tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59135540098176441412024-03-04T06:11:06.521+05:45VOICE OF THARUSsankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.comBlogger164125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-78098961733179338762022-05-18T11:35:00.002+05:452022-05-18T11:35:10.915+05:45Conserving sikki arts and crafts<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiienMNXmzBJKWmtSamj-fwoLocOa_jg1N16fhB_7RkASkpoLlm4gHHvWe14JHR2FREWxMqhOeajqfnb_DLsAm_CHl_0AOH6F6DmJ_Ovk4Xuxyo2AgDOYcoVka5HDUyrPt5I9Y47XBNBYYZGFaRFVLq19OJd9kUNNjZLd5bRgMJWwbwiEo0OAOVCk9n/s1022/ParbatisCreations3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1022" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiienMNXmzBJKWmtSamj-fwoLocOa_jg1N16fhB_7RkASkpoLlm4gHHvWe14JHR2FREWxMqhOeajqfnb_DLsAm_CHl_0AOH6F6DmJ_Ovk4Xuxyo2AgDOYcoVka5HDUyrPt5I9Y47XBNBYYZGFaRFVLq19OJd9kUNNjZLd5bRgMJWwbwiEo0OAOVCk9n/w400-h344/ParbatisCreations3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful sikki basket</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Have you noticed the beautiful baskets carried by Tharu women on their heads during festivals and processions? The baskets made of <i>sikki</i> or golden grass hold a special significance – they are not only important during the festivals but also during rituals like marriage and worships. However, once a daily-use item woven in every household, the basket is getting rare these days, only to be found in some handicraft selling shops. </p><p>I remember my granny giving me puffed rice and snacks in sikki baskets when I visited them during my <i>minpachas</i>, the winter school breaks in the 80s. during the summer vacation, I would see most of my neighbours weaving sikki baskets in their free time. The bunds on the rice fields would have clumps of sikki grass. The banks of ponds and riverside had abundance of sikki grass. Interestingly, we could find the sikki grass even in the low-lying fields of the Kathmandu Valley. </p><p>However, it’s difficult to find sikki grass on the bunds, instead farmers have started growing lentils like black gram on the bunds to better use their land. The community ponds and water sources are vanishing and together with them the sikki grass. This has impacted the sikki basket weaving culture as well. Together with sikki grass, a softer variety of silver grass called <i>gabaha</i> in the local language in the southern plains is also getting rarer. Women have been using this grass to weave bigger baskets to store grains and agriculture produce. However, due to prevalence of plastic containers, the making and using of these baskets is dwindling. Not only these baskets but beautiful sikki hand fans and boxes to put jewellery and other valuable items are a rarity these days. </p><p>Despite the slump in the sikki and gabaha basket weaving, some non-government organisations and cooperatives have been <a href="http://ecs.com.np/features/the-art-of-weaving-beautiful-baskets-from-sikki-and-kans-grass" target="_blank">training and encouraging women to take up this old tradition</a> of weaving these beautiful baskets. They collect these baskets and sell them at handicrafts shops and even export to foreign countries. </p><p>Since sikki is considered pure, many people use these baskets while offering pooja and flowers to gods. They are also used as decorative items to decorate walls and rooms. In neighbouring India, they have been <a href="https://www.dsource.in/sites/default/files/resource/golden-grass-craft-puri-orissa/downloads/file/golden-grass-craft-puri-orissa.pdf" target="_blank">creating golden grass craft items</a>, selling them online and exporting them. They have been making boxes of different shapes and sizes, hand fans, artistic files, dining table mats, pen stands, and gift boxes among others. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgzziVEBSFlXyzE_fr7S8GNqkiW-UwpwfA_BDTc57BRSf1lyldeJWUQq1Ug7KdcRHHOxd1gFLfNjAmB5UuWTYltaGhguqrHjlrbZqUeiiIjaZMwXO74TZxFG7S-WKw3FHegsmsvHeHnntEtgfhGN1H4dm5Wm8qeNDSPB-SGJMXtPYvG4eif_zhWWe/s1632/ParbatisCreations4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="1632" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgzziVEBSFlXyzE_fr7S8GNqkiW-UwpwfA_BDTc57BRSf1lyldeJWUQq1Ug7KdcRHHOxd1gFLfNjAmB5UuWTYltaGhguqrHjlrbZqUeiiIjaZMwXO74TZxFG7S-WKw3FHegsmsvHeHnntEtgfhGN1H4dm5Wm8qeNDSPB-SGJMXtPYvG4eif_zhWWe/w400-h225/ParbatisCreations4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sikki grass products</td></tr></tbody></table><br />It is the need of the moment to diversify the sikki products and come up with better and beautiful designs to find more customers. However, the first and foremost thing we need to do is to conserve the golden or sikki grass and plant more of them near water sources where they grow naturally. Once the raw material is found in abundance and the young people are trained in the art of weaving different items of sikki grass, they will continue with this tradition of making beautiful sikki baskets. And the baskets will reach a wider audience rather than just being showcased during the festivals and processions!</p><div><i>Republished from ECS</i></div>sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-39345869180356212452021-06-11T23:33:00.006+05:452021-06-11T23:33:58.865+05:45A multipurpose jungle vine and flowers that make you tipsy<p> Text and pictures by <a href="https://twitter.com/hpc_hari">Hari Pd. Chaudhary</a></p><p>Can you guess what are these? They are seeds of <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phanera_vahlii">Phanera vahlii</a></i>, a multipurpose wild vine found in abundance in the forests. Not only seeds but the whole vine is important for Tharus. Called ‘tata’ in the western Tharu and ‘malhan’ or ‘dama’ in eastern Tharu languages, its seeds, leaves and vines – all are useful.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aOAYdXSqbqA/YMOgYcNwoHI/AAAAAAAAFI8/dAq9At1kBtsuo45BceGFpMiUkui2Vx7DQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1199/E3SMSVGVEAc__yv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="1199" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aOAYdXSqbqA/YMOgYcNwoHI/AAAAAAAAFI8/dAq9At1kBtsuo45BceGFpMiUkui2Vx7DQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/E3SMSVGVEAc__yv.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Its seed pods are flat and long. They burst with a loud sound during the hot summer days in months of Chaitra and Baishakh (April). Don’t get scared of the sound when you’re in the jungle! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-loOVwJSyyhs/YMOggG1u0FI/AAAAAAAAFJA/kwK2qSHq_Sofypq3HQicanmWp1Ck6ZNqACLcBGAsYHQ/s900/E3SMgeJVgAEDpt5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-loOVwJSyyhs/YMOggG1u0FI/AAAAAAAAFJA/kwK2qSHq_Sofypq3HQicanmWp1Ck6ZNqACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/E3SMgeJVgAEDpt5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>It leaves are flat and coarse. The vine starts flowering during the months of Ashadh – Shrawan (July) and the pods are almost ready to ripe by the time the festival Dashain arrives. Tharus collect its leaves to make plates, bowls, umbrellas (chhatri), and raincoats (jhim). The plates and bowls are used in community feasts. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JaHWuN1Yku8/YMOgrI71oNI/AAAAAAAAFJI/4MtUlecLaqQ2psKGh_Fj3CPpIOrba4BvACLcBGAsYHQ/s900/E3SNHMsUcAAyOx4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="900" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JaHWuN1Yku8/YMOgrI71oNI/AAAAAAAAFJI/4MtUlecLaqQ2psKGh_Fj3CPpIOrba4BvACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/E3SNHMsUcAAyOx4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--607QpNh0_Q/YMOg8nXh5PI/AAAAAAAAFJU/bGmQ_6LESbsA6pJt3W1PWQ2kih907BATgCLcBGAsYHQ/s466/E3SOd9xVcAELF-t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="466" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--607QpNh0_Q/YMOg8nXh5PI/AAAAAAAAFJU/bGmQ_6LESbsA6pJt3W1PWQ2kih907BATgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/E3SOd9xVcAELF-t.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Its pods burst open during the month of Chaitra (March – April). It’s also the season to pluck ‘mahua’ (<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhuca_longifolia">Madhuca longifolia</a></i>) flowers. People collect its seeds while plucking mahua flowers. Its seeds are roasted or boiled in water and eaten after removing the outer skin. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MOD0tEXzJsg/YMOhR7kOxGI/AAAAAAAAFJc/UCrWtNOkOTk15ZJa8RLPRTsqgyQpKfPzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/E3SOjqPVcAYfEZY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MOD0tEXzJsg/YMOhR7kOxGI/AAAAAAAAFJc/UCrWtNOkOTk15ZJa8RLPRTsqgyQpKfPzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/E3SOjqPVcAYfEZY.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Mahua flowers are used to make alcohol. People say no other alcohol can beat the taste of mahua! Fruits of mahua are also edible and sweet. You can get tipsy even chewing mahua flowers!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AwoR_nezsV8/YMOhmo-eieI/AAAAAAAAFJk/GY8MUvkah-0o44NrIuHsfNGTDNCUSbTPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/E3SPHHaVgAIPhnc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AwoR_nezsV8/YMOhmo-eieI/AAAAAAAAFJk/GY8MUvkah-0o44NrIuHsfNGTDNCUSbTPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/E3SPHHaVgAIPhnc.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7r2SBipYhjY/YMOhtOWJuWI/AAAAAAAAFJo/LF64P-NvcsAdZ1uLIabN0mJGye0Iyhu3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s960/E3SQUuHVoAAE6m8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7r2SBipYhjY/YMOhtOWJuWI/AAAAAAAAFJo/LF64P-NvcsAdZ1uLIabN0mJGye0Iyhu3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/E3SQUuHVoAAE6m8.jpg" /></a></div><p>Tharus distribute mahua trees among themselves just like other ancestral properties and land. The brothers distribute mahua trees as well after deciding to stay separately. There’s, however, an understanding between all – they don’t pluck flowers from the trees in jungle belonging to others!</p><p><i>The post has been adapted from <a href="https://twitter.com/hpc_hari/status/1401904589603966980">this Twitter thread</a>.</i></p><p>Read <a href="https://fountainink.in/interactive/the-mahua-story/">the mahua story</a>. </p>sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-1523092471521540872021-05-30T19:02:00.007+05:452021-05-30T19:38:19.550+05:457 finger-licking good mushrooms from Nepal’s southern plains<p> <i>Text and pictures by <a href="https://twitter.com/hpc_hari">Hari Pd. Chaudhary</a></i></p><p>Tharus from western part of Nepal’s southern plains have been collecting and consuming different varieties of wild mushrooms that are finger-licking good. They are not just mushrooms for them but they have special names for each variety. That’s the beauty and richness of their tradition and local Tharu language they speak.</p><p><b>Bhemti</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mX78mwrfnn0/YLOMIRWNzMI/AAAAAAAAFGE/x0iMgWF9pWsnwOXxB0YZuoeBMCc1VqO0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s331/images%2B%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="152" data-original-width="331" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mX78mwrfnn0/YLOMIRWNzMI/AAAAAAAAFGE/x0iMgWF9pWsnwOXxB0YZuoeBMCc1VqO0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/images%2B%25281%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>This mushroom grows around termite hills. Termites are called ‘sina’ in Tharu language (both eastern and western). These mushrooms are tubular and around 22-25 inches long. </p><p>They are normally found near the root of trees with thick trunk. They grow in troops and are found in an area of maximum 12 – 20 square feet. If you’re lucky, you can gather loads of bhemti from a single place. </p><p>It is found from May till December. It also grows near adobe houses. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XebofiApTAY/YLOMUfmhCoI/AAAAAAAAFGI/pNvG58qQogUJwjcmPwqGPPGQB8tI2ilpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/10045872405_35d3999519_c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XebofiApTAY/YLOMUfmhCoI/AAAAAAAAFGI/pNvG58qQogUJwjcmPwqGPPGQB8tI2ilpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/10045872405_35d3999519_c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Termite hill by Flickr user jbdodane. (CC BY-NC 2.0)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b>Phutki, bhutki or kutki </b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SzNvkaZ4YJk/YLONJAAYucI/AAAAAAAAFGQ/hu66F-FrFQMEQgwQmxiaPTu3kyWPLf5gACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Phutki-mushroom_-fresh-harvest.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SzNvkaZ4YJk/YLONJAAYucI/AAAAAAAAFGQ/hu66F-FrFQMEQgwQmxiaPTu3kyWPLf5gACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Phutki-mushroom_-fresh-harvest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Called phutki, bhutki or kutki in Tharu language, these mushrooms grow in the ashes from forest fire. Thus, it is black but after washing it with water it looks like semi-white.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Nxv8MKdovg/YLOOT8nRkqI/AAAAAAAAFGY/YHFDUbRz6JktuGOGJt4AcWzIZb2xTqtIACLcBGAsYHQ/s822/phutki.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="822" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Nxv8MKdovg/YLOOT8nRkqI/AAAAAAAAFGY/YHFDUbRz6JktuGOGJt4AcWzIZb2xTqtIACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/phutki.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><b>Gangadhur</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Na0NbV7Jcc/YLOOcJ6pcfI/AAAAAAAAFGc/JPTirTy7-Ng7E80zEVDqB4o25dG1eiJDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1052/3b5d2b54e305a752012a6730753a06d7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1052" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Na0NbV7Jcc/YLOOcJ6pcfI/AAAAAAAAFGc/JPTirTy7-Ng7E80zEVDqB4o25dG1eiJDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/3b5d2b54e305a752012a6730753a06d7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The black mushrooms are called ‘phutki’ while the white ones are called ‘gangadhur’ due to their white colour. Both phutki and gangadhur look like button mushroom but they are completely round. </p><p>Normally, after harvesting wheat, the remaining stubble is burnt. Called ‘larwaa’ In Tharu language, the stubble is burnt in April – May so that it is easier to plough the fields. These mushrooms grow in the ploughed field after the first rain and sunshine, as soon as the monsoon arrives. </p><p><b>Gogwaa</b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bFUq2pIJp_I/YLOOplqU9qI/AAAAAAAAFGk/LAGWYFSdcUgB9SMwckfqINy06qevYbXDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s799/ShaggyMane.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="799" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bFUq2pIJp_I/YLOOplqU9qI/AAAAAAAAFGk/LAGWYFSdcUgB9SMwckfqINy06qevYbXDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ShaggyMane.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shaggy inkcaps by Flickr user Derek Parker. (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Normally found during the month of July, these mushrooms grow in grazing field around dried cattle dung during monsoon season. </p><p>Generally, gangadhur and <a href="https://allmushroominfo.blogspot.com/2019/06/preparing-shaggy-mane-mushrooms.html ">gogwaa</a> are washed and cut into two, and cooked over coal embers wrapped in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shorea_robusta">saal</a> leaves for 5-10 minutes after adding a pinch of salt, turmeric powder and mustard oil. </p><p><b>Naak bilariyaa </b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p_Ogl4rGlEw/YLOPeTKR_GI/AAAAAAAAFGw/nFZ2jmJeQ4shQvtLZX7wmzN3jwV1ohrawCLcBGAsYHQ/s799/3703122034_58a42f74e3_c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="799" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p_Ogl4rGlEw/YLOPeTKR_GI/AAAAAAAAFGw/nFZ2jmJeQ4shQvtLZX7wmzN3jwV1ohrawCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/3703122034_58a42f74e3_c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parasol mushroom by Flickr user Anita Gould. (CC BY-NC 2.0)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>As it looks like a cat’s nose, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrolepiota_procera">this mushroom</a> is called naak bilariyaa as a cat is called ‘bilariyaa’ in Tharu language. It is found during monsoon season in jungle and around houses. </p><p><b>Buselaa</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lOD9mJAD3Fc/YLOQJ2oLziI/AAAAAAAAFG4/mzVT1X6izrorm6a5LzUiazcI9BHlrCCxACLcBGAsYHQ/s720/paddy-straw-mushroom-14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lOD9mJAD3Fc/YLOQJ2oLziI/AAAAAAAAFG4/mzVT1X6izrorm6a5LzUiazcI9BHlrCCxACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/paddy-straw-mushroom-14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Buselaa means hay in Tharu language. These mushrooms grow in the wet and moist hay. </p><p><b>Kachiu</b></p><p>It’s wild oyster mushroom and generally grows on timber. They are differentiated as edible and non-edible based on the timber on which they grow. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BgVev9nh2xk/YLOQU6KL6jI/AAAAAAAAFG8/5OrgKR8B6WUS5Gtx3qx_S5iWW0vrP5jUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/oystersonelm1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BgVev9nh2xk/YLOQU6KL6jI/AAAAAAAAFG8/5OrgKR8B6WUS5Gtx3qx_S5iWW0vrP5jUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/oystersonelm1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Mushrooms growing on logs of mango, saal (<i>Shorea robusta</i>) and aasna (looking like a saal tree) tree are edible. These mushrooms grow on dried logs when they get wet and moist during monsoon. </p><p><i>Caution: Wild mushrooms can be poisonous. Take advice of local people while collecting and consuming them.</i></p>sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-54635818965104669542021-05-25T21:57:00.002+05:452021-05-25T22:16:38.022+05:45Wild and spiny, this superfood tastes amazing<p><i>Text and pictures by <a href="https://twitter.com/hpc_hari">Hari Pd. Chaudhary</a></i></p><p>Have you seen this strange looking vegetable? A bit round and pointed at ends, it looks like a bitter ground with hairy spines all over it. Called कन्ठेस्का (kantheskaa) in western part of Nepal’s southern plains and chatthel in the eastern part, the spiny gourd (<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momordica_dioica">Momordica dioica</a></i>) has several <a href="https://www.thehealthsite.com/fitness/health-benefits-of-kantola-bs815-318242/">health benefits</a>. It lowers blood sugar and controls diabetes. According to sources, it also prevents hypertension, supports heart health and digestive system, treats cough, reduces excess sweating, improves eyesight, helps remove kidney stones, and also works as anti-aging agent among its <a href="https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/spiny-gourd/">many other benefits</a>.</p><p>Mostly collected from wild during the rainy season, they are either pan fried or ground in a mortar and pestle to make finger-licking chutney. </p><p>Here’s how you can make its chutney.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oc62lHBbq7U/YK0g5cpkk4I/AAAAAAAAFEw/ksR56ie7X5o7Maf6EN6RBcbGUeu5ymUzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ChattelChutney1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oc62lHBbq7U/YK0g5cpkk4I/AAAAAAAAFEw/ksR56ie7X5o7Maf6EN6RBcbGUeu5ymUzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ChattelChutney1.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Step 1:</p><p>First, you need to roast kantheskaa on hot red burning coal or you can use hot oil to roast it. You have to roast until it becomes light brown. Slightly burn few red dries chilies over red coal.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nBVhN9FjcQU/YK0hFUKmSAI/AAAAAAAAFE0/TDDnCnIdof8K0s-NkeMcae9osWl4GtPSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ChattelChutney4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nBVhN9FjcQU/YK0hFUKmSAI/AAAAAAAAFE0/TDDnCnIdof8K0s-NkeMcae9osWl4GtPSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ChattelChutney4.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Step 2: Grind it in mortar and pestle, called ‘silautaa’, ‘dokni’ or 'khal' locally.</p><p>Step 3: After grinding, put some turmeric powder on it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0clYelJgSYI/YK0hjaq3t0I/AAAAAAAAFFA/Ubr3F9qUNxQOjw3BGEREO0xWl7fFx4LwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ChattelChutney5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0clYelJgSYI/YK0hjaq3t0I/AAAAAAAAFFA/Ubr3F9qUNxQOjw3BGEREO0xWl7fFx4LwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ChattelChutney5.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Step 4: Now, put heated oil on the turmeric and temper it. </p><p>Step 5: Now mix the turmeric throughout the chutney.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XRm2ZE3i1cg/YK0hrEhnXtI/AAAAAAAAFFE/b-vRDL0Azec2tUUrdStRgUpMhLIO0oeqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ChattelChutney6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XRm2ZE3i1cg/YK0hrEhnXtI/AAAAAAAAFFE/b-vRDL0Azec2tUUrdStRgUpMhLIO0oeqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ChattelChutney6.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>It’s ready now to serve.</p><p>Try it and let us know how it tastes!