहिल्यै स्कुल गएनन् । उनी मुख्यत: किसान हुन् । उनले चार वर्षअघि एउटा गैससबाट अतिथि सत्कारबारे तालिम लिएका थिए ।

काठमान्डू र अन्य ठाउँका बढीभन्दा बढी ग्राहक तान्न अाफ्नो व्यवसायलाई इन्टरनेटमा राख्न चाहेको उनले बताए । तर उनलाई इन्टरनेट भनेको के हो र त्यसमा अाफ्नो व्यवसाय कसरी राख्ने थाहा थिएन । मैले उनलाई इन्टरनेटमा राख्दिन दिएको बचन अनुसार माथि उनका दुई फोन नम्बरहरू राखेको छु । उनको घरमा गएर रात विताउनेले जानु अघि नै फोन गरेर स्थान अोगट्दा हुन्छ । उनका दुई पत्नि र दुई बुहारीहरूले अतिथि सत्कारमा सघाउँछन् । बिहे नहुन्जेल उनका दुई छोरीहरूले पनि सहयोग गर्थे । गृह सत्कारको कारोबार नाफामा रहेको उनले बताए । ग्राहकहरूलाई अाफ्नै बारी र छरछिमेकमै उत्पादित तरकारी र मिलेसम्म लालबहादुरको कौसीमा लाग्ने न्यानो घाममा सुकाईएको “ठूलो खसी”को मासु खुवाइन्छ ।

लालबहादुरका जेठा छोरा नेपाली सेनामा कार्यरत छन् र अहिले एउटा अफ्रिकी मुलुकमा कर्तव्यमा खटिएका छन् । सानोचैँ छोराले पढाइमा उच्चमाबि काट्न सकेनन् र अहिले भरपर्दो जागिर खान संघर्षरत छन् । कान्छोको कुरा गर्दा लालबहादुर उतिसारो खुसी देखिएनन् । उनको गह भरियो ।

 

A bedding seller in Tistung Deurali village.
A bedding seller in Tistung Deurali village. He said the locals made the beddings in the village.

टिस्टुङ देउरालीका यी डस्ना पसलेले यो बिक्री केन्द्र हालसालै खोलेका हुन् । डस्ना नजिकै गाउँमा बनाइन्छन् ।

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यो टुक्रा तपाईँले वेब साईटमै हेरिराख्नु भएको छ भने प्रतिकृया जनाउन मुनिको फारम प्रयोग गर्नुहोला । प्रतिकृया दिन फेसबुक वा ट्विटरमा लग्ड-इन हुनुपर्छ । यो लेख इमेलमा पढिरहुन भएको छ भने प्रतिकृयाका लागि रिप्लाई थिच्नुहोला । यसलाई फेसबुक ट्विटर अादिमा सेयर गर्न तलका बटन थिच्नुहोला । धन्यवाद ।
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