</p>sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-69860194885052086522021-01-22T21:26:00.008+05:452021-01-22T21:47:11.281+05:455 Myths about the Tharu<p> Clearing some common misconceptions about the Tharu on their New Year on Thursday</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ilRNuoxDiP4/YArsYZcw_tI/AAAAAAAAE4M/Z9R1ml1esWAkdYUIhcMJ0kVgoBkgEgnEACLcBGAsYHQ/s1500/page-7a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1500" height="305" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ilRNuoxDiP4/YArsYZcw_tI/AAAAAAAAE4M/Z9R1ml1esWAkdYUIhcMJ0kVgoBkgEgnEACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h305/page-7a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>One misconception about the Tharu people is that they never got malaria. In fact they did, but less than hill settlers. A US-led insecticide spraying campaign against malaria in Chitwan in the 1950s. Photo: USOM RECORDS, US NATIONAL ARCHIVES, COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><i>Republished from <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/5-myths-about-the-tharu/">Nepali Times</a> with permission. </i></p><p>The Tharu make up 5% of Nepal’s population. One in every 20 Nepalis is Tharu. They outnumber the Gurung, Limbu, and Newa peoples. And yet, most Nepalis often know very little about Tharu culture and history. There are many things told about the Tharu. Most are wrong.</p><p>The first day of the Nepali month of माघ which this year falls on 14 January is ‘Maaghi’, the Tharu new year. Chitwan Tharu celebrate the day with <i>pwakaa</i> (पोका in Nepali) — <i>anadi</i> sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves reheated in the coals of a fire. Dangaura Tharu in western Nepal celebrate with feasts and dancing. They also elect new community leaders known as <i>barghar</i>.</p><p>Maagh 1 is also the day when tenants would decide whether to continue with their landlords–some of whom were Tharu and some पहाडी hill people– or move elsewhere. Before the 1950s, because labourers were hard to find to work in the malarious animal infested Tarai, they had more leverage over the terms of their work than in later years.</p><p>Several different Tharu groups live across the Tarai, each with its own language: The Kochila in the East, the Chitwan Tharu in the central area, and Dangaura, Deshauria, and Rana Tharu in the western Tarai. One anthropologist wrote a book about Nepal’s Tharu called <i>Many Tongues, One People</i>.</p><p>The Tharu are the original inhabitants of much of the Tarai, because although they sometimes got malaria, they got it less often and with less severe consequences than hill people and people from the plains.</p><p>The malaria eradication project in the 1960s <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/60-years-after-1954-devastating-flood-same-failings-of-government-today-post-quake,2433">dramatically changed Tharu lives</a>. In Chitwan, for instance, in 1955 the Tharu (and related groups such as the Bote and Darai) formed almost 100% of the region’s population of 25,000. By 1970, <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/how-chitwan-was-opened,4159">they had dropped to 14% </a>of the population as 125,000 migrants moved in during those years.</p><p>Birendra Mahato, Director of the Chitwan Tharu Culture Museum outside Sauraha, says: “Tourist guides and hotel owners used to spread very inaccurate ideas. They often put us down. Now NTNC (National Trust for Nature Conservation) is giving training to new guides. They now have a much better idea.”</p><p>Indeed, there are several misunderstandings about Tharu communities. Some of them are: </p><p><b>Misconception 1: Historically, The Tharu Were Hunters</b></p><p><b>The Truth: Tharu were farmers who herded cattle and fished but did not hunt.</b></p><p>In <i>The Kings of Nepal & the Tharu of the Tarai</i>, Gisele Krauskopff writes: ‘The hunting practices of the Tharu have been stressed in many hunters’ books and are part of the biased image of ‘the savage forest dwellers.’ But hunting, and especially hunting as a subsistence technique to provide meat, is not central to the Tharu way of life…Their subsistence is based on a close relationship between paddy cultivation and fishing. The Tharu used to live near the forest, but not in it. They were first and foremost forest clearers, which means that the forest had to be pushed back.’ </p><p><b>Misconception 2: The Tharu Lived in an Ancient Tarai Forest</b></p><p><b>The Truth: Tharu lived not in the forest but near it, often near grasslands, and over the years the forest grew and fell back.</b></p><p>Krauskopff writes: ‘Because of the relative isolation of the Tarai, a previously malaria-infested land, prejudiced observers of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries created a false image of the Tharu…as savage dwellers of a primeval forest — which the Tarai is not. Old kingdoms have risen and fallen there for at least 2000 years. The forest retreated when farming expanded under prosperous political conditions; the jungle took over in times of instability and conflict.’</p><p><b>Misconception 3: Tharu Are Uncivilised जंगली</b></p><p><b>The Truth: The Tharu made many ingenious adaptations to their Tarai environment</b></p><p>According to this derogatory inaccuracy, the Tharu are forest dwellers little smarter than animals. They lack knowledge and skills. They collect forest products but don’t use their brains. They do not farm. They are ignorant of the outside world. They are too backward to wear clothes.</p><p>“Even now some people in Kathmandu and Pokhara call us uncivilised,” says museum director Mahato. “The Tharu live in the jungle, they say. Many hill people don’t know about the Tarai.”</p><p>But in fact, the Tharu have developed many skills useful for their Tarai environment: agriculture, irrigation, house construction, fishing, handicrafts, herbal medicine, forest vegetables, midwifery, wood carving, and animal domestication. All require deep knowledge about the environment.</p><p>“If Tharu weren’t smart in this environment, they couldn’t have survived. They were knowledgeable in irrigation, agriculture, जडीबुटी herbs, and fishing. They were skilled in lots of things. That was civilised.”</p><p>When outsiders from the hills came to places like Chitwan, they often misunderstood because the Tharu had unfamiliar habits and spoke their own languages. Migrants learned from the Tharu about irrigation, wild animals, and Tarai agriculture. Some learned the Tharu language and respected the Tharu and their traditions. </p><p><b>Misconception 4: The Tharu Never Got Malaria</b></p><p><b>The Truth: Tharu got malaria less often than other groups, and died less often than others, but infants often got it, and some died.</b></p><p>Many outsiders, and even some Tharu themselves, think that the Tharu never got malaria. They say Tharu did not get malaria because they ate snails, rice liquor, and spicy chilies. This is wrong. Elderly Tharu will tell you about malaria fever and shivers.</p><p>Tharu got malaria and sometimes died from it. ‘It should be remembered that resistance to malaria is acquired after a certain time and that even in a generally resistant population,’ writes Giselle Krauskopff. ‘Tharu children died of malarial fever.’</p><p>Compared to hill Nepalis, the Tharu acquired malaria less often and with fewer consequences. They had genetic immunities– high rates of alpha-thalassemia, a genetic pattern common in populations who have lived in malarial areas for generations that reduces both vivax and falciparum malaria, decreasing morbidity by up to tenfold. They also acquired immunities: Those who survived one or two malarial fevers often developed an ability to fight off later attacks.</p><p>These immunities meant that malaria posed less of a threat to those who survived infancy. But there was a high infant death rate. A visiting journalist noted in 1962: ‘In hundreds of villages, the child population was destined for malaria in their first year of life as surely as if the mosquitoes flew in with a list of names of the newly-born.’</p><p>Mahato says, “Sometimes outsiders, and even the Tharu themselves, say the Tharu never got malaria. Both are wrong. Sometimes I get into arguments with Tharu people who say this. They say to me “नचाहिने कुरा किन गर्छस?” Many are politicised. Older Tharus tell me that they got it.”</p><p>To say the Tharu sometimes got malaria should not undercut the argument that the malaria and resettlement programs of the 1950s and 1960s often misunderstood, overlooked, and pushed aside Tharu interests.</p><p><b>Misconception 5: Tharu Society Was Disconnected from Nepali Society</b></p><p><b>The Truth: Tharu groups before the 1960s had many interactions with other Nepalis and the Kathmandu government. </b></p><p>Tourist brochures often describe Tharu society with phrases such as ‘untouched by civilization’, ‘timeless’, ‘in total isolation’, ‘living in another time’, and ‘forgotten by civilisation’.</p><p>That is hardly the case. Even during malaria days, the Tharu had regular contact with groups from both the north and the south. Traders from the north would come every winter. In many places, Tharu tenants worked for hill landlords. The Tharu worked for the Nepal’s rulers as land clearers and tax collectors. In some places, Rana and other elite visited Tharu areas for huge hunting expeditions. They relied upon Tharu workers to build roads, provide supplies, drive elephants, and find tigers.</p><p>That said, it is true that the Tarai’s malaria limited the interactions of the Tharu with outside groups, and gave them limited autonomy.</p><p>To learn more about the richness and complexity of Tharu life, please read any of the books cited here or visit the Chitwan Tharu Culture museum near Sauraha, Chitwan. Happy New Year.</p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><b>Americans deride Tharu knowledge, 1959</b></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f0FjxicJkFo/YArvq2lE5NI/AAAAAAAAE4Y/UYlqMyN_rJQ8bwqETOmR3dyQd3jyfI6hwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/pjimage-5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1920" height="250" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f0FjxicJkFo/YArvq2lE5NI/AAAAAAAAE4Y/UYlqMyN_rJQ8bwqETOmR3dyQd3jyfI6hwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h250/pjimage-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo Source: Six Years of Nepal-American Cooperation, 1952–1958 (Kathmandu, 1959)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />These official US photos compare traditional Tharu agriculture and modern ‘scientific’ agriculture. The images appeared on facing pages of a book produced in 1959 by the US government to celebrate its assistance to Chitwan and Nepal. At the time, the US ran a large resettlement program in Chitwan. American officials often wrongly saw the Chitwan Tharu as part of an outdated past. According to the implied narrative in the photos, the Chitwan valley was evolving from unproductive ‘backward’ traditions to super-productive, science-based civilisation along the lines of the American Midwest. The photos suggested that the Tharu had little to offer this new Nepal. That was wrong. Tharu taught migrants many things. Some of the new methods succeeded, but some often failed or brought environmental problems.<p></p><p><b>Rescuing Tharu history from the shadows</b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-skAtzOIg44I/YArwJomP73I/AAAAAAAAE4g/WCCKKp_ZofEtTk_sYDjufOWS1U84Nw3VwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1351/A-Foreign-Envoy-on-Dead-Rhino-1913-Madan-Puraskar-143-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1351" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-skAtzOIg44I/YArwJomP73I/AAAAAAAAE4g/WCCKKp_ZofEtTk_sYDjufOWS1U84Nw3VwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h296/A-Foreign-Envoy-on-Dead-Rhino-1913-Madan-Puraskar-143-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A foreign envoy resting on dead rhinoceros, 1913. Photo: Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />Rana hunting expeditions couldn’t have happened without expert Tharu mahouts, as this 1913 photo (above) from a hunt connected to Tribhuvan’s coronation shows. But Tharus themselves rarely hunted. Instead they farmed, grazed cattle and buffalo, fished, trapped small animals, and gathered herbs and other resources from the grasslands and forests.</p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><b>Writings on Recent Tharu History</b></p><p>Dr. Gisele Krauskopff. ‘From Jungles to Farms: A Look at Tharu History’ in <i>The Kings of Nepal & the Tharu of the Tarai</i>, ed. Pamela Meyer (Los Angeles: Rusca Press, 2000).</p><p>Dr. Arjun Guneratne. ‘The Tharu of Chitwan, Nepal’. In <i>Disappearing Peoples?: Indigenous Groups and Ethnic Minorities in South and Central Asia</i>, edited by Barbara Rose Johnston and Barbara Brower (London: Routledge, 2007), p. 91–106.</p><p>Guneratne, Arjun. <i>Many Tongues, One People: The Making of Tharu Identity in Nepal</i>. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2002.</p><p>Muller-Boker, Ulrike. <i>The Chitwan Tharus in Southern Nepal: An Ethnoecological Approach</i>. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1999.</p><p>Thomas Robertson. ‘DDT and the Cold War Jungle: American Environmental and Social Engineering in the Rapti Valley of Nepal’. <i>Journal of American History</i> 104, no. 4 (March 1, 2018): 904–30.</p><p>Locke, Piers. “The Tharu, the Tarai and the History of the Nepali Hattisar.” <i>European Bulletin of Himalayan Research</i>. 38 (2011): 61–82.</p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Dr. Thomas (Tom) Robertson is creator of the YouTube <a href="https://youtu.be/QcQ9B2UmGSA">Mitho Lekhai</a> video series about writing techniques. He is a historian and the former director of Fulbright Nepal/USEF. He is an advisor to the Chitwan Tharu Culture Museum in Bachhauli, Chitwan. He researches the history of development and environmental change in Nepal.</p><p> He first came to Nepali in 1988 and has lived and worked in Nepal for 12 years. Before working for Fulbright, he taught American and global history for 10 years at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts. Tom received a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.A. from Williams College.</p><p> Recent publications include “DDT and the Cold War: American Social and Environmental Engineering in the Rapti Valley (Chitwan) of Nepal,” <i>Journal of American History</i> (March 2018). Tom's current research examines the environmental history of US development projects in Cold War Nepal. </p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><i>This article was published in Nepali Times on 13 January 2021. Republished with permission from the author and Nepali Times. </i><i>Read the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/5-myths-about-the-tharu/">original article</a>.</i></p>sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-79699516587971451462020-05-23T23:41:00.001+05:452020-05-24T12:29:29.660+05:45जोखन रत्गैँया: व्यक्ति एक, व्यक्तित्व अनेक<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">कलाकार लवकान्त चौधरीले रिक्रियट गरेको जोखन रत्गैँयाको डायरी । अनुमतिमा प्रकाशित। </td></tr>
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वि.सं २०५८ साल जेठ २९ गते । कैलालीको लालबोझी गाविसको करमदेउ गाउँलाई शाही सेनाले एकाएक नियन्त्रणमा लियो। शाही सेनाले घेराबन्दी गरेपछि जोखन रत्गैयाँ अलमलमा परे । उनी साथीहरूसँग भन्ने गर्थे, म ज्यानको आहुति दिन्छु, तर दुश्मनको अगाडि झुक्दिनँ । उनको त्यही अठोटले शाही सेनाको घेराबन्दी तोड्ने प्रयासमा लागे । अनेकन जुक्ति निकाले उनले। तर बहुसंख्यक सेनाको अगाडि उनको कुनै जुक्तिले काम गरेन । उनले प्रयास पनि छाडेनन् । अन्ततः उनी घेरा तोडेर भागे । सेनाहरु फायरिङ खोल्दै लखेट्न थाले । जोखन र सेनाको दूरी करिब दुई सय मिटरको थियो । फिल्मी शैलीमा शाही सेनाले जोखनलाई लखेट्दै थिए । सेनाको अनगिन्ती गोलीले अन्ततः जोखनको घुँडा आरपार भयो । उनी केहीबेर त्यही ढले तर आत्मसमर्पण भने गरेनन् । उभिन नसक्ने भएपछि उनी अग्ला भग्रा (घाँस) भित्र घस्रिदै खोलासम्म पुगे । नजिकैको खोलामा हाम फाले, पौडिँदै परसम्म गए । उनलाई खोज्न हेलिकप्टर गस्ती थालियो । सबैतिरबाट घेरिएपछि उनको उपचार बेलैमा हुन सकेन, निरन्तर ब्लिडिङका कारण उनको देहान्त भयो । त्यो कालो दिन सम्झिँदा शरीरमा काँडा उम्रिनेगरेको बर्दियाका खुसी प्रसाद थारू बताउँछन् । शाही सेनाको अप्रेसनमा त्यो दिन कैलालीमा ६ जनाले शहादत प्राप्त गरेका थिए । त्यसमध्ये जोखन एक थिए ।<br />
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करमदेउ त्यस्तो गाउँ थियो, माओवादीहरू सेनाको ट्र्यापमा परिहाल्थे । जोखन यसअघि पनि त्यो गाउँबाट उम्किन सफल भएका थिए । तर पार्टीको जिम्मेवारी निभाउन त्यहाँ जानैपथ्र्यो । जानुअघि जोखनले साथीहरूलाई भनेका थिए, ‘यो गाउँमा होस पु¥याएर बस्नुपर्छ ।’ घटना भएको दिन बाँच्न सफल खुसी प्रसाद चौधरी आफूहरू अघिल्लो रातको २ बजे करमदेउ गाउँ पुगेको बताए । बिहान ८ बजे खाना खाइरहेका बेला सेनाले गाउँ नियन्त्रणमा लिएको थियो । जोखनका टिममा अन्य पाँच जना भने बाँच्न सफल भएका थिए । त्यतिबेला बौद्धिक तथा शक्तिशाली नेताको रुपमा उदाएका जोखनलाई टार्गेट गरेरै हत्या गरेको माओवादीभित्रकै नेताहरूले बताउने गर्छन् ।<br />
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जोखन रत्गैँयाको जन्म वि.सं २०२५ सालमा कैलालीको हसुलियास्थित रानामुरा गाउँमा भएको थियो । आमा सुखलीदेवी चौधरी र बुबा धनबहादुर चौधरीको उनी जेठो सन्तान थिए । सामान्य परिवारमा जन्मिएका उनले आइएसम्मको अध्ययन गरेका थिए । आइएसम्मको अध्ययनले होला उनले त्यहाँ थारू समाज राम्रोसँग बुझेका थिए । दिनप्रति दिन हुने हरेक प्रकारका विभेदबारे उनी जानकार थिए । पछिल्लो समय पहाडबाट बसाई सरी आएका गैरथारूहरूले खाइपाइ आएको थारूहरूको खेतबारीमा आफ्नो वर्चस्व कायम गरेका थिए । जसका कारण थारूहरू आफ्नै खेतबारीमा कमैया, कमलरी बन्न बाध्य भएका थिए । यी सब कुराको चित्रण जोखनले राम्रोसँग विश्लेषण गर्न सक्थे । त्यसैले त उनले यस्ता विभेदहरूबारे चर्को आवाज उठाउँथे । आफ्नो गाउँ, टोल र छिमेकका थारूहरूलाई यस्ता विभेदविरुद्ध एक भएर लड्न प्रोत्साहन गर्थे । उनले थारू गाउँ गाउँ पुगेर विभेदविरुद्ध नाटक देखाउँथे, थारूहरूलाई प्रशिक्षण दिन्थे र साहित्य लेखनमार्फत् जागरण ल्याउँथे ।<br />
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पश्चिम तराईमा हुने आक्रमक बसाइसराइले थारूहरू झनै थिचोमिचोमा परेका थिए । राज्यबाट हुने विभेद त थियो नै, त्यसमाथि आफ्नै खेतबारीमा थारुहरु कमैया बस्नुपर्दा उनी मुर्छित पर्थे । जातीय, वर्गीय विभेद सधैंका लागि अन्त्य गर्न उनी माओवादी पार्टीले सुरु गरेको सशस्त्र जनयुद्धमा होमिए । त्यसअघि उनले अनेरास्ववियुमा बसेर विद्यार्थी राजनीतिसमेत गरे । माओवादी पार्टीमा गएर नेतृत्व लिइसकेपछि उनले धेरै अभियानहरु सफल पारेका थिए । उनका सहपाठी हरि ज्ञवाली अखण्ड सम्झन्छन्, ‘सुरुमा त लाग्थ्यो, हामी दुई जनाले के नै पो परिवर्तन गर्न सक्छौं, हाम्रो कुरा कसले सुन्छ र, तर गरेपछि हुनेरहेछ। हामीले हतियार सिजलगायतका ठूला अभियानहरु सफल परेका थियौं ।’<br />
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जोखनको बौद्धिकता र सफल नेतृत्वले पार्टीको केन्द्रीय तहमै चर्चा हुने गरेको थियो । पार्टीभित्र उनलाई बौद्धिक नेताको क्याटोगरीमा राखिएको थियो । तत्कालीन माओवादी नेता वर्षमान पुनले जोखन रत्गैयाँ क्षमतावान नेता भएको बताए । पार्टीले उनलाई बौद्धिक नेताको रुपमा लिनेगरेको पनि उनले बताए । कैलाली र बर्दियामा हुने हरेक कार्यक्रमको नेतृत्व पनि उहाँहरुले गरेको पुन सम्झन्छन् । ‘जोखनजीलाई भेटेको छु र वहाँबारे मैले धेरै सुनेको छु । उहाँ बौद्धिक, निडर एवं क्षमतावान नेता हुनुहुन्थ्यो । उहाँको शहादतपछि पार्टीले ठूलो क्षति व्यहोर्नुप¥यो,’ ऊर्जा, जलस्रोत तथा सिँचाइमन्त्री पुनले भने ।<br />
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जोखनले माओवादीमा आफ्नो राम्रो उपस्थिति जनाए । उनको उपस्थितिले केन्द्रीय नेताहरूमा तरंग ल्याइदियो । उनले थारू मोर्चालाई राम्रोसँग कमान्ड गरे । थारूमाथि हुने विभेदको अन्त्य गर्न धेरै थारूले उनको साथ दिए । उनकै पछि लागेर सशस्त्र जनयुद्धमा होमिए । उनले आफ्नो पोजिसन राम्रो बनाइरहेकै बेला दुश्मनले त्यहाँ पनि सुखसँग बस्न दिएनन् । उनकाविरुद्ध शाही सेनालाई सुराकी गर्न थाले । सेनाले उनलाई खोज्न नसकेपछि उनको परिवारलाई सताउन थाल्यो । सेनाले हदैसम्मको दमन उनको परिवारमाथि ग¥यो । सेनाको यातनाका कारण जोखनले वि.सं २०५७ सालमा बुबा धनबहादुर रत्गैयाँलाई गुमाए । बुबाको मुख हेर्नसमेत उनी आउन पाएनन् । साहित्य लेखनमा अब्बल मानिएका उनले आमाका नाममा चिठी लेखी भनेका थिए–<br />
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<i>आमा तिमी रुनु तर आँशु नझार्नु । विरोधीले देखे हाँसोको पात्र बनाउनेछ । तिमी हाँसोको पात्र बन्नु हुँदैन । </i><br />
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बुबाले ज्यान गुमाउँदा पनि उनले आमालाई अनुनयन गरेका शब्द हुन यी । उनी विरोधीसामु शिर निहुराउन जानेका थिएनन्, विरोधीसामु हार स्वीकार्न जानेका थिएनन् । उनी आफ्नो लक्ष्यमा सधैं अडिग रहेर अगाडि बढे । यता सेनाको यातना दिने क्रम भने रोकिएन । उनीहरूको अनुपस्थितिमा सेनाले घरका महिला सदस्यहरूलाई समेत यातना दिन सुरु गरिसकेको थियो । सेनाको टार्गेटमा परेका भाइ जगत रत्गैँया (प्रवेश) पनि लुकीछिपी बस्नुपर्ने अवस्था थियो। उनलाई विसं २०५९ सालमा सेनाले बर्दियाको झबहीमा हत्या ग¥यो । जेठी छोरी इन्दु थारू माओवादीकी छोरी भएकै कारण स्कुल जान सकिरहेका थिएनन्, उनलाई भर्ना नगर्न सेनाले निर्देशन दिएको थियो । कलिला दुई छोरा सुरज र निरजको अवस्था झनै दयनीय थियो ।<br />
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परिवारका सदस्यमाथि यतिका दमन भइरहँदा पनि जोखले क्रान्तिको बाटो छाडेनन् । तर सोच्दै नसोचेको कुरा उनले आफ्नै जीवनमा भोग्नुप¥यो । पार्टीभित्रको बलियो उपस्थिति र उनको क्षमतादेखि जल्ने उनका केही आफ्नै साथीहरूको ट्र्यापमा फसेँ।<br />
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हसुलियाबाट सदरमुकाम धनगढी आएका जोखनले त्यही कर्मथलो बनाएका थिए । उनले मेडिकल शिक्षा प्राप्त गरेपछि धनगढीमै मेडिकल क्लिनिक चलाए । मेडिकलबाट उनले आफूलाई पुग्ने आम्दानी गर्थे । मेडिकल अलावा उनी पत्रकारिता र साहित्य लेखनमा धेरै रुची राख्थे । उनले युवाअवस्थामै थारु मुक्तिको विषयमा कथा, कविता लेख्थे । थारू समुदायमा व्यवसायिक पत्रकारिताको सुरुवात पनि उनैले गरेका थिए । उनले थारू मुक्ति नामक साप्ताहिक पत्रिका प्रकाशन गर्थे । माओवादीमा लाग्नुअघि नै उनले मुक्तिक डगर नामक वार्षिक पत्रिका प्रकाशन गर्थे । जुन ९ वर्षमा ७ अंक प्रकाशित भयो ।<br />
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उनले आफ्नो पहिलो कृति चोराइल मन प्रकाशित गरेका थिए । जुन थारू समुदायको पहिलो गजल संग्रह भएको साहित्यकार कृष्णराज सर्वहारी बताउँछन् । उनैले प्रगतिसिल साहित्यको अगुवाई समेत गरेका थिए । थारू समुदायभित्रका आवाजलाई साहित्यमार्फत् उजागर गर्नुपर्ने उनले सल्लाह दिन्थे ।<br />
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जोखनले दर्जनभन्दा बढी किताबको पाण्डुलिपी तयार पारेका थिए । जसमा भुत्वा– महाकाब्य, लाल गुलाब– खण्डकाव्य, अग्रासन– कथा संग्रह आदि छन् । यी किताबहरु क्रमशः प्रकाशन गर्ने भनेर जोखनले डायरीमा उल्लेख गरेका थिए । जुन उनको डायरीमा प्रष्टसँग लेखिएको छ । तर दुर्भाग्य डायरीबाहेक उनको परिवारसँग यी किताबका कुनै ड्राफ्ट छैनन् । जोखनले आफ्नो मृत्युसँगै यी सबकुराको राज सँगै लिएर गए । बर्दियाका विश्वबहादुर चौधरी शिशिरले जोखनजीको भुत्वा महाकाब्य त्यसबेला प्रकाशनको अन्तिम चरणमा रहेको बताए । किताबको आवरण पनि उनैले तयार पारिदिएका थिए । ‘बर्दिया आउँदा उहाँले भुत्वा महाकाब्य किताबको प्रकाशन गर्न मसँग सहयोग माग्नुभएको थियो । किताबबारे सुझाव पनि माग्नुभएको थियो । किताबको लागि मैले आवरणसमेत तयार पारेको थिएँ,’ शिशिरले भने । लाजुराम चौधरी अंकितका अनुसार भुत्वा महाकाव्यको प्रकाशनका लागि शहिद प्रवेश र आफू इन्डिया गएको सम्झिन्छन् ।<br />
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जोखन गोचाली परिवारका कैलाली अध्यक्ष पनि थिए । गोचाली परिवारमा आबद्ध भएर उनले थारु सांस्कृतिक कार्यक्रम गर्ने, मुक्तिका नाटकहरू लेखेर प्रहसन गर्थे । गोचाली परिवारमा बसेरै उनले थारू मुक्तिको लडाइँ सुरु गरेका थिएँ । किनकि यो आफैंमा एउटा संगठन थियो । यसमा आबद्ध थारुहरुलाई विभेदविरुद्ध बुलन्द आवाज सहित एकीकृत हुन आव्हान गरिन्थ्यो । ऊबेला निस्किने क्रान्तिकारी पत्रिकामा उनी नियमित थारू मुक्तिका आवाज उठाउँथे ।<br />
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<i>आदर्शका स्रोत जोखन</i><br />
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जोखन रत्गैयाँ थारूहरूका आइडल थिए, प्रेरणाका स्रोत थिए । उनले देखाएका बाटामा आज अनगिन्ती थारूहरू हिँडिरहेका छन् । अहिले जतिपनि कम्युनिस्ट थारू नेताहरू छन्, सबैले जोखनको विचार र सिद्धान्तलाई आत्मसाथ गरेका छन् । लक्ष्मण थारू जसले जोखनकै छत्रछाँयामा राजनीति सिके, कृष्ण्कुमार चौधरी जसले जोखनको विचारबाट प्रभावित भएर माओवादीमा लागे, लाजुराम चौधरी, वीरमान चौधरी, गौरीशंकर चौधरी, सूर्य चौधरी, लक्ष्मी चौधरी जसले जोखनलाई आदर्श मानेर माओवादी जनयुद्धमा होम्मिए । त्यतिमात्र नभएर बर्दियाका खुसीप्रसाद चौधरी, शिवप्रसाद चौधरी, विश्वबहादुर चौधरी, मनकला चौधरीलगायत सयौं नेताहरू जोखनका विचारबाट प्रभावित थिए । जोखनले दिएका प्रशिक्षण, जोखनले जनतासँग घुलमिल हुन सिकाएको आइडिया उनीहरुले आजका दिनसम्म आत्मसाथ गरेका छन् । उनले साहित्यमा देखाएको बाटोलाई आत्मसाथ गरेका छन् । जातीय, वर्गीय विभेदबारे दिएको अभिव्यक्ति अनुसरण गरेका छन् । उनका सहकर्मी भगत बडुवाल, हरि ज्ञवाली सबैले भन्ने गर्छन्, जोखन बहुप्रतीभाशाली व्यक्ति हुन् । उनमा अध्ययन गर्ने अदभूत कला थियो । आदिवासीका सबालमा, थारुका सबालमा उनले धेरै अनुसन्धानहरू गरेका थिए । आज भलै जोखनको शरीर हामीमाझ छैन, तर उनले देखाएको बाटो, उनले प्रस्तुत गरेको विचार, सिद्धान्त र आइडियोलोजी जीवन्त छ र रहिरहनेछ ।<br />
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<i>लेखक :मदन चौधरी, पहिलोपल्ट नागरिक दैनिक र मुक्तिक डगरमा प्रकाशित</i><i> </i><i>। </i><i>मदन चौधरी </i><i>र इन्दु थारूको अनुमतिमा पुन:प्रकाशित गरिएको। </i></div>
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sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-3907077317021581092020-05-23T23:20:00.001+05:452020-05-24T12:30:04.291+05:45Jokhan Ratgainya: one person, many personalities<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jokhan Ratgainya's diary, recreated by artist Lavkant Chaudhary. Used with permission.</td></tr>
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<i>June 11, 2001, Kailali District, Lalbhoji Village Development Committee, Karamdeu Village</i></div>
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The Royal Nepali Army suddenly took control of the whole village. The army had surrounded the village and Jokhan was in danger. He had always told his friends that he would sacrifice his life but he would never bow down to the enemy. With this determination he tried to break the hold of the Royal Army. He tried many strategies but nothing worked out, they were clearly outnumbered. But he didn’t give up. In the end he managed to escape from the siege and ran. The military open fired and started chasing Jokhan, he was only ahead by 200 meters. The Royal Army was pursuing him—just like a scene in the movies. After innumerable rounds of firing, a bullet shot went through his knee. He fell for a few minutes but he refused to surrender. He couldn’t get up. So he decided to crawl through a thicket of tall grass and ended up next to a stream. He jumped into the stream and swam across it, gaining some distance. A helicopter was dispatched to search for him, he was surrounded. Jokhan did not receive immediate treatment, after continuous bleeding—he died. As Khusi Prasad Tharu from Bardiya recounts that ill-fated day, shivers run down his spine. Six people were martyred on that day at the hands of the Royal Nepali Army. Jokhan was one of them. </div>
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Karamdeu was such a village where the Army could easily trap the Maoists. Jokhan had previously managed to escape from this very village. But he had to travel there to fulfill the duties of his Party. Prior to leaving, Jokhan had been warned by his friends, “tread carefully in this village.” Khusi Prasad Chaudhary managed to survive, he remembers that they had arrived at two, under cover of night, the day before the incident. While they were eating at eight in the morning, the Army took control of the village. The other five members of Jokhan’s team managed to survive. At that time Jokhan was regarded as an intellectual and powerful leader, Maoist leaders remark that he was targeted and killed. </div>
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Jokhan Ratgaiya was born in 1968 in the village of Ranamuda, nearby Hasuliya in Kailali District. He was the eldest son of Sukhali Devi Chaudhary and Dhana Bahadur Chaudhary. His family was simple and he received a high school education. Maybe it was his education that helped him grasp Tharu society. He was aware of all the quotidian discriminations. The non-Tharus from the hills who had migrated to the Tarai still dominated and made a living off of Tharu lands. The Tharus were bound to work on their own lands as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamaiya_and_kamlari"><i>kamaiyas</i> and <i>kamalaris</i></a>. Jokhan was able to finely articulate this scenario; that is why he would speak up against such discrimination. He inspired the Tharus of his village, his quarter, and his neighbors to unite and fight against bigotry. He would travel Tharu village after Tharu village to show anti-discrimination performances, to spread awareness, and to enlighten people through literature.</div>
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The aggressive resettlement of people into the Western Tarai had added to the Tharu’s yoke of oppression. There was already discrimination from the State, on top of that when Tharus had to become bonded laborers on their own land, they were crushed. To end caste and class based biases Jokhan decided to be a part of the People’s War started by the Maoist Party. Before that he was a student activist affiliated to the Pan Nepal National Independent Student Union. He was successful in many campaigns after taking leadership roles within the Party. His colleague Hari Gyawali (Akhanda) recollects, “<i>At first we used to think what on earth could we change, just the two of us. Who would listen to us? But after you start something things do change. We were successful in many large campaigns such as weapon seizing</i>.”</div>
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The central command of the Party had taken notice of Jokhan’s intellect and accomplished leadership, and had categorized him as an intellectual leader. Maoist leader Barsaman Pun remarks that Jokhan Ratgaiya had potential and he was noticed for his intelligence. Pun reminisces that all programs in Kailali and Bardiya were under their helm. Pun, who is the Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister, says, “<i>I have met Jokhan-ji and I have heard a lot about him. He was a leader with intellect, fearlessness, and great potential. After his martyrdom the Party faced a great loss</i>.” </div>
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Jokhan left a mark on the Maoist Party. He brought out the vitality of central leaders. He commanded the Tharu Front with great skill. Many Tharus who wanted to end the discrimination they faced supported Jokhan. Many followed his footsteps towards the People’s Liberation. As he was getting comfortable in his position the enemy did not let him stay in peace. The Royal Nepali Army began pursuing him. The Army was unable to find him, so they decided to harass his family. They persecuted his family to the full extent. Jokhan’s father died in 2000 as a result of military torture. He could not even return to see his father’s face for the last time. Considered to be a skilled penman he wrote a letter to his mother:</div>
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<i>Mother, cry, but do not shed a tear.</i></div>
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<i>If the antagonists see you,</i></div>
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<i>they will laugh.</i></div>
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<i>You are not to be a subject of ridicule.</i></div>
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These were his words to his mother upon the death of his father. He was not going to bow his head in front of the enemy, he did not know how to accept defeat in front of the enemy. He was focused on his goal and he moved ahead with this determination. But the military’s persecution was incessant. In his absence, they had already started to torture the women of his household. His brother Jagat Ratgaiya (Pravesh) was in hiding after the military started targeting him. In 2002, Pravesh was murdered by the Royal Army in Jhabahi, Bardiya District. The military even instructed schools not to admit Jokhan’s daughter Indu, as she was “a daughter of a Maoist”. The condition of Jokhan’s two younger sons Suraj and Niraj was even more pitiable. </div>
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Even though his family was tormented, Jokhan did not leave the path of revolution. But he was subjected to something that was unthinkable. He fell victim to a conspiracy of a few of his own friends within the Party who had grown envious of his strong presence and rising potential.</div>
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After coming to Dhangadhi from Hasuliya he made a living in the city. Upon receiving a medical education he opened a clinic and pharmacy in Dhangadhi, through which he made his earnings. Other than his medical engagements, he was drawn to journalism and literature. Ever since he was a teenager he had written stories and poetry on the liberation of the Tharus. He had also started commercial journalism within the Tharu community with the weekly <i>Tharu Mukti</i>. Prior to joining the Maoists he had already begun publishing a yearly magazine, <i>Muktik Dagar</i>, which had seven editions in nine years. </div>
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His first published work was <i>Chorayil Man</i> (Stolen Heart). Which according to Krishnaraj Sarbahari is the first ghazal of the Tharu community. Jokhan was at the front of a progressive literary movement. He was always of the opinion that the voice of the Tharu community could be highlighted vis-à-vis literature. </div>
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Jokhan had prepared manuscripts for more than a dozen publications, which included the epic <i>Bhutva Mahakavya</i>, the poem <i>Lal Gulab</i>, and the short story collection <i>Agrasan</i>. In his diary Jokhan clearly indicates that he wanted to publish these works in this order. Unfortunately, other than his diary Jokhan’s family does not have any of the other manuscripts. In his death, Jokhan took all these secrets with him. Bishwa Bahadur Chaudhary (Shishir) from Bardiya says that <i>Bhutva Mahakavya</i> was in its last stage of edits prior to publication. In Shishir’s words, “<i>Jokhan had requested my help for the publication of Bhutva Mahakavya when he had come to Bardiya. I had even designed the cover for the book</i>.” According to Lajuram Chaudhary (Ankit), he and Jokhan’s brother Pravesh had gone to India for the publication of the book. </div>
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Jokhan was also the President of the <i>Gochali Pariwar</i> (Family of Friends) in Kailali. When he was affiliated with the <i>Gochali Pariwar</i> he organized many Tharu cultural programmes, and presented comedies and plays on the liberation of the Tharus. He had started his fight for Tharu liberation from the <i>Gochali Pariwar</i>. This was an organization in its own sense. The Tharus involved in it were called upon to be a unified and robust voice against oppression. In the revolutionary publications of his days, Jokhan used to regularly voice the cause of Tharu liberation. </div>
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<i>An ideal source of inspiration</i></div>
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Jokhan Ratgaiya was an ideal leader for Tharus and a source of inspiration. There are numerous Tharus who at present are following the path he paved. All the communist Tharu politicians of date have taken Jokhan Ratgaiya’s principles to heart. Laxman Tharu who under his mentorship learnt politics; Krishna Kumar Chaudhary who was influenced by Jokhan to join the Maoists; Lajuram Chaudhary, Birman Chaudhary, Gaurishankar Chaudhary, Surya Chaudhary, Laxmi Chaudhary who all joined the People’s War regarding Jokhan as their ideal. Additionally Jokhan’s thoughts have made an impression upon hundreds of leaders the likes of Khusi Prasad Chaudhary, Shiva Prasad Chaudhary, Vishwa Bahadur Chaudhary, and Mankala Chaudhary all from Bardiya District. The guidance provided by Jokhan and his grassroots level engagement have remained important for all of them. Even his pathbreaking work in literature remains an inspiration, in addition to his expressions against caste and class based discrimination. His colleague Bhagat Baduwal and Hari Gyawali say that Jokhan was a multitalented individual. He had an extraordinary skill for scholarship; he had conducted many researches on themes related to indigeneity and Tharu identity. While Jokhan may not be physically with us today, his path, thoughts, principles and ideologies are alive and will remain so. </div>
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<i>Author: Madan Chaudhary, translator: Priyankar Bahadur Chand. Republished with permission from Priyankar Bahadur Chand and Indu Tharu.</i></div>
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sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-24521835750064925762020-05-08T16:58:00.000+05:452020-08-02T11:21:31.840+05:45Harchali – one of the first quarterly literary magazines in Tharu language<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harchali - one of the first quarterly literary magazines in Tharu language</td></tr>
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<i>An interview with Sagar Kusmi, </i><i>Editor, </i><i>Harchali, one of the first </i><i>quarterly literary magazines in</i><br />
<i>Tharu language.</i><br />
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<b>Please tell our readers about Harchali quarterly, the literary magazine you’ve been publishing. </b><br />
Harchali literary quarterly is purely dedicated to literature. We started publishing it from 2072 Baishakh after formally registering with the District Administration Office in Kailali on 2071 Falgun 28 (Registration no. 169). I (Sagar Kusmi) am the Chief Editor and Publisher of the magazine. This is the only magazine in Tharu language being published regularly from Dhangadhi, Kailali. This magazine reaches out to audiences in Kailali, Kanchanpur, Bardia, Banke, Dang, Surkhet, Kapilvastu, Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Kathmandu and Uttar Pradhesh in India.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sagar Kusmi, Editor, Harchali</td></tr>
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<b>Please tell us about yourself.</b><br />
My father is a farmer and I come from Dakshin Terhi Village of Kailari Rural Municipality, Ward no. 8. Currently, I have been living in Dhangadhi and dabbling in literary journalism. Along with journalism, I write Tharu folktales and folklores. Two of my collections of ghazals – hastakshar and futal pokri, and a collection of <i>muktak</i> (lyrical poems), have been published. I am working towards publishing collections of folktales, folklores, Haiku, ghazals, and investigative essays. Especially, I like to write about Tharu language, literature and culture.<br />
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<b>Is there any reason behind naming the magazine ‘Harchali’? </b><br />
I am proud to be a Tharu. Thousands of Tharu words have been forgotten and are in the process of being forgotten. That’s why I chose this name from one of the Tharu words that denotes what one does during their leisure. So that people use their free time and we are able to conserve the Tharu language, literature and culture, and document the articles written in Tharu language.<br />
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<b>What inspired you to publish this quarterly magazine?</b><br />
I was interested in literature since my childhood. I used to write poems. I had the habit of reading magazines of all kind. While I was in school, they published a wall magazine. I used to send my poems for the magazine. In my village while I was a club president, I used to publish a wall magazine called ‘Fulariya’. Later, a magazine called ‘Nisrau Saptahik’ started being published from Dhangadhi. My poems, ghazals, muktak used to be published in that magazine as well. Following this, Hamar Pahura semi-weekly (later daily) used to publish my ghazals, muktak and articles. I gained a lot of experience working for Hamar Pahura. After working as Kailali representative of Lawa Daggar quarterly, I set out on my own to publish Harchali literary quarterly magazine.<br />
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<b>What types of articles are published in Harchali and how can one send articles to it?</b><br />
As this is a literary magazine, we publish all sorts of literary creations like articles, poems, ghazals, muktak, stories, memoirs, short stories, novels, etc. Articles that convey messages, raise awareness and investigative articles are given priority. Articles containing hate speech, accusation and written solely for entertainment and about love are not published. Articles received via our email ID harchali3@gmail.com are published only after reviewing.<br />
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<b>What are your plans to reach more audience in the coming days?</b><br />
We are trying our best to improve the quality and reach more audience. We look forward to suggestions, inputs and insights from our readers to improve the publication. We are also planning to reach our audiences in other cities and villages. We are working to make it monthly. Also we’re in the process of adding more columns and publishing the inside pages in multi-colour. Rest depends on readers and supporters.<br />
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<b>Finally, would you like to say anything to our readers?</b><br />
This is not my magazine. A magazine is a common learning ground for all. Please support us. Give us feedback and suggestions. Don’t stay idle. Write something and send them to us.<br />
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<i>Note: The title has been changed from earlier 'Harchali – the first quarterly literary magazine in Tharu language'. 'Aainkh' is the first quarterly literary magazine in Tharu language.</i></div>
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sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-91428517317421742992020-05-03T18:32:00.002+05:452020-08-02T11:22:50.918+05:45थारू भाषाको प्रथम साहित्यिक त्रैमासिक पत्रिकामध्ये एक "हरचाली"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><b>थारू भाषाको प्रथम साहित्यिक त्रैमासिक पत्रिका </b></i><b><i>मध्ये एक </i></b><i><b>"हरचाली"का सम्पादक सागर कुस्मीसँगको अन्तर्वार्ता। </b></i><br />
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<b>तपाईंले प्रकाशन गर्ने हरचाली त्रैमासिकबारे केही भनिदिनुस् । </b><br />
हरचाली साहित्यिक त्रैमासिक थारू भाषाको विशुद्ध साहित्यिक पत्रिका हो । जिल्ला प्रशासन कार्यालय कैलालीमा २०७१ फागुन २८ गते विधिवत् रूपमा दर्ता (दर्ता नम्बर १६९) भई २०७२ वैशाखदेखि प्रकाशन शुरु गरिएको हो । यसको प्रकाशक तथा प्रधान सम्पादक म आफै (सागर कुस्मी) छु । यो पत्रिका कैलाली जिल्लाको धनगढीबाट हालसम्म एकमात्र नियमित प्रकाशन हुँदै आएको थारू भाषाको पत्रिका हो । यो पत्रिका कैलाली, कंचनपुर, बर्दिया, बाँके, दांग, सुर्खेत, कपिलवस्तु, रिपन्देही, चितवन, नवलपरासी, काठमाडांै, र भारतको उत्तर प्रदेशसम्म पुग्छ ।<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">सम्पादक सागर कुस्मी</td></tr>
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<b>तपाईंको बारे पनि केही भनिदिनुस् न ।</b><br />
म एउटा किसानको छोरा हुँ । म कैलारी गाउँपालिका वडा नम्बर ८ दक्षिण टेंर्ही गाउँको बासिन्दा हुँ । साहित्यिक पत्रकारिता गर्ने क्रममा हाल म अहिले धनगढीमा बस्छु । पत्रकारितासँगै म थारू लोककथा, थारू लोकगीतमा बढी कलम चलाउँछु । मेरा दुई वटा हस्ताक्षर र फुटल पोक्री गजल संग्रह र एउटा मुक्तक संग्रह प्रकाशित छन् । लोककथा संग्रह, लोकगीत संग्रह, हाइकु संग्रह, गजल संग्रह र खोज तथा अनुसन्धानमुलक निबन्ध संग्रह प्रकाशनको तयारीमा रहेको छ । म धेरैजसो थारू भाषा साहित्य र संस्कृतिमा कलम चलाउन रुचाउछुँ ।<br />
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<b>यसको नाम हरचाली राख्नुको कारण ?</b><br />
मलाई थारूको सन्तान भएकोमा गर्व लाग्छ । थारू सामुदायमा अझै पनि हजारौं शब्द लोप भैसकेका छन् र हुँदै छन् । त्यसैले एउटा शब्द छानेर यो नाम जुराएको हुँ । खाली समयलाई सदुपयोग होस् र थारू भाषा साहित्य, संस्कृतिको संरक्षण सम्वद्र्धन होस्, थारू भाषाको लेख रचना दस्तावेजिकरण होस् भनी यो नाम जुराएका हौं ।<br />
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<b>यो त्रैमासिक निकाल्ने प्रेरणा कहाँ र कसरी पाउँनु भयो ?</b><br />
मेरो बचपनदेखि नै साहित्यमा रुचि थियो । म सानैदेखि कविता लेख्थें । जस्तो सुकै पत्रिका पनि खोजी खोजी पढ्ने बानी थियो मेरो । स्कुलमा म पढ्दा खेरी भित्ते पत्रिका निस्किन्थ्यो । त्यसमा म पनि कविता पठाउँथे । गाउँमा क्लबको अध्यक्ष हुँदा पनि "फुलरिया" भन्ने भित्ते पत्रिका निकाल्थें । त्यसपछि धनगढीबाट "निसराउ साप्ताहिक" भन्ने पत्रिका निस्किन्थ्यो । त्यसमा पनि मेरा कविता, गजल, मुक्तक छापिन्थे । यसपछि "हमार पहुरा" अर्ध साप्ताहिक (पछि दैनिक) पत्रिकामा मेरा गजल, मुक्तक, लेख रचना छापिन्थें । हमार पहुरा पत्रिकामा काम गरेर पनि धेरै अनुभव बटुलेँ । दाङ डेउखुरी बाट निस्किने "लावा डग्गर" त्रैमासिक मा कैलाली प्रतिनिधि भएर काम गरिसकेपछि आफैमा एउटा प्रकाशक भएर पत्रिका निकाल्ने हिम्मत र आँट आयो । यसरी म अहिले हरचाली साहित्यिक त्रैमासिक पत्रिका कैलालीबाट नियमित निकाल्न सफल भएँ ।<br />
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<b>यसमा कस्ता कस्ता रचना प्रकाशन गरिन्छ र आफ्ना रचना प्रकाशन गराउन कहाँ कसरी पठाउँनुपर्छ ? </b><br />
यो एउटा साहित्यिक पत्रिका भएकोले यसमा साहित्यिक लेख रचना, कविता, गजल, मुक्तक, कथा, संस्मरण, लघुकथा, उपन्यास प्राय सबै विधाका रचना छापिन्छन् । सन्देशमुलक, जनचेतनामुलक, खोज तथा अनुसन्धानमुलक रचनालाई बढी प्राथमिकता दिईन्छ । कसैलाई गाली गलौज, आरोप, र नितान्त मनोरञ्जनात्मक माया प्रेम सम्बन्धि रचना छापिदैन । पत्रिकाको इमेल आइडी harchali3@gmail.com मा आएका रचनालाई छनौट गरेर मात्र छापिन्छ ।<br />
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<b>आगामी दिनमा यसलाई कसरी अगाडि बढाउने र अझ बढी पाठकमाझ पुर्याउन के के गर्ने सोच राख्नु भएको छ ?</b><br />
हामीले आफ्नो तर्फबाट सक्ने जति गरेकै छौं । यो पत्रिकालाई अझ स्तरीय बनाउन पाठकहरूको सल्लाह सुझाव, प्रतिक्रियाको आशामा बसेका छौं । आगामी दिन शहरदेखि गाउँसम्म पुर्याउने योजनामा छौं । त्रैमासिकबाट मासिक बनाउन रात दिन खटिरहेका छौं । थप स्तम्भ राखी, भित्री पृष्ठ मल्टी कलरमा प्रकाशन गर्ने क्रममा छौं । बाँकी जिम्मा पाठक र सहयोगीको हुनेछ ।<br />
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<b>अन्त्यमा हाम्रा पाठकलाई केही सन्देश दिन चाहनुहुन्छ ?</b><br />
यो मेरो मात्र पत्रिका होइन । पत्रिका भनेको सबैको साझा विद्यालय हो । यसलाई सबैले माया, ममता, सहयोग गर्नुस् । चित्त नबुझेको ठाउँमा सल्लाह सुझाव दिनुस् । खाली नबस्नुस् । केहि न केहि अवश्य लेख्नुस् र हामीलाई पठाउनुस् । सबैलाई हार्दिक शुभकामना।<br />
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<i>नोट: यस अन्तर्वार्ताको शीर्षक "हरचाली -- थारू भाषाको पहिलो साहित्यिक त्रैमासिक पत्रिका" परिवर्तन गरिएको छ। थारू भाषाको पहिलो साहित्यिक त्रैमासिक पत्रिका "आँइख" हो।</i></div>
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sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-23851632881330134722019-12-18T23:33:00.002+05:452019-12-18T23:33:30.625+05:45The art of weaving beautiful baskets from sikki and kans grass<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parbati Chaudhary shows her creations.</td></tr>
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Last September I met with two inspiring women – Parbati Chaudhary and Naina Chaudhary. Parbati, from Padariya Village, Saptari, lost her husband but didn't lose her hope. She now leads 100 women weaving baskets, mats, bags and other daily use items from <i>sikki</i>, elephant grass, silver grass, <i>wallichia</i> leaves, <i>pater</i> (a kind of reed growing in wetlands), paper reeds and corn leaves collected from wetlands, forests and fields. She sells the handcrafted items in the domestic market and has also exported them as far as the US with the support of WEAN Multipurpose Cooperative Ltd.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of Parbati's creations.</td></tr>
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"<i>The women weave handicrafts in their free time which otherwise would be spent gossiping or checking Facebook posts</i>," said Parbati. "<i>Now they're financially independent</i>."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of Parbati's creations </td></tr>
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A basket made from <i>sikki</i> grass with beautiful floral designs, called <i>dhakki</i> in Nepali and <i>daliya</i> in the local language fetches around 120-130 USD for Parbati. But she says the pattern is very difficult for the women weavers and only some Tharu women with a high level of patience agree to weave the <i>dhakki</i> with intricate designs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naina Chaudhary weaving baskets from wool</td></tr>
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Naina Chaudhary, from Haripur Village in Saptari, due to unavailability of sikki during all seasons, weaves the same dhakki from wool. She sells them at the local market and each one brings her about Rs. 500. “<i>I learnt the tricks of the trade from Parbati</i>,” she said. “<i>However, I decided to start a business of my own</i>.”<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of Naina's creations</td></tr>
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Naina makes beautiful silver grass handicrafts that fetch better prices but there's not much demand for the fancy items she can produce at local markets. Women like her need a helping hand to get these products to national and international markets.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sikki and elephant grass used for making baskets</td></tr>
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Not only Parbati and Naina, but many Tharu and Maithil women from the southern plains of Nepal have been weaving baskets of all shapes and sizes from the kans grass since ages and the art has been passed from one generation to another. The mothers and grandmothers have been teaching the young ones to weave baskets out of <i>kans</i>, considered useless, and <i>sikki</i>, regarded as pure.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OLRmSqonloo/Xfpklhc8pUI/AAAAAAAAEWM/11-6-pvbb7E6QdXxWqgTuEBB_kAXdWShwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Kharhi%252C%2Bthe%2Bbase%2Bmaterial%2Bfor%2Bweaving%2Bbasket.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OLRmSqonloo/Xfpklhc8pUI/AAAAAAAAEWM/11-6-pvbb7E6QdXxWqgTuEBB_kAXdWShwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Kharhi%252C%2Bthe%2Bbase%2Bmaterial%2Bfor%2Bweaving%2Bbasket.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kharhi, the base material for weaving baskets</td></tr>
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Let’s have a look at how they weave these beautiful baskets. The women collect the <i>kans</i> stems just before they bear flower (they call it <i>gabaha</i> in the Tharu language). Then they take out the flowery filaments and leave the stems to dry. Since the stem then becomes hollow, it can be wound into any shape and size.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6lWwb3RWfV0/XfplEzZne9I/AAAAAAAAEWU/YTDBVrKxTXUH9P3--INlS30JG0PmTiBnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/A%2Bbasket%2Bwithout%2Ba%2Bbase.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6lWwb3RWfV0/XfplEzZne9I/AAAAAAAAEWU/YTDBVrKxTXUH9P3--INlS30JG0PmTiBnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/A%2Bbasket%2Bwithout%2Ba%2Bbase.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A basket without its base - it is added later.</td></tr>
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The upper and lower parts of the stem are trimmed. They can be used as the base material to wound the <i>kans</i> stem around. They also collect the <i>kans</i> grass from much earlier than their flowering stage. The stalks are usually hard then and can be used as the base material for the baskets. People also use fistfuls of <i>kans</i> grass from this stage of growth as a broom.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fyz3iive418/XfplXEkkqoI/AAAAAAAAEWc/iEKpsrAJ9ZgdqvWIZC2H5N18oDhbA58QQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Takuwa%2B-%2Ba%2Bneedle%2Blike%2Bequipment%2Bused%2Bto%2Bweave%2Bthe%2Bbasket%2B%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fyz3iive418/XfplXEkkqoI/AAAAAAAAEWc/iEKpsrAJ9ZgdqvWIZC2H5N18oDhbA58QQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Takuwa%2B-%2Ba%2Bneedle%2Blike%2Bequipment%2Bused%2Bto%2Bweave%2Bthe%2Bbasket%2B%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Takuwa, the needle like equipment to weave baskets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The <i>gabaha</i> is soaked in water so that it becomes flexible. A <i>takuwa</i>, needle-like equipment with a rounded end to hold on while weaving a basket, is needed, besides the grass of course, to weave the baskets. Taking a fistful of the <i>kans</i> grass, the <i>gabaha</i> is wound around it. Then it is swirled to give a round shape binding the framework with the <i>gabaha</i>. With the help of the <i>takuwa</i>, holes are made in the structure and <i>gabaha</i> is inserted in those holes binding the <i>kans</i> till it takes the shape a conical basket without a base, which is added later.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MnUWcT7lU5s/XfpllBer4ZI/AAAAAAAAEWg/WqtX3sgBuuwuMWbiH9pvtTVNf4ScDSSAACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ParbatisCreations3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MnUWcT7lU5s/XfpllBer4ZI/AAAAAAAAEWg/WqtX3sgBuuwuMWbiH9pvtTVNf4ScDSSAACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ParbatisCreations3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dhakki made from sikki are in high demand.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The beautiful baskets called <i>pauti</i> and <i>daliya</i> in the local language of the Terai are woven similarly. First, <i>sikki</i> stems are collected and torn apart into two equal splinters. Then they are left to dry. Once dried, they are coloured.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x-flpCG9nAE/Xfpl3GQikKI/AAAAAAAAEWo/gduLrO8DIFw8D1SCZYdnfuPnZkzkeXTdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ParbatisCreations2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x-flpCG9nAE/Xfpl3GQikKI/AAAAAAAAEWo/gduLrO8DIFw8D1SCZYdnfuPnZkzkeXTdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ParbatisCreations2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creativity has no bounds.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The coloured <i>sikki</i> splinters are soaked in water and as in the case of <i>kans</i> grass baskets, with the help of a <i>takuwa</i> the colourful <i>sikki</i> splinters are wound around <i>kans</i> grass. They create beautiful colourful patterns on the basket by further weaving <i>sikki</i> splinters on the basket – that requires some real skills!<br />
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<a href="http://ecs.com.np/features/the-art-of-weaving-beautiful-baskets-from-sikki-and-kans-grass">Republished from ECS</a>.</div>
sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-12126217876996537102019-12-17T22:00:00.002+05:452019-12-17T22:02:28.379+05:45Pan fried pumpkin blossoms and bottle gourd skin fritters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L_yIj70kJF0/Xfj9UMoLMkI/AAAAAAAAEUQ/5QGRWdEouKIMmuwatbnGcuFYAeCKleLwwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Pumpkinflowerfritter%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L_yIj70kJF0/Xfj9UMoLMkI/AAAAAAAAEUQ/5QGRWdEouKIMmuwatbnGcuFYAeCKleLwwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Pumpkinflowerfritter%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pumpkin blossoms</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Most people love pumpkins whether green or orange. However, have you ever tried eating pumpkin blossoms, Nepali-style? It’s a delicacy in the southern plains of Nepal and they taste finger-licking good! Called <i>kadima ke phula ke tikiya</i> in eastern Nepal, it’s also a famous dish in the eastern Indian state Odisha, where they call it <i>kakharu fula bhaja</i>.<br />
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Here’s how you can prepare pan-fried pumpkin blossoms at home:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WhhiBjKbh54/Xfj9fQB66GI/AAAAAAAAEUU/OPA3XCmhA28TcjcR0iuIlvZDDHK2zgiLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Pumpkinflowerfritter%2B%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WhhiBjKbh54/Xfj9fQB66GI/AAAAAAAAEUU/OPA3XCmhA28TcjcR0iuIlvZDDHK2zgiLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Pumpkinflowerfritter%2B%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pumpkin flowers after removing the pistils</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Collect pumpkin flowers and remove the pistils. Make sure the petals are intact and dust any ants, aphids and beetles from them. Wash the petals with cold water and let them drain.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hO3zujVAa7g/Xfj9r7VC6iI/AAAAAAAAEUc/eNh8mE6jiYMjqeG_gwiI8mqOrRb-QS4_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Pumpkinflowerfritter%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hO3zujVAa7g/Xfj9r7VC6iI/AAAAAAAAEUc/eNh8mE6jiYMjqeG_gwiI8mqOrRb-QS4_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Pumpkinflowerfritter%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rice flour batter ingredients</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Prepare a batter of rice flour, turmeric powder, chilli powder and add other spices and salt to taste. If you want the fritters to be crispy, use coarse rice flour.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-94ZnHgZ3fGc/Xfj91IiLwOI/AAAAAAAAEUk/VulwFG9nsWgKfUA9EWt098PwrCgBBsvggCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Pumpkinflowerfritter%2B%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-94ZnHgZ3fGc/Xfj91IiLwOI/AAAAAAAAEUk/VulwFG9nsWgKfUA9EWt098PwrCgBBsvggCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Pumpkinflowerfritter%2B%25285%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Covering the flowers with rice flour batter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Dip the petals in the batter while you heat mustard oil in a pan.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qHlOtnsJCP0/Xfj-DxvonqI/AAAAAAAAEUs/wM8dhqUO_wMUbnfugHDc9ccI2itleE71wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Pumpkinflowerfritter%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qHlOtnsJCP0/Xfj-DxvonqI/AAAAAAAAEUs/wM8dhqUO_wMUbnfugHDc9ccI2itleE71wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Pumpkinflowerfritter%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frying the flowers in mustard oil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Fry the blossoms and turn over as the they turn yellowish brown. Make sure the flower inside the batter gets cooked well. Once you drain the oil from the fritter, it’s ready to eat. It tastes best when served with puffed rice.<br />
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A good thing about rural lifestyles is that they try to minimise wastage and practise sustainability. Called <i>lauka ke chhala ke tikiya</i>, fritters made from bottle gourd skin are another delicacy that is rarely found in other areas.<br />
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Here’s how to make these tasty fritters for yourself:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T7wuo4Ycask/Xfj-SdVhTQI/AAAAAAAAEU0/Wfpy51M_leEtssX3U58yRMLRiTKCzlnXACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Bottlegourdfritter1%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T7wuo4Ycask/Xfj-SdVhTQI/AAAAAAAAEU0/Wfpy51M_leEtssX3U58yRMLRiTKCzlnXACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Bottlegourdfritter1%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottle gourd</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Wash the bottle gourd. Cut it into two halves. Rest the flat part on a plate and with the help of a knife, peeler or grater scrape the skin off the bottle gourd. Make sure you only remove the green skin and that it is shredded into fine pieces.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zpl8R3AgeDI/Xfj-fEeMoII/AAAAAAAAEU8/Lhk0tH73HYc3QCKBrQi2nuigaTR4njjdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Bottlegourdfritter1%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zpl8R3AgeDI/Xfj-fEeMoII/AAAAAAAAEU8/Lhk0tH73HYc3QCKBrQi2nuigaTR4njjdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Bottlegourdfritter1%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scraping the skin of bottle gourd</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Make a batter of rice flour, turmeric powder, chilli powder, spices and salt and as with the pan-fried pumpkin blossoms, if you want to make the fritters crispy, use coarse rice flour.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DB-g9fuVVqE/Xfj-ud8vEVI/AAAAAAAAEVE/GL-7ix2ybEE0zfwvFVEMh25zdab_z3Q3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Bottlegourdfritter1%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DB-g9fuVVqE/Xfj-ud8vEVI/AAAAAAAAEVE/GL-7ix2ybEE0zfwvFVEMh25zdab_z3Q3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Bottlegourdfritter1%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finely grated bottle gourd skin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Put the bottle gourd skin into the batter and shape into flat round fritters.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZUIL5W2yPQ/Xfj_EaD2XPI/AAAAAAAAEVQ/SAK105BoykQGJxsRQiJ1qYRj7SVuPzpBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Bottlegourdfritter1%2B%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZUIL5W2yPQ/Xfj_EaD2XPI/AAAAAAAAEVQ/SAK105BoykQGJxsRQiJ1qYRj7SVuPzpBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Bottlegourdfritter1%2B%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready-to-eat bottle gourd skin fritters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Heat mustard oil in a pan and fry the fritters on both sides. Again, drain to remove excess oil and they’re ready to eat. Like the pan fried pumpkin blossoms, these fritters taste best with either puffed or beaten rice.<br />
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<a href="http://ecs.com.np/food/pan-fried-pumpkin-blossoms-and-bottle-gourd-skin-fritters">Republished from ECS</a>.</div>
sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-7527843387846507542019-11-12T16:00:00.002+05:452019-11-12T16:22:53.240+05:45Nepalis as profiled by the book ‘The People of India’ <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The <a href="https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/">New York Public Library Digital Collections</a> has released <a href="https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47dc-a032-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99">The People of India</a> in the public domain. You can now view, download and use the images from the rare book.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GIE7dLeVfII/XcqC3Yp-iqI/AAAAAAAAEO8/lmxBwt5E3C8Log1nKs8MRqtUDQUOk2HYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ThePeopleOfIndia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="410" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GIE7dLeVfII/XcqC3Yp-iqI/AAAAAAAAEO8/lmxBwt5E3C8Log1nKs8MRqtUDQUOk2HYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ThePeopleOfIndia.jpg" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover of the book 'People of India'. Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Edited by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Forbes_Watson">J. Forbes Watson</a> and John William Kaye, the book comprises three volumes and has a collection of photographic illustrations with descriptive letterpress. Published in the year 1868 by the India Museum, the book gives you a rare view of the races and tribes of that time.<br />
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Profiled in page 117 of the third volume of the book, here’s an <a href="https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47dd-c111-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99">image of a Tharu couple</a> from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahjahanpur">Shahjahanpur</a>, now in Uttar Pradesh of India. The writer duo describe the couple as ‘Tharoos. (Low Caste Hindoos: Probably Aboriginal.) Shahjehanpore.’<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0V2zlt9IVDU/XcqDaATc3fI/AAAAAAAAEPE/-lv4FcSvMSU8l-W8z3Tdly7ZsCqa5ImeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Tharus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="386" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0V2zlt9IVDU/XcqDaATc3fI/AAAAAAAAEPE/-lv4FcSvMSU8l-W8z3Tdly7ZsCqa5ImeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Tharus.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Further, you can see images of people from Nepal (written ‘Nipal’) and the neighbouring Indian states.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e3ZPobep4HA/XcqD5csV6eI/AAAAAAAAEPM/3SM6lsU3my8vs321pFPomy62CvNQxZfQACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/BhotiaFemale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="375" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e3ZPobep4HA/XcqD5csV6eI/AAAAAAAAEPM/3SM6lsU3my8vs321pFPomy62CvNQxZfQACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/BhotiaFemale.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tx9r7dEaUhs/XcqETWcJXCI/AAAAAAAAEPU/d4NaRaQbFP0QZujdAIpTmxCoSpc2Os_ugCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/DomeAheer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="756" height="292" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tx9r7dEaUhs/XcqETWcJXCI/AAAAAAAAEPU/d4NaRaQbFP0QZujdAIpTmxCoSpc2Os_ugCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/DomeAheer1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dEumGB3NZQY/XcqEbDBo1hI/AAAAAAAAEPY/vT_sfw5BIC8DQ9OVBWc5KmtC9Yxd26K4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Dushadh1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="749" height="295" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dEumGB3NZQY/XcqEbDBo1hI/AAAAAAAAEPY/vT_sfw5BIC8DQ9OVBWc5KmtC9Yxd26K4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Dushadh1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x2PbLzRTA8E/XcqEjMKgNQI/AAAAAAAAEPc/0OLniEnx-NkrwOVoPymAT50cWs6p0FGvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Gurung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="1177" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x2PbLzRTA8E/XcqEjMKgNQI/AAAAAAAAEPc/0OLniEnx-NkrwOVoPymAT50cWs6p0FGvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Gurung.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cqS6YDr_9MY/XcqErOXersI/AAAAAAAAEPg/9HI0yb3jMFcHs65BZzWAg6QBKfckNxy5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Khas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="869" height="255" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cqS6YDr_9MY/XcqErOXersI/AAAAAAAAEPg/9HI0yb3jMFcHs65BZzWAg6QBKfckNxy5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Khas.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dnVATM9b9wE/XcqEyfByIwI/AAAAAAAAEPo/XfGFzl5mRIgb9kqK1gnEn3VExkQvWDwGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Limbu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="912" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dnVATM9b9wE/XcqEyfByIwI/AAAAAAAAEPo/XfGFzl5mRIgb9kqK1gnEn3VExkQvWDwGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Limbu.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AtgQ8BJy_SQ/XcqE7pg7uyI/AAAAAAAAEPw/iUnKFMqLK5kliwhPlV5I8Vs6opwaNvUWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/LimbuA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="727" height="303" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AtgQ8BJy_SQ/XcqE7pg7uyI/AAAAAAAAEPw/iUnKFMqLK5kliwhPlV5I8Vs6opwaNvUWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/LimbuA.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EDeAau2PoAA/XcqFD6JcbBI/AAAAAAAAEP4/1CwmJLpnJuk-r9-8MZvow50r2YaQXc6NQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Magar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="925" height="238" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EDeAau2PoAA/XcqFD6JcbBI/AAAAAAAAEP4/1CwmJLpnJuk-r9-8MZvow50r2YaQXc6NQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Magar.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U_cfGmiYsb4/XcqFM-6ZzpI/AAAAAAAAEP8/byNqEeXQLiQ-Uv57z4C-dj_JBqQkDY1mACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Moormi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="725" height="303" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U_cfGmiYsb4/XcqFM-6ZzpI/AAAAAAAAEP8/byNqEeXQLiQ-Uv57z4C-dj_JBqQkDY1mACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Moormi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rcnhKokamkI/XcqFXTbD71I/AAAAAAAAEQE/XlG-HiFzEWUweBZ5g9VXJ_dUhubnVx9zQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Musahar1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="374" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rcnhKokamkI/XcqFXTbD71I/AAAAAAAAEQE/XlG-HiFzEWUweBZ5g9VXJ_dUhubnVx9zQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Musahar1.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WFRgtPjbB0I/XcqFfeWZoxI/AAAAAAAAEQM/SRB2Wr7C4GgBbpB7HkjpRsXDFjK8PnbcACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/NewarA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="975" height="227" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WFRgtPjbB0I/XcqFfeWZoxI/AAAAAAAAEQM/SRB2Wr7C4GgBbpB7HkjpRsXDFjK8PnbcACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/NewarA.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YYpFCrJSu8Y/XcqFoUZVkvI/AAAAAAAAEQU/QTphFW6B0P8ojeF7cFD99ObQ7zfwBaiwACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Newars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="920" height="241" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YYpFCrJSu8Y/XcqFoUZVkvI/AAAAAAAAEQU/QTphFW6B0P8ojeF7cFD99ObQ7zfwBaiwACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Newars.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qFcYTKG4Lq0/XcqFx2fe63I/AAAAAAAAEQc/KiBMT-5dLhUEejzKZyeS63GwZwMbAUiJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Rajbanshi1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="742" height="298" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qFcYTKG4Lq0/XcqFx2fe63I/AAAAAAAAEQc/KiBMT-5dLhUEejzKZyeS63GwZwMbAUiJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Rajbanshi1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HyOCEX_obxA/XcqF4V4PJTI/AAAAAAAAEQk/pXrcOcpuWEsztRsuV3pq6gDH-dK3iihUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sonthal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="378" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HyOCEX_obxA/XcqF4V4PJTI/AAAAAAAAEQk/pXrcOcpuWEsztRsuV3pq6gDH-dK3iihUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Sonthal.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VXqKevpha5w/XcqF-id0Y4I/AAAAAAAAEQo/eV9bxQ3gXvMQEo-ZSjfxKJ1hwLw5gHyAACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sunuwar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="824" height="267" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VXqKevpha5w/XcqF-id0Y4I/AAAAAAAAEQo/eV9bxQ3gXvMQEo-ZSjfxKJ1hwLw5gHyAACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Sunuwar.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a3ZM9Z5bJx8/XcqGGFejZJI/AAAAAAAAEQs/AEFMSqYI-7g_KxtwlIsRASUSOZF_MHsPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SunuwarA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="763" height="291" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a3ZM9Z5bJx8/XcqGGFejZJI/AAAAAAAAEQs/AEFMSqYI-7g_KxtwlIsRASUSOZF_MHsPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/SunuwarA.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Image from the New York Public Library Digital Collections</span></td></tr>
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<i>Note: All the above images have been arranged in alphabetical order.</i></div>
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sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-15360802032640713652019-09-12T10:39:00.001+05:452019-09-12T10:40:15.281+05:45Different shapes, one taste -- dhikri, bagiya and bhakka<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-buEMAe_XURo/XXnOam3eVEI/AAAAAAAAEHo/koYdHfb1624iP_lWeapiNcdmRsH_SKX2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Bagiya1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-buEMAe_XURo/XXnOam3eVEI/AAAAAAAAEHo/koYdHfb1624iP_lWeapiNcdmRsH_SKX2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Bagiya1.jpg" width="385" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bagiya is famous, especially in southern plains of Eastern Nepal.</td></tr>
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Among several finger-licking dishes made from rice flour, <i>dhikri, bagiya,</i> and <i>bhakka</i> are popular, especially in the southern plains of Nepal. While dhikri, tubular and cylindrical in shape, is popular among the Tharus in Western Nepal, bagiya, which is flat, is a favorite among people living in Eastern Nepal. Bhakka, the round version, is especially popular among the Rajbanshis and others in Eastern Nepal.<br />
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While dhikri and bhakka are made by just shaping the rice dough and steaming it, bagiya is generally stuffed with lentils or mashed potatoes. Dhikri is prepared principally during the Magh or Maghe Sankrati festival while bagiya is prepared especially during the Deepawali festival.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9PId1YvR_3A/XXnOut1E8JI/AAAAAAAAEHs/nzzZEaZFwQcBCyTL99xPA2HZndXoDGV9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Dhikri2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9PId1YvR_3A/XXnOut1E8JI/AAAAAAAAEHs/nzzZEaZFwQcBCyTL99xPA2HZndXoDGV9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Dhikri2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dhikri is popular among Tharus of Western Nepal.</td></tr>
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Let’s see how bagiya is made:<br />
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The rice is soaked in water and ground in a <i>dhiki</i>, the traditional rice milling machine. These days rice mills have replaced the dhikis. However, flour ground in a dhiki tastes much better than that ground in a rice mill.<br />
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The flour is then sifted and fried. Warm water is mixed with it and it is kneaded enough to make the dough tender. Steamed lentils or mashed potatoes, spices, ginger and salt are added to the dough and it is shaped by hand into a round, and flattened with the palms at the middle while both ends are left protruding. Then they are steamed over a clay pot of boiling water.<br />
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The steamed bagiya is served with chutney or vegetable curry. In Eastern Nepal, the Tharus and others celebrate the <i>Govardhan Pooja</i> (the day following <i>Laxmi Pooja</i>) by worshipping their agriculture tools and cattle, and eating bagiya. Every household makes sure to prepare bagiya from the rice flour of newly harvested rice on that day.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dL1HYbQ8yb0/XXnO63rv7YI/AAAAAAAAEH0/Hi0AkLoOSBktE2pCqwFsqUBVOJJIL5L_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Bhakka2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dL1HYbQ8yb0/XXnO63rv7YI/AAAAAAAAEH0/Hi0AkLoOSBktE2pCqwFsqUBVOJJIL5L_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Bhakka2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bhakka, originating from Eastern Nepal, is now becoming popular in main cities.</td></tr>
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As these dishes are made by steaming rice flour dough, all of them are not only delicious but also healthy. However, these tasty dishes are still struggling to find a place in eateries, although a few outlets have started selling bhakka, dhikri and bagiya in cities including Kathmandu, we are happy to say!<br />
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<a href="http://ecs.com.np/food/different-shapes-one-taste-dhikri-bagiya-and-bhakka">Republished from ECS.</a></div>
sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-39992151640670353572019-08-14T23:58:00.002+05:452019-08-14T23:59:29.278+05:45These phrases and idioms show the relationship between Tharus and their cattle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0u2M0tGuwQw/XVRPCE2GL1I/AAAAAAAAEE0/iTmYQdg1WUQ6UX1UUOZd7BW9O0eLKI-hgCLcBGAs/s1600/Monochrome%2Bbull%2Bin%2Balley%2Bphoto%2Bby%2BAdam%2BSherez%2B%2528%2Bmr_sherez%2529%2Bon%2BUnsplash.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="654" height="262" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0u2M0tGuwQw/XVRPCE2GL1I/AAAAAAAAEE0/iTmYQdg1WUQ6UX1UUOZd7BW9O0eLKI-hgCLcBGAs/s400/Monochrome%2Bbull%2Bin%2Balley%2Bphoto%2Bby%2BAdam%2BSherez%2B%2528%2Bmr_sherez%2529%2Bon%2BUnsplash.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monochrome bull in alley photo by Adam Sherez ( mr_sherez) on Unsplash</td></tr>
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No doubt, Tharus have been tilling the earth for centuries. And their partners have been none other than the oxen. While the oxen have been treated as mere animals and have been the origin of the metaphor ‘<i>goru</i>’ in Nepali for morons, the Tharus have had deep respect for these animals. Have a look at few phrases and idioms in Tharu language that further establishes this fact. These idioms also showcase the Tharu way of life.<br />
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<b><i>Bahaut maugi me marad upas, bahut marad me barad upas</i></b><br />
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This idiom means ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’. It says: “If you have too many women [in the house], a man has to remain hungry; if you have too many men [in the house], an ox has to remain hungry.” Although sexist, the idiom shows how the household chores including cooking was assigned to women while other outdoor activities were taken care of by men including feeding and grazing the cattle.<br />
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<b><i>Mangni barad ke dant dekhe gelai kahi</i></b><br />
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I haven’t come across an English idiom equivalent to this one. This idiom means you need to have money with you if you’re willing to buy something. It says: “Why to undertake seeing the teeth of an ox, if you don’t have money [in your pockets]?” Buying and selling oxen was common between farmers and traders, and while buying oxen it was mandatory to have a look at the pair of teeth the animals had. So as to ascertain the age of the oxen!<br />
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<i><b>Har ne barad dhodhai marad</b></i><br />
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This idiom is about people who brag a lot. It says: “[Some people] brag a lot though they don’t even have a plough and oxen.” Have you ever heard the Chinese proverb “Great boast, small roast”? This exactly matches in meaning with the Tharu idiom.<br />
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<i><b>Jau dekhi barad maina, ta ladi yahai par se dyadi baina</b></i><br />
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This idiom means leap at the opportunity (to do something). It says: “If you see a suitable ox (for ploughing or pulling a cart), give the advance from the river bank [where you’re standing].” It shows the urgency and says “don’t even think of crossing the river to get to the seller or the ox, just hand over the advance to seal the deal.”</div>
sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-87673526436163905082019-07-14T22:50:00.001+05:452019-08-14T21:24:01.551+05:45The three tasty nuggets from the southern plains of Nepal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Republished from <a href="http://ecs.com.np/food/the-three-tasty-nuggets-from-the-southern-plains-of-nepal">ECS</a>.<br />
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As the saying goes ‘make hay while the sun shines', local communities in Nepal have the habit of saving food items for the rainy season when vegetables are scarce. They have been making gundruk, <i>sinki</i>, and pickles along with drying vegetables to save for rainy days since time immemorial. Among those several food items, namely <i>adauri, chiknauri</i> and <i>fulauri</i> are three nuggets that you must taste while travelling to the southern plains of Nepal.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GApNjsHiU1s/XStf8YtXvMI/AAAAAAAAEBQ/pTzMxEOLn9QrDQsvhENPX-7Zd5nLMp-rACLcBGAs/s1600/Adauri2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GApNjsHiU1s/XStf8YtXvMI/AAAAAAAAEBQ/pTzMxEOLn9QrDQsvhENPX-7Zd5nLMp-rACLcBGAs/s400/Adauri2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adauri</td></tr>
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Adauri are made from black gram, which is soaked in water overnight and then dehusked the following day. This dehusked black gram is then left to dry in the sun for two to three days and then milled into flour. The flour is mixed with water to form a gooey dough and shaped into small nuggets, which are spread either on a mat or a nanglo (a flat, round bamboo tray) and left to dry in the sun for a day or two. A thin layer of mustard oil is used to coat the surface before spreading out the adauri so that they don’t stick to the mat or nanglo. Once dry they are stored in an airtight dry container. They tastes superb and are full of protein. However, it's tricky to cook. You need to fry it before adding spices, water and salt to taste. And if you fry it more than needed, it further stiffens and you won't be able to chew it. But if you fry it less than required, it smells like raw black gram flour. However, if fried to a reddish brown colour and then cooked as any other curry, it softens and tastes great. That's why, especially in the southern plains, a newly married bride is asked to cook adauri when she arrives at the groom's house, to check her culinary skills!<br />
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Adauri is also cooked together with other vegetables and when it’s combined with potatoes, bottle gourd or brinjal (eggplant) it tastes much better. Although adauri is made mainly from black gram flour, it is occasionally also made from other lentils like green gram. The green gram adauri and brinjal make a great combination.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6vdR6uCHNFg/XStgJjPZxHI/AAAAAAAAEBU/sEP8BNJpILkcE5r3rvAELUYHz9UAQNDRgCLcBGAs/s1600/Chiknauri2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6vdR6uCHNFg/XStgJjPZxHI/AAAAAAAAEBU/sEP8BNJpILkcE5r3rvAELUYHz9UAQNDRgCLcBGAs/s400/Chiknauri2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chiknauri</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Another nugget, in fact, is a super nugget since it is made from flaxseed which we all know is a super food. Called chiknauri (beware, it's a vulgar word in Nepali) in the southern plains of Nepal, flaxseeds are bound together with a black gram paste and salt is added to taste. The nuggets, again like adauri, are spread out on a mat or nanglo with a thin layer of mustard oil and left to dry in the sun. Once dry, they can be stored in an air-tight container and fried up whenever you want to eat them. They’re crispy and tasty.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cXMdPeiK5lQ/XStgjqJR5JI/AAAAAAAAEBc/4Ced-ptGqlozXWHqJ6PYEzE1AbQTx9CgQCLcBGAs/s1600/Fulauri1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cXMdPeiK5lQ/XStgjqJR5JI/AAAAAAAAEBc/4Ced-ptGqlozXWHqJ6PYEzE1AbQTx9CgQCLcBGAs/s400/Fulauri1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fulauri</td></tr>
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<br />
Fulauri or rice flour cracker, is our final southern food and it’s pretty simple to make. Rice flour is boiled together with water till it becomes sticky and gooey. Then salt is added to taste, together with a bit of carom seeds and edible colour before the batter is allowed to cool. Then small nuggets are made from the mixture and left to dry in the sun. These can also be fried and are then ready to eat as snacks.</div>
sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-15949509789451675712019-04-08T11:40:00.000+05:452019-04-08T16:28:44.370+05:45Special food combinations from the Terai that sound absurd but taste amazing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://ecs.com.np/features/special-food-combinations-from-the-terai-that-sound-absurd-but-taste-amazing">Republished from ECS</a>.<br />
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Identifying ideal food combinations is not only a culinary art but also a tedious process. If you get the combination right, the food not only tastes amazing but also has several health benefits. However, if the combination goes haywire, it might lead even to food poisoning. But we are lucky to inherit so many different food traditions handed down to us by our elders. Let’s have a look at some unique food combinations from the southern plains of Nepal.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FT1ehAlzF-I/XKrhtvKlamI/AAAAAAAAC4E/C2WfNAuKir4jCTUsgaLQCsCNp96T5CdHwCLcBGAs/s1600/Khesari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FT1ehAlzF-I/XKrhtvKlamI/AAAAAAAAC4E/C2WfNAuKir4jCTUsgaLQCsCNp96T5CdHwCLcBGAs/s400/Khesari.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Khesari saag.</td></tr>
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<b>Grass peas and brinjal (Khesari – bhanta)</b><br />
Grass peas (<i>Lathyrus sativus</i>), grown as a forage in Europe, is considered a poor man’s pigeon pea (<i>rahar ko dal</i>) in the Terai. Although there’s a common belief that its prolonged use can cause paralysis, people love the grass peas and brinjal (eggplant or aubergine) curry in the southern plains.<br />
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Here’s how you cook it: Cut <i>khesari</i> leaves into fine pieces and chop the brinjal into fine cubes. Get your spices ready to start with. Then heat few spoonful of mustard oil, fry finely with chopped garlic, onion, ginger and chilly pieces. As the onion turns brown, add the brinjal pieces and fry them for a while. Then slowly add the grass peas and cook for a while. As you cook the curry, add the spices (turmeric, chilly, coriander and cumin powder) and water and cook on low heat. You can eat the curry with boiled rice but it tastes better when eaten with puffed rice.<br />
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<b>Bottle gourd and mustard greens (Gonja)</b><br />
Have you ever tried cooking bottle gourd and mustard greens together? The mixed curry of bottle gourd and mustard greens, called gonja in Eastern Nepal, is a local delicacy during the onset of the winter season.<br />
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Here’s how you cook it: Scrape the bottle gourd and cut it into small pieces. Also cut small pieces of mustard leaves. Just like other curries, start with frying onion, chillies, ginger and garlic pieces. You can also fry fenugreek and cumin seeds for a unique taste. Once the onion gets brown, add the bottle gourd pieces and fry till they pieces become a bit translucent. Then add the mustard greens. Fry them both and cook on low heat. Finally add a bit of water and add a pinch of rice flour, if available. Let it cook for a while—it'll be ready in few minutes. Serve it with either rice or puffed rice. They also cook bottle gourd and sinki (fermented and dried greens) together. It’s also called gonja but is a bit sour in taste.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J7bhfinY_qs/XKrh6rSb3VI/AAAAAAAAC4I/inxzOWU2QjYAf8WgjZdmikFHSqYcVmLHACLcBGAs/s1600/Drumstick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J7bhfinY_qs/XKrh6rSb3VI/AAAAAAAAC4I/inxzOWU2QjYAf8WgjZdmikFHSqYcVmLHACLcBGAs/s400/Drumstick.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drumsticks and flaxseed.</td></tr>
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<b>Drumstick and flaxseed (moonga – aalash)</b><br />
Drumstick, flaxseed and bay leaf make a yummy curry. Just roast the seeds and grind them into powder form. While cooking the drumsticks start by frying the bay leaves, dried red chillies and nicely sliced onions in mustard oil. As the onion slices turn brown add the drumstick pieces and slices of potatoes to taste and cook on low heat. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste and salt to taste and add warm water. Finally, add the flaxseed powder for thick gravy and your dish is ready!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HIoOZvVoE7E/XKriDrWblnI/AAAAAAAAC4Q/ykO8nrvCamQC9RkoM1ZAdbT18lbkS7_nQCLcBGAs/s1600/Jhilli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HIoOZvVoE7E/XKriDrWblnI/AAAAAAAAC4Q/ykO8nrvCamQC9RkoM1ZAdbT18lbkS7_nQCLcBGAs/s400/Jhilli.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jhilli</td></tr>
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<b>Jhilli – dahi curry</b><br />
<i>Jhilli</i>, made of chickpea flour, looks like a jalebi but is salty in taste. Fried in mustard oil or vanaspati ghee, they are one of the most sought after snacks in haats, the weekly markets of the southern plains. And if you cook it in a thick gravy of chopped onion, spices and dahi (curd), it makes a fabulous curry.<br />
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<b>Elephant foot yam and mango ginger (Oal- amadi)</b><br />
We talked about <a href="http://ecs.com.np/features/how-to-cook-elephant-foot-yamaka-oal">elephant foot yam aka <i>oal</i> curry</a> in our September 2018 issue. When mixed with mango ginger aka <i>amadi</i>, the oal tastes much better. The amadi looks like ginger but tastes like raw mango and it makes a unique combination with oal. You’ll just need to grind elephant foot yam and mango ginger, together with chilly and spices. Then dry the mixture in the sun first before packing it in a bottle with mustard oil and salt to taste. It's finger licking good!<br />
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<b>Fresh bamboo shoots and flaxseed (Tama – aalash)</b><br />
The fresh bamboo shoots are a bit bitter when cooked without treating with baking soda. But when boiled with baking soda, the bitterness goes away. And once garnished with flaxseed powder, the slurpy bamboo shoot curry tastes amazing! It's a peculiar dish cooked in the southern plains of Nepal and since the flaxseed has been deemed a superfood, the curry, if introduced to a wider audience, is set to be a hit among foodies.<br />
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<b>Koiralo leaves and flaxseed</b><br />
The <i>Bauhinia variegata L.</i> flowers are delicious to eat as a pickle or chutney. Called <i>koiralo</i> in Nepali and <i>koilar</i> in the local language of the southern plains of Nepal, its tender leaves are eaten as a popular vegetable. And if garnished with flaxseed powder just like the fresh bamboo shoots, it tastes superb!<br />
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The food of southern Nepal is diverse and delicious – give one of the above recipes a try, or ask for these dishes at local eateries the next time you visit the plains.<br />
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sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-75579755311081083932019-02-19T11:19:00.001+05:452019-02-19T11:33:13.686+05:45Looks like ginger, tastes like mango<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://ecs.com.np/food/looks-like-ginger-tastes-like-mango">Republished from ECS</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TpdGENQ4Lg4/XGuVUbjPCDI/AAAAAAAAC2Y/1QitDhj6RIYi4jo1W4k7_XI3WI2MlBIqACLcBGAs/s1600/Amadi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TpdGENQ4Lg4/XGuVUbjPCDI/AAAAAAAAC2Y/1QitDhj6RIYi4jo1W4k7_XI3WI2MlBIqACLcBGAs/s400/Amadi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amadi looks like ginger but tastes like raw mango.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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If you go to the southern plains of eastern Nepal and ask for local snacks at roadside eateries, you’ll most probably be served a savory mixture of beaten and puffed rice, chickpea curry, fritters, fried chili, and a special chutney made from <i>amadi</i>.<br />
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Amadi looks like ginger or turmeric, but tastes like a raw mango. In eastern Nepal, a mango is called <i>aam</i>, and ginger is called <i>aadi</i>, so these two words might have been combined to derive the word ‘amadi’. In the hilly region, it is called <i>aaphaledo</i>, while in western Nepal, it is called <i>aaphardi</i>, or <i>aamhardi</i>—a combination of <i>aap</i>, or <i>aam</i>, for mango, and <i>hardi</i> for turmeric. Its English name is mango ginger or white turmeric.<br />
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Amadi chutney, tangy but delicious, is also a must-have item at community feasts in the eastern Terai. Made by grinding amadi and chili together and adding mustard oil and salt to taste, the chutney not only adds that extra special flavor, but also helps digestion.<br />
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Grown sparsely in the Terai and mid-hills, this root is also used as a medicine. It’s been used in Ayurveda and Greek medicine as a cure for all types of itching and skin diseases and as an appetizer. Recently, researchers in Germany have discovered that it is a good medicine for obesity. Tharus in eastern Nepal believe that it even cures paralysis, and is an antidote for the effects of heat wave. <br />
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While different types of pickles can be made from amadi, the <i>oal</i> (elephant foot yam) and amadi pickle stands out among all. For that, you’ll need to gather mango ginger, elephant foot yam, tamarind, green chilies, and other spices. Clean and cut the mango ginger and elephant foot yam into small slices and let them dry for a day. Then, crush them into fine pieces together with tamarind, chilies, and ginger. Add turmeric powder, other spices, and salt to taste, and mix them well. Leave the mixture to dry in the sun again for a day or two and then pack it into a bottle and add mustard oil to it. The pickle can be eaten from the first day itself, but it tastes much better if consumed a few days after it’s made.</div>
sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-1463078607363728592019-02-12T12:23:00.003+05:452021-01-07T12:03:03.244+05:45Faceless in History<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>Written by Tej Narayan Panjiar</i><br />
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<i>Republished from the July/Aug 1993 issue of Himal magazine. Used with permission.</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nxWarXM-Mmc/XGJnCnID3XI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/bUkCaacRDdEEI45VkxZaz-p9A2w-E5hGQCLcBGAs/s1600/ChapagaonShilalekh.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="393" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nxWarXM-Mmc/XGJnCnID3XI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/bUkCaacRDdEEI45VkxZaz-p9A2w-E5hGQCLcBGAs/s320/ChapagaonShilalekh.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A charter at Chapagaon. Photo by Bikas Rauniar. Used with permission.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Tharus could not have hid out in the jungle for aeons waiting to be discovered during the malaria eradication campaign of the 1950s. They must have a history of their own.</i></span><br />
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Henry Ambrose Oldfield, in his book <i>Sketches from Nepal</i>, describes the Tharu of the Nepal Tarai as “a puny, badly developed and miserable-looking race, and probably belonging to the same original stock as the natives of the adjacent Plains of India”.<br />
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Apart from the extreme cultural bias of this description, the belittling terminology was not borne out even in Old field's day, when the robust forest-dwelling Tharus were described by another contemporary book as being “chiefly employed in the difficult and dangerous task of catching wild elephants". And a population group that had defied mighty malaria itself could hardly have been "badly developed".<br />
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As for Tharu origins, rather than his perfunctory hypothesis, Oldfield might have delved into the possibility that the Tharu have Mongolian blood, but he probably was not interested.<br />
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Unfortunately, things have hardly changed since Oldfield's days, and successive British writers and historians, as well as the subsequent South Asian scholars have, by and large, shown similar weaknesses with regard to the Tharu society and its history. As one of the most disenfranchised groups of the Ganga basin, it is perhaps natural that this should happen to the Tharus.<br />
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<b>Sympathetic Mention</b><br />
What were the Tharus doing in the malarial jungles and how did they get there? No social scientist has yet felt a need to study history of the Tharus in depth. They make up an invisible community which makes an appearance only when it suits the interests of the mainstream historians. In the case of Nepal, such a time arrived when malaria eradication finally cleared the jungles and it was imperative to say something about the resilient population of this region.<br />
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Even so, the interest of modern historians of Nepal and India seems limited to brief sympathetic mention of Tharus as an exploited population group, and how they have resilience against malaria. Some bizarre theories are also propounded as to the Tharu's origin. When they finally find the time to delve into the Tharus' past, researchers will find that they have not been faceless in history, and have in fact been active participants in the happenings of the Himalayan region and adjacent plains.<br />
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For example, there exist many <i>lalmohars</i> (land grant documents) awarded by the kings of Palpa, Makwanpur and Nepal Valley to Tharus for their bravery, "extraordinary sense of duty", or other reasons. Such documents can be found from Morang district all the way west to Kanchanpur. There are lalmohars from the kings of Kathmandu and Palpa which grant full enjoyment of Tharus to Tarai lands (except the tithe) if they are able to control the wild animals and the spirits of the jungles.<br />
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Mahesh Chandra Regmi, the economic historian, in his book <i>Landownership in Nepal during the Nineteenth Century</i> seeks to prove that the Tarai lands belonged to the Thakuris, Ranas and Bahuns. While this is doubtless partly true, it must be remembered that, at best, the hill people came down for three months in mid-winter, and were gone by the end of February. They did not know what the Tharus produced in their lands, and were content to let the Tharus be the defacto landowners.<br />
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Thus, the Tharus were the masters of much of the Tarai lands, but there are numerous lalmohars to prove that they also had <i>de jure</i> title over vast tracts. For instance, one such lalmohar sanctions land in today’s Parsa district south of Kathmandu in favour of the family of Darpnarayan Garwar Tharu, for "gallantry" shown in a war between Makwanpur and southern marauders. There are many such lalmohars available for other parts of the Tarai as well.<br />
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The very fact of the linear habitation of Nepal through the length of Nepal's Tarai tends to prove that they spread out and inhabited this expanse over a long historical period. Unfortunately, we know little about this period. The priests and nobles of India and Nepal have always worked well together when the question at issue does not touch upon their rival claims upon one another. When it comes to the Tharus, therefore, these groups have found it mutually convenient to relegate the Tharus to a historical corner, the implication being that these are barbarians with no history.<br />
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<b>Rajasthan, Rajasthan</b><br />
An attempt to write the social history of the Tharus is problematic, and credit goes to anthropologist Dor Bahadur Bista for at least having made a start in <i>People of Nepal</i> (HMG Nepal, 1967). But other historians are satisfied with fanciful notions about Tharu origins that do injustice to the community.<br />
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With no evidence to support the contention, some have claimed that the Tharus are descended from those that fled from the Thar Desert in Rajasthan during the attack of Allauddin Khilji in the 12th century and Emperor Akbar in the 16th century. Baburam Acharya, a Nepali historian of stature, has accepted this thesis and stated that many Rajput soldiers were killed by Akbar's forces and that the women of those soldiers fled to the jungles of Nepal with their servants. The Tharus are supposed to be the progeny of these mistresses and their servants.<br />
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Some innocent/ crafty modern-day Tharus have taken satisfaction in this explanation, possibly because it links the community to the glorious Rajputs of Rajasthan. The reason the Tharus lost the sacred thread, it is reasoned, is because they gave up warfare and adopted agriculture. (That perhaps they were not originally Hindus is indicated from an order that was issued to enforce the Muluki Ain (1854) among Tharus who lived between Morang and Dang-Deokhuri. Among other things, the order decrees that Tharus are not to eat pork or drink liquor, and that males are not to marry maternal cousin sisters).<br />
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Rajasthan lies to the south and west of Delhi, which was the seat of the Muslim kings and emperors. Why would the bevy of doubtlessly brave Rajput ladies insist on travelling through Mughal territory to end up in the jungles of the lower Himalaya when they could have fled easily southwards to the hills of the Satpura and Vindhya ranges?<br />
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A theory propounded by Iswor Baral, presently the Vice Chancellor of the Royal Nepal Academy, seems more plausible than the 'flight from Rajasthan' myth. Baral, who grew up among the Tharus and knows the community well, is of the view that the Tharus are descended from a community that was persecuted and banished northwards during the expansion of the Vajjii Republic. According to the Buddhist scholar Ashwagosa, this was a flourishing state during the Sakyamuni’s time. From geographical history, we know that the Vajjii territory incorporated Champaran, Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga districts in present-day Bihar.<br />
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This would explain why, as Baral theorises, the Tharus call all non-Tharu population to the south by the name "Vajiya". This term has now even entered the Nepali language, "bajiya" meaning "uncouth". This theory must, of course, stand the rigours of academic reasoning, which will probably happen when more scholars take an interest in Tharu history.<br />
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<b>Sakya of Lumbini<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O8Wuxpvu6Nk/XGJoiuur8WI/AAAAAAAAC1o/rWTARCGYCOY6H_cUOqWOueeZCr7K54jfACEwYBhgL/s1600/Octoradii%2Bfrom%2BLumbini.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="139" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O8Wuxpvu6Nk/XGJoiuur8WI/AAAAAAAAC1o/rWTARCGYCOY6H_cUOqWOueeZCr7K54jfACEwYBhgL/s1600/Octoradii%2Bfrom%2BLumbini.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Octoradii from Lumbini. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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</b><br />
The Tharus certainly were not a community that hid out in the forest for eons waiting to be discovered during the malaria eradication campaign of the 1960s. Serious work on their antiquity would probably reveal interesting linkages with the main stream of South Asian history. Could it be, for example, that the Sakyamuni Buddha was a Tharu?<br />
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The first and foremost principle laid down by the Buddha has been named Theravada. But according to its Pali rendition, it is Theragatha, that is, the story of the Tharu. It is though t by some that the Sakyamuni modelled the organisation of his <i>sangha</i> on a community such as his own. It is significant that the Sakya seem not to have the Varna system, and they were isolated to the extent that they were self-governing and their polity was of a form not envisaged in Brahminical theory.<br />
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The fact that the Sakyamuni's birthplace in Lumbini is still in the midst of a Tharu settled area might be one indication that they are the original inhabitants of this area. A. Fuhrer, who discovered the Lumbini site, was himself of the view that Tharus are the descendants of the Sakyas, though he was unable to prove his case.<br />
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Excavations done at Tilaurakot, the site of the palace of the Sakyamuni's father King Suddhodhana, have brought up some 3rd century artifacts (contemporary to the Vajjii) that deserve further study. Some of the bricks are stamped with the octoradii circle, which is the mark of the "turning of the wheel of the law" throughout the Buddhist world of Southeast Asia, Japan, China, and also in the Ashokan inscriptions. Another stamp bears the mark of the trisul. On the walls of the thatched huts of the Tharus today, one finds frescos that carry identical marks of the octoradii circle and trisul.<br />
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As followers of the Buddha, were the Tharus persecuted by the Brahminical forces, and is this why they were forced into the forests, where the 20th century finally found them? As one scholar wrote in 1896, “The clan and the disciples of Buddha were so ruthlessly persecuted that all were either slain, exiled or made to change their faith. There is scarcely a case on record where a religious persecution was so successfully carried out as that by which Buddhism was driven out of its place of birth.”<br />
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Taking this line of thought a step further, it is probable that as the Tharus fled persecution, they not only entered the Tarai jungle but that some also fled further north to the Valley of Kathmandu. There are several unanswered questions in the history of the Valley that could perhaps be explained if the Tharu element were to be introduced.<br />
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<b>Fish Lovers</b><br />
Of Manadeva, said to be the founder of the Licchhavi dynasty (464 AD), there is no suggestion that he was a Licchhavi. It was only 126 years later that his descendant Sivadeva I laid claim to Licchhavi lineage. And it is Sivadeva who had a charter inscribed in stone to the people of Tharu Drang (Tharu Village), which is the present-day village of Chapagaon in Lalitpur District. The inscription, which is to be found in Chapagaon today, reduces the tax to the people of Tharu Drang on different kinds of fish. Tharus, it need hardly be stated, are fish lovers to this day.<br />
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Historians Dilli Raman Regmi and Dhana Bajra Bajracharya went to great lengths to try and identify the different kinds of fish that are named in the inscription, such as <i>Kastika, Mukta, Bhukundika</i> and <i>Rajagraba</i>, Despite complicated semantic analysis, they failed to identify these alien names. A Tharu would have told them that Kastika is a fish that can be bought even today in the Indra Chowk market. The standard name of this fish is <i>Gainchi</i>, but in colloquial usage it is sometimes known as Kastika, a term which indicates that the fish does not spoil as easily as other fish.<br />
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They were unable to identify a fish named Bhukundika, because, again a Tharu would have told them, Bhukundika is not a fish. It is instead a clam-type slug which is found abundantly in Kathmandu Valley but shunned by the local population. Today, the Tharus who live in Kathmandu savour the slugs as a delicacy, although today they know it as <i>Doka</i>.<br />
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And what does the similarities of the Jyapu caste of Kathmandu Valley and the Tharu say of the origins of either group? The Jyapus use the <i>kharpan</i>, balancing two loads on a bamboo pole, as do the Tharu, who call their implement the <i>baihinga</i>. No other Valley community uses it but the Jyapu. Both Tharus and Jyapus relish beaten rice (chiura lo the Valley dwellers, also to Tharus). Jyapu and Tharu women use the <i>okhal</i> and <i>musalo</i> to beat rice, but this is not the case with the neighbouring communities of the Valley or Tarai. Jyapu women tattoo their upper heels, exactly as the Tharu women do.<br />
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Who are the Tharus, where do they come from, and what light can their history shed on the past of the Himalaya and South Asia as a whole? Some historical interest in the Tharus by scholars of today will shed some light on numerous nooks and crannies of the past. We will then gain better understanding about so many issues, from the days of the Sakyamuni, to the spread of populations along the Ganga and Tarai belt of today's India and Nepal, the populating of the Kathmandu Valley, and the reasons behind the backwardness of Tharus today. And with such understanding, hopefully, there will develop a greater appreciation of Tharu culture, which in turn will finally work to eliminate the social and political discrimination that this community faces in Nepal today. <br />
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<i>T.N. Panjiar worked in the National Planning Commission of Nepal.</i><br />
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Read the original article <a href="http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/himal/pdf/Himal_6_4.pdf">here</a>. <br />
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sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-52299724977762222722018-12-20T12:16:00.002+05:452019-01-02T13:22:14.512+05:45How to cook elephant foot yam aka oal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0gCdCu1-eA0/XBs3HJnH5-I/AAAAAAAACuY/9Rh0dCywRx8j6uSiDGGnEuXk0-JkNx1_QCLcBGAs/s1600/ElephantFootYam1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0gCdCu1-eA0/XBs3HJnH5-I/AAAAAAAACuY/9Rh0dCywRx8j6uSiDGGnEuXk0-JkNx1_QCLcBGAs/s400/ElephantFootYam1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://ecs.com.np/features/how-to-cook-elephant-foot-yamaka-oal">Republished from ECS</a><br />
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As the month of Shrawan begins, you’ll see the cycle-wallah and other vegetable vendors selling a round object along with other regular vegetables. I’ve come across many people asking about this strange vegetable while buying the elephant foot yam, known as <i>oal</i> in the southern plains of Nepal. Oal is a very popular tuber in the terai, especially among vegetarians, because if cooked well, it tastes better than fish and meat delicacies. Also, its curry is a must-eat delicacy during the <i>Jitiya</i> festival celebrated widely in the terai.<br />
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What’s so special about this ugly-looking tuber? It can’t be eaten raw, and needs either lemon juice or curd paste, even when cooked, due to the oxalates present in it. However, it is a natural medicine for piles and many other illnesses like dysentery, vomiting, stomach ache, and asthma. It grows well in fallow land, as well, and doesn't need much water to grow.<br />
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So, how do you cook oal? It’s simple, but you’ll need to take care while cleaning and chopping it into pieces. You can either wear plastic gloves or apply a layer of oil to your palms to avoid the itching that can come while cleaning the tuber. Wash the tuber properly and scrape the outer layer with a knife. Then, either cut it into small cubes or slices as per your choice.<br />
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If you want to go for cubes, fry the chopped onions in ghee till they are brown, and then add the cubes and fry them together. Then, as you cook, add salt, turmeric powder, cumin, coriander, and chili powder and garlic paste. Add a bit of curd and water and cook on low heat. Once it is cooked, garnish it with coriander leaves.<br />
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However, if you want to go for slices, boil them and then drain the water from the slices. Then, fry the slices on both sides in ghee. As in the earlier case, fry chopped onions, and once they brown, add salt, turmeric powder, cumin, coriander, and chili powder and garlic paste to it. Now, add a bit of curd and water and make a thin gravy. As it starts boiling, dip the fried slices in it and let them soak the gravy. Once it gets cooked, garnish it with coriander leaves.<br />
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The oal curry can be served with rice or chapatis, but it tastes best when served with puffed rice. And if you want to avoid adding curd, add lemon juice to the oal curry at the end, before garnishing with coriander leaves.<br />
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So, next time you see a vegetable vendor selling this strange tuber, buy it and try cooking it for yourself. I’m sure you’ll love it!</div>
sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-91795696202555269532018-06-22T10:33:00.002+05:452018-06-22T10:36:54.415+05:45A ray of hope for sickle cell patients<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pills (for representation purpose only). <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/grumpy-puddin/5161819684/">Image</a> by Flickr user Me. (CC BY 2.0) </td></tr>
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The <a href="https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/world-sickle-cell-awareness-day/">World Sickle Cell Awareness Awareness Day</a> just passed by on 19 June. Since 2008, World Sickle Cell Awareness Day has been held annually, in order to help increase public knowledge and raise awareness of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and the struggles sufferers and their families go through.<br />
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In Nepal, Tharus, the fourth largest group in terms of population in Nepal, have a seven-fold lower prevalence of malaria than non-Tharus. Tharus have been living in the plains, which were infested with malaria for thousands of years.<br />
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Sickle cell has been found to be more prevalent in the malaria-affected areas, especially among Tharus, and the people with sickle-cell trait have been found to be more resistant to malaria.<br />
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Read: <a href="https://globalvoices.org/2015/06/19/sickle-cell-disease-has-hit-nepals-tharu-indigenous-community-particularly-hard/">Sickle-Cell Disease Has Hit Nepal’s Tharu Indigenous Community Particularly Hard</a><br />
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Sickle-cell disease receives its name from the abnormally shaped red blood cells, like a sickle in appearance, that get stuck in the blood vessels. The disorder, which is inherited from parents, makes it difficult for the blood vessels to deliver oxygen to the body, causing intense pain and leading to complications like organ damage and stroke at times.<br />
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As the diagnosis and treatment of the disease is very expensive and not available at local health facilities in Nepal, many families have sold their land and properties to get treatment in neighboring India.<br />
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However, a new drug is supposed to provide a ray of hope to sickle cell patients. The new drug, called SelG1, has performed well in very early trials. Scientists claim that it has reduced episodes of sickle cell discomfort dilemmas by 45%. They additionally state that it seems safe and was well tolerated.<br />
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Read <a href="http://www.dietnutritionadvisor.com/new-drug-may-solve-sickle-cell-pain-crises">more</a>. </div>
sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-35540723997703144242018-02-06T14:45:00.001+05:452018-02-06T14:54:08.834+05:45Look for traditional knowledge if you’re not sure about something<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There’s something special about traditional knowledge. Through countless trial and error our ancestors were able to find out the best way to maximise the good properties and minimise the bad properties of plants found in our surrounding. <br />
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Since it’s the season of growing grass peas in the terai, I’ll tell you about its wise use – how people cook it into a delicious dish and store it for future use. <br />
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Also the mango trees have started flowering in the terai. Within a month or two there will be plenty of green mangoes around and the parents will be asking their children not to consume too much green mangoes fearing the sore eyes. I’ll be talking about a home remedy to get rid of the sore eyes caused by eating green mangoes. <br />
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<b>Khesari </b><br />
Called <i>khesari</i> locally, grass peas are considered largely inedible due to a toxic component in it which <a href="https://www.feedipedia.org/node/285">may cause paralysis if consumed in excessive amount</a>. <br />
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However, it has been a staple diet for the people of southern plains in eastern Nepal. They are easy to grow and can be eaten as green leafy vegetables or can be wrapped as <a href="https://tharuculture.blogspot.com/2017/05/biriya-delicious-dry-greens-from-nepals.html">biriya</a> and stored for future use or used as lentils or <i>besan</i> (lentil flour) to cook <i>pakoda</i> (fritter or tempura).<br />
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The farmers broadcast-seed the grass peas together with linseed in standing rice crops one or two weeks before the rice harvest. The grass peas and linseed then grow on their own. They neither need irrigation nor further weeding due to their <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214514116300629">tolerance to drought and capability to withstand extreme temperatures</a>. <br />
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Khesari has a special place in the Tharu cuisine either as leaf curry or dried biriya. They cook it together with brinjal and it tastes amazing. Here’s how to cook it.<br />
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQjcqdplrb2/" data-instgrm-version="8" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQjcqdplrb2/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Grass peas on sale at a local market in the southern plains of Nepal. Though the Lathyrus sativus is grown as a forage in Europe, it's considered a poor man's pigeon pea (rahar ko dal) in the terai and there's a belief that its prolonged use can cause paralysis. Called #khesari, the green vegetable is delicious! Here's the recipe: Cut khesari leaves into fine pieces, cut cuboid pieces of brinjal, get your spices to start with. Heat few spoonfuls of mustard oil, fry finely cut garlic, onion, ginger and chilly pieces. As the onion turns brown, add the brinjal pieces and fry them for a while. Then slowly add the green peas and cook for a while. As you cook the curry, add the spices (turmeric, chilly, coriander and cumin powder) and water and cook in slow heat. Eat the curry with rice but I prefer eating it with puffed rice. It tastes amazing! -------- #grasspeas #lathyrussativus #legumes #lentil #terai #Nepal #foodgasm #food #picoftheday #photooftheday #recipeoftheday #instalike</a></div>
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A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sankuchy/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> Sanjib Chaudhary</a> (@sankuchy) on <time datetime="2017-02-16T01:22:26+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 15, 2017 at 5:22pm PST</time></div>
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<b>Chhakarneri</b><br />
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While the whole world, Ayurveda in particular, consider <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipta_prostrata"><i>Eclipta prostrata</i></a> as a hair growth supporter, the Tharus in the Eastern Nepal use it for a totally different purpose. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) Shankar Chaudhary</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Shankarian">Shankar Chaudhary</a> from Sunsari <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1297042310407516&set=a.103211553123937.6758.100003052783161&type=3">writes</a>, “<i>When we were children and ate too many green mangoes during the months of Chaitra-Baishakh (March - April), it resulted into sore eyes just like conjunctivitis</i>.”<br />
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“<i>The old and learned men used to suggest us eating chhakarneri (Tharu name for Eclipta prostrata)</i>,” he adds. “<i>In fact eating this herb cured the red eyes. A thick paste of this herb, applied to hair, thickens it, say the elders.</i>”</div>
sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-25333957288472473652017-05-17T16:09:00.001+05:452017-05-17T16:12:25.211+05:45Biriya – the delicious dry greens from Nepal’s southern plains<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Have you heard about “biriya”? In southern plains of Nepal, this dry green vegetable, eaten during the rainy season, is quite popular. During the winter, women gather the green vegetables, wither them a bit, wrap them in black gram paste and let them dry. The dried biriya is stored in a dry place and used as an alternative vegetable during the rainy season when the green vegetables are scarce.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQmBczyAdNW/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">In the West they say "make hay when there is sunshine" and here in the southern plains of Nepal, the locals say "wrap and dry vegetables when they are found in abundance". They collect mustard leaves, broad leaf mustard and grass peas, let them wither a bit and wrap them with black gram flour paste. Drying them on sun makes "biriya", as they call locally, that is stored to be cooked during the rainy season when the green vegetables are scarce. The black gram paste gives a tangy taste to biriya and also works as a preservative. Plus it's a source of high protein. If you ask me personally, I like the mustard leaves biriya the most! Want a "biriya" recipe? DM me for details. ------- #biriya #wrappedgreens #grasspeas #broadleafmustard #mustard #terai #Nepal #Tharus #storing #savingforfuture #resilience #travelgram #traveldiary #instalike #instapic #picoftheday #photooftheday #instatravel #localtaste #curry #traditionalknowledge</a></div>
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A post shared by Sanjib Chaudhary (@sankuchy) on <time datetime="2017-02-17T01:22:22+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 16, 2017 at 5:22pm PST</time></div>
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Looking at how it got the name ‘biriya’, I came across an interesting response from my friend <a href="https://globalvoices.org/author/psubhashish/">Shubhashish Panigrahi</a> from Odisha. Responding to my above Instagram post, he said, “Black gram is Biri in Odia. I know we are related.” <br />
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And yes, when I see the Eastern Tharu and Odia languages, there are lot many similarities between the both. At least I have found many words with same roots. There’s some relationship between natives of Odisha and the Tharus of Nepal. Watch this space for more posts on the similarities! </div>
sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-78141782240770636122017-03-10T07:35:00.002+05:452017-03-10T07:38:53.240+05:45Compiling typical and original Tharu words before they disappear<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Tharu Welfare Society of Deukhuri, Dang is in the final stages of publishing a dictionary of western Tharu language.<br />
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Sanjib Chaudhary from the Voice of Tharus spoke with the team about the dictionary, its importance and how the team is working to complete the tedious task of collecting the peculiar Tharu words which are on the verge of vanishing. <br />
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Here are the excerpts of interviews with Uday Raj Aaley, the editor and resource person; Goma Kalathoki, the phonetic editor and Bal Govind Chaudhary, the coordinator of this task of compiling the dictionary.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uday Raj Aaley</td></tr>
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<b>Voice of Tharus (VOT): Tell our readers about the Tharu dictionary and how you are collecting and compiling the Tharu words.</b><br />
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<b>Uday Raj Aaley (URA):</b> Language is the key symbol of identity and to preserve and develop a language, a dictionary is a must. <br />
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First of all, I would like to thank Tharu Welfare Society of Deukhuri, Dang and its board members for giving me the responsibility of an editor and resource person to compile this dictionary. <br />
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I am working in a team – Tharu scholars Sher Bahadur Chaudhari, Rajendra Prasad Chaudhari and Lilagambhir Tharu have been employed to collect Tharu words. Some words have been compiled from secondary sources such as books, epics, folk tales, magazines, newspapers, etc. <br />
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We have decided to include Tharu words of different genres in the dictionary. It comprises Deukhuriya and Dangoriya Tharu words which are spoken in different districts of western Nepal. The Tharus are rich in culture and they have many typical words for cultural and ritual activities. <br />
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It’s a great challenge because many typical and original Tharu words are disappearing day by day. The dictionary has archaic as well as new words which are popular and used in day to day life. <br />
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<b>VOT: What is the scope of the dictionary? How many people do you want to reach with the publication of the dictionary?</b><br />
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<b>URA:</b> The trilingual dictionary – Tharu- English-Nepali – will help Tharu, Nepali and English speaking readers. There are dialects and some variations in the Tharu language spoken in different parts of Terai region in Nepal. <br />
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I think the dictionary will be helpful and valuable for Tharu people, scholars, researchers, teachers, students, trainers, textbook writers, journalists, language activists, social workers and those who want to study about Tharus and Tharu language. <br />
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At the same time, the dictionary will contribute to preserve Tharu language. The Tharu Welfare Society has networks with Tharu people and concerned departments. It will manage the distribution of the dictionary.<br />
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<b>VOT: How do you think it will help the target audience that you have in mind? </b><br />
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<b>URA:</b> I have been doing research on Tharus of western Nepal. The loss of language harms the linguistic and cultural diversity of the country and the world as well. <br />
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Many of the languages spoken in Nepal are confined to their oral traditions. There is need to develop a policy to impart basic education in mother tongue. It is through his/her mother tongue that every human being first learns to formulate and express his/her ideas about himself/herself and the world. <br />
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The ‘one nation- one language’ policy was adopted during Rana and Panchayat periods in Nepal. After the reestablishment of democracy, ethnic organisations have been playing an active role in creating awareness about promoting and preserving their mother tongues including their cultural identities. There should be special provisions to indigenous peoples to retain their languages and cultures. <br />
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Different languages enhance different ways of expressing experiences, thoughts, feelings, and aesthetics. To impart knowledge through the medium of his/her own language first, where the dictionary is available, his/her own mother tongue can then be used creatively. <br />
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I think the state and the ethnic groups have obligation and are equally responsible to enable and retain their languages and cultures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9zqFJu74bjk/WMIF36HoVXI/AAAAAAAAB_4/UZPadFUib9QS_dXzXv9Ob0pNAKLyQuRjQCLcB/s1600/Goma%2BKalathoki1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9zqFJu74bjk/WMIF36HoVXI/AAAAAAAAB_4/UZPadFUib9QS_dXzXv9Ob0pNAKLyQuRjQCLcB/s320/Goma%2BKalathoki1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goma Kalathoki</td></tr>
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<b>VOT: What are the difficulties did you face while transcribing the Tharu words into International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)?</b><br />
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<b>Goma Kalathoki (GK):</b> The Tharu dictionary which is going to be published is a great work for the Tharu community as well as other readers. I was employed as a phonetic editor by Uday Raj Aaley, the editor and resource person for the dictionary and Tharu Welfare Society to transcribe the compiled Tharu words. I am very much happy because I have tried to complete the task sincerely. <br />
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There are many difficulties and challenges in any work you do and I have faced difficulties doing this. I am a student of English and this opportunity has taught me the importance of language and its micro elements. <br />
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Tharu language does not have its own script. Devnagari script has been used throughout as written script for Tharu words. It should also be noted that Tharu language does not have all the sounds of the Nepali language. Therefore, some vowels and consonants of the Nepali language are omitted. This is followed by the phonetic transcription, transcribed Tharu word as it is pronounced. However, writing through the Devnagari script, we found that Devnagari lacks graphemes.<br />
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<b>VOT: Did you find any peculiarity in the Tharu words? Can the Tharu words be compared with words from other languages?</b><br />
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<b>GK:</b> Tharu language is spoken by the Tharu people of Terai region in Nepal. The Tharus have their native words to speak. There are some variations in the Tharu language, but the root words are similar. <br />
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In Dang district, Deukhuriya and Dangoriya dialects are spoken. Tharu language of mid-western region, especially Deukhuri where I was born, has a different dialect which is influenced by Awadhi and Nepali because a few words are borrowed from them. A couple of years ago Tharu people used to speak their mother tongue naturally. Of course every language has some peculiarities and exceptions from the normal patterns. For instance, Deukhuriya Tharu say ‘neimaza’ and Dangoriya Tharu say ‘nimaza’ for ‘not good’. <br />
<br />
New generations are using Nepali and English words in their conversation. Typical Tharu words are disappearing gradually. I think their native words should be preserved for future. The dictionary will preserve these words, but at the same we have to encourage new generation to speak their language in their daily life. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bal Govind Chaudhary</td></tr>
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<b>VOT: Why and how did the idea of preparing a Tharu language dictionary come up?</b><br />
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<b>Bal Govind Chaudhary (BGC):</b> Thank you for your question and giving an opportunity to share our work. First of all, I'm a responsible member of Tharu society and now secretary of Tharu Kalayankarini Sabha (Tharu Welfare Society) Deukhuri, Dang. As a secretary I would like to talk about some activities of Tharu Welfare Society. The Tharu Welfare Society has been working to promote language and culture. It has been publishing a quarterly journal named ‘Hamar Sanghariya’ (Our friend). To preserve and promote Tharu culture, it has been organising cultural programmes such as seminars and interaction programmes related to Tharu culture. It has also been organising cultural handicraft training to preserve age-old tradition. <br />
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From east to west, Tharus are divided into many groups according to their spoken language. eastern Tharu language is influenced by Maithaili, western Tharu language is influenced by Bhojpuri and Awadhi, and mid-western and far-western Tharu language is believed to be the original Tharu language but there are variations. <br />
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Nowadays, most of the Tharu words are disappearing. Because they use other language for communication to be civilised in the community (this is what they think!) so they are forgetting their own language. Terai is like a ‘melting pot’ and heterogeneous owing to the settlement of people migrating from hills and southern parts. Different kinds of people belonging to different caste and ethnic groups live in the Teari. Due to the diversity in settlement, Tharu language is at risk. Thus, it is necessary to preserve and promote it. And we ourselves are responsible for this. <br />
<br />
At the same time, people want to know Tharu language for trade, politics, social works, communication and so on. They want to study about Tharu culture, their rites and rituals. Without a Tharu dictionary it seems to be difficult. There are not sufficient linguistic documents and supporting materials to study about Tharu culture. Because of lack of study materials, many languages are disappearing from the world. Tharu language is also at risk. So the idea of publishing a Tharu language dictionary came up.<br />
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<b>VOT: Who are your target audience?</b><br />
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<b>BGC:</b> In my opinion, our target audiences are researchers, politicians, businessmen, teachers, social workers, personnel and students. <br />
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<b>VOT: What is your next step after publishing the dictionary?</b><br />
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<b>Team:</b> After publishing the dictionary we have planned programmes to publish Tharu grammar, cultural documentary, newspaper, and research publications.<br />
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<b>VOT: How do you plan to disseminate and share the learning of preparing the dictionary?</b><br />
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<b>Team:</b> We have planned to disseminate this dictionary through our networks, book sellers, and team members. And we have planned a ‘door to door dictionary campaign’.</div>
sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-85955272576476965152017-01-15T18:02:00.001+05:452017-01-15T18:12:25.060+05:45‘Tharu’ identity is part of a political agenda which does not necessarily correspond to the local reality – Gisele Krauskopff<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gisele Krauskopff. Image from her Facebook page.</td></tr>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.mae.u-paris10.fr/lesc/spip.php?article213">Gisele Krauskopff</a>, one of the first few researchers to conduct fieldwork in the Tharu dominant Dang Valley, is not a new name among the researchers working in the Himalayan region. <br />
<br />
Though most of her works have been published in French, ‘<a href="http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1627&context=himalaya">A Marshland Culture : Fishing and Trapping among a Farming People of the Tarai</a>’ gives an overview of different fishing techniques used by the Tharus in the Dang Valley. <br />
<br />
Sanjib Chaudhary from Voice of Tharus spoke with Gisele about her research work and publications. Here’s an excerpt of the interview.<br />
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<b>Voice of Tharus (VOT): Welcome to Voice of Tharus. Your pioneering research on Tharus has helped the Tharus to be recognised internationally. Can you tell our readers about your research and the publications you have published till date?</b><br />
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<b>Gisele Krauskopff (GK):</b> I am surprised to discover that my researches ‘helped the Tharu to be recognised internationally’. I think they managed themselves to be recognised. I doubt that books published in French could have such an influence. <br />
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Moreover, I should like to emphasise the following point (see also next question): I did not work on ‘The Tharu’ but did a study in a predominantly inhabited Tharu village in Dang valley in Western Nepal. At that time, the 1980s, (except for very few educated one) they had no contact with other groups called ‘Tharu’. The outsiders called them ‘<i>Dangaurya Tharu</i>’. The farmers in my residential village did not travel much outside of the valley and even to the neighbouring Deokhuri Valley. They did not like to go to the bazaar.<br />
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However, at the beginning of the 1960, after the land reform, whole villages had migrated to ‘<i>Buran</i>’, that is the Far Western district of Terai, mainly in Bardiya district. My most recent publication (to appear in English very soon) is about the so called migratory practices of the Tharu farmers that I trace in historical documents (Nepalese archives but also British colonial archives of the 19th century during the border conflicts between Nepal and British India from 1802 onward) and with the help of my ethnographic work. I considered this the most valuable part of my work (with my PhD).<br />
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My PhD research had a different perspective. My field work was done in 1981-1985, and according to the dominant ethnological approach at this period, was based on a monograph of a village of Western Dang where I spent two years and revisited often: a monograph of the rituals as I observed then, in this village, in the company of my best friend and informant, a <i>gurwa</i>, who was called in many houses or villages to treat illnesses and other disorders. <br />
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I taped all the events (I plan to deposit these tapes in protected archives or hopefully an open database) and was helped for their translation by Ashok Chaudhary, from Hekuli village. I used these documents to deepen my knowledge of the rituals and of the language with my <i>gurwa</i> friend. I also worked a lot with the women. Being myself a woman, it was easier and the deep and affectionate relationship I built with women was very very important for my day to day life and the progress in the local language and understanding of the culture.<br />
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But already then I was much interested by history and the processes by which the Tharu social organisation in Dang was moulded through an agrarian system in which the political and agrarian authority was delegated by a ‘Hindu’ king (living in the hills) to Tharu local headmen who had a pivotal and very important role in the centralisation of the system at the local level. Hence, I framed my ‘village’ study taking into account the larger territorial organisation of the Dang Valley, which was divided into several ‘<i>rajya</i>’ or <i>parganna</i>. <br />
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The main goal of my thesis and first book (<i>Maitres et Possédés</i> that I plan to translate and publish in English) was to demonstrate how the division between priestly clans and ‘client’ clans was rooted in this historical development and the history of subjection of the Tharu to hill kingdoms. This bipolar structure, extremely important in Dang, was not found in other area of Terai among other Tharu groups. It shows how the social and religious order that bounded the Dangaurya Tharu society at this time was locally rooted and inscribed in the agrarian and political history of the area. This local order is of course now part of history: the change brought by the transformation of Nepal in the last 25 years has changed the situation and local is no more local.<br />
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<b>VOT: What is opinion about the Tharus? Did you find any clues on the origin of Tharus during your research?<br /> </b><br />
<b>GK:</b> I have opinion on the human beings I met during my fieldwork, and very different ones, but none on ‘The Tharu’. <br />
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Even in the ‘Tharu’ village where I did my field researches, I met different kinds of ‘Tharu’, I mean: landless farmers, rich jimindar, educated fellows, illiterate people, women, men, kids and some villagers from other ethnic background. <br />
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<b>In all my researches I have tried to deconstruct this category ‘the Tharu’ used as an ethnic, caste oriented, or racial category</b>: many groups called Tharu have different social organisation, and some other groups differently called have very similar culture (as far as the lowlands of Assam). And inside any local communities, there are class distinctions (landless labourers, wealthy jimindar).<br />
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In the present political context of Nepal, ethnic groups have redefined themselves and ‘Tharu’ identity is part of a political agenda which does not necessarily correspond to the local reality I encountered in the past.<br />
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<b>Concerning the ‘origin’ of the Tharu I suggest to read some of my English papers where I discussed this question which is political rhetoric</b>. Since I do not know my own origin (I am French, have a German name, and was born in North Africa) but only the context (economic and social) in which I was educated, I do not know how I could propose a theory on the Tharu origin! <br />
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More seriously, considering my historical approach, origin has no meaning and looking for it postulates that a group could have existed from time immemorial without transformation. Each classificatory order, class or term is historically rooted and takes meaning in the context of its use. This is why when I wrote on this topic, I consider it as an historical narration to support a political agenda, in the past as in the present.<br />
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<b>VOT: Can you cite any anecdote during your stay with the Tharus in Dang?<br /> </b><br />
<b>GK:</b> I remember the beginning of my fieldwork in Dang during the rainy season. From January to June, I had travelled all over Western Tarai to find the right place to study. But finally I choose Dang Valley and started to settle there at the beginning of the rainy season. <br />
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Two images remain in my memory. Once I was crossing the Patu Khola River but could not fight against the current. Boulders were hurting my Western too soft feet and I could not walk in the water. Happily, a Tharu villager wearing his loin cloth and bare feet rushed to me, took my hand, and forced me to run to reach the bank of the river. You can easily imagine how even trained local people could die drowning in the rivers. <br />
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The other image is of myself trying to reach the village: The paths were so muddy that I sank to the thighs in the mud. It was the only rainy season I spent in the Terai but it was worthwhile since most of the very interesting village rituals were done during this season. And in September, suddenly the sky opened and I discovered the beauty of this magnificent and rich valley covered with green rice fields. A fascinating and meaningful contrast!<br />
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<b>VOT: You were again back in Dang for your research on Tharu masks? Can you tell our readers about it?<br /> </b><br />
<b>GK: </b>I have never done researches on Tharu masks since I never saw any masks in Dang. But it seems that jokers intervening in some dances like the cokra dance could wear masks made by Tharu or sometimes by Magar people who settled in Dang.<br />
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<b>VOT: During your research, you worked with many international and Nepali researchers. Can you share your experiences with us? <br /> </b><br />
<b>GK:</b> Most of my research colleagues do not work on the Tharu but other topics in the Himalaya (see for instance the CEH web site, ‘Centre for Himalayan studies’ on my own laboratory in Paris Nanterre University, LESC.<br />
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<b>VOT: Can you share with us link to your writings and publications?<br /> </b><br />
<b>GK:</b> I have not yet posted my publications on Academia or other websites. More important for me is to translate my publications into English. Nevertheless, you can find some of the French ones published in journals on the internet (for instance Persee or revue.org, for French journals). You can also trace them through my name. For those published in collective books. I plan to post them on Academia in close future. <br />
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<b>VOT: What are your personal views about the Tharu? Do you have any advice for the young generation?<br /> </b><br />
<b>GK:</b> I already answered this question: I have no personal view on ‘The Tharus’. Concerning the ‘young generation’ in Nepal in the global context, I am afraid by the consumering trend and think that emigration, particularly to the Gulf countries, will bring a big change. <br />
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Some Tharu do PhD some others are working in the Gulf countries, some remain farmers in the villages with less and less land to till, so their conditions and aspirations are different. <br />
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<b>VOT: Are you continuing with your research and writing? Can you share with us your future plans?<br /> </b><br />
<b>GK:</b> I am interested by other topics. Concerning my research on the Tharu, I am planning to publish my first book in English, and to translate some of my French papers (not all). It is possible also that I write a more personal account of my experience in a non-academic format.</div>
sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913554009817644141.post-62362078844383218232016-12-23T13:44:00.001+05:452016-12-23T13:59:21.973+05:45Valuable but neglected – some oil yielding plants from the southern plains of Nepal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Some plants are valuable but neglected. And among those valuable but neglected are some of the oil yielding plants cultivated in the southern plains of Nepal. <br />
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I’m talking about castor oil, linseed oil, wild linseed, sesame and chamomile. While the linseed is still cultivated in large quantities, its importance is unknown to the farmers. Except for its use in few Tharu cuisines like the water snail curry for the non-vegetarians and jackfruit and bamboo shoots curry for the vegetarians. <br />
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Meanwhile chamomile is being cultivated for its essential oil, largely by the Tharus in the Mid and Far Western Nepal in the lands near protected areas. Just to prevent the wild animals marauding on the crops. <br />
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Let’s talk about these plants in detail.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lDnhG1TusoY/WFzXuRH8j7I/AAAAAAAAB9c/IR5SV7y63207koH5R3SmNcTCAvjFrK-tACLcB/s1600/CastorOilPlant_Kenneth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lDnhG1TusoY/WFzXuRH8j7I/AAAAAAAAB9c/IR5SV7y63207koH5R3SmNcTCAvjFrK-tACLcB/s400/CastorOilPlant_Kenneth.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castor oil plant by Flickr user Kenneth Cole Schneider. (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)</td></tr>
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<b>Castor oil</b><br />
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One of the most neglected oil seeds is castor oil. These plants grow on fallow lands and garbage dumps on its own. In the past, castor oil was used to burn oil lamps in the southern plains of Nepal during Sukrati, the festival of lights called Tihar and Deepawali in other parts of the country. The oil was also used as a pain reliever. I’ve heard my grandmother telling about its benefits and applying it on her joints and back to get rid of any pain and stiffness. And my grandfather, a traditional healer, used to make concoctions using the castor oil to cure ringworm infections. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H4844UpFVsc/WFzX4VVQCAI/AAAAAAAAB9g/y11PsPdnvbkknENAZm4quQvJDG0ouxkxQCLcB/s1600/castorseed_budak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H4844UpFVsc/WFzX4VVQCAI/AAAAAAAAB9g/y11PsPdnvbkknENAZm4quQvJDG0ouxkxQCLcB/s400/castorseed_budak.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castor seeds by Flickr user budak. (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)</td></tr>
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The oil, used widely in shampoo, soaps, cosmetics and massage oils, helps fight signs of aging, moisturises skin, reduces skin pigmentation and acne, promotes hair growth, prevents premature hair greying and conditions hair among other benefits.<br />
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So, isn’t it sad that we’ve left cultivating this useful plant? <br />
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<b>Linseed </b><br />
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Linseed oil has always been neglected. In the terai, people take it as a poor man’s replacement of mustard oil. However, this oil has plenty of benefits. And linseed has been termed as a superfood in the West. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I1dd_gDmgyM/WFzYbE6lbzI/AAAAAAAAB9o/ev-VgufdnAwBMs6hQevpc3PmLzXbrdEIgCLcB/s1600/Flaxseeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I1dd_gDmgyM/WFzYbE6lbzI/AAAAAAAAB9o/ev-VgufdnAwBMs6hQevpc3PmLzXbrdEIgCLcB/s400/Flaxseeds.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flax (Linum usitatissimum) or linseed by user Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors. (CC BY-SA 2.0) </td></tr>
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People in the terai, especially the Tharus in the Eastern Nepal, still use linseed powder to garnish some curries like jackfruit, bamboo shoots and <i>ghonghi</i> (water snails). Without the linseed powder the curry is tasteless for them!<br />
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Though considered a poor man’s dietary intake, the medical science has confirmed that the linseed oil or the flax seeds protects from osteoporosis. It is also considered as a laxative and a hormonal balancer. <br />
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The oil also relieves inflammation and pain. That’s why you can see old people still resorting to linseed oil massages. <br />
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Linseed cultivation is so easy that you just need to sprinkle the linseed in the paddy fields when the rice starts to flower. The linseed grows well from the moisture remaining in the field and just few months after the rice harvest, you can harvest the linseed crop. And it has been cultivated since ages in this way. <br />
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So, let’s continue cultivating it and start using more linseed powder and linseed oil in our diets! <br />
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<b>Wild linseed</b><br />
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This wild variety of linseed is still grown in the terai, but by limited farmers.<br />
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BNLBAOCA0sK/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">The lesser known sibling of linseed. A native variety, it is still cultivated for its long black seeds which are a bit different from brown and smaller linseed. While the linseed flowers are purplish blue and the plants are small and frail, this variety called 'bonchikna' (a vulgar word though in Nepali) in the southern plains yield oil which is much viscous than regular mustard and linseed oil. It's still used for cooking purposes but not preferred over the former ones. More research is needed to find out its benefits. Though lesser known and less preferred, it's a joy to see fields of these beautiful flowers in the southern plains of Nepal during the month of November! --------------------- #native #linseed #terai #Nepal #beautifulflower #picoftheday #teraidiaries #travelblog #instapic #flowers #oilseeds</a></div>
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A photo posted by Sanjib Chaudhary (@sankuchy) on <time datetime="2016-11-24T00:04:47+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Nov 23, 2016 at 4:04pm PST</time></div>
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<b>Sesame </b><br />
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Though the sesame has been tagged as a purity material – a must offering to Shani Dev and other gods in Hindu mythology, it is being cultivated less and less these days. <br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BNCi2aVg522/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Sesame pods. The deicious sesame seeds --- black and white varieties --- are sourced from these ripe pods. The sesame plants are grown on bunds or the lesser fertile fields that don't need much water, fertilizer and weeding from time to time. But the sesame seeds are good for health --- the sweets from these seeds are essentially eaten in Makar Sankranti --- the auspicious occasion when the sun changes its position. The black sesame seeds are the most favoured offering to Shani, the Sun God's son. Looking at these, the sesame seeds have always been associated with the sun --- the source of energy. And these are essential source of energy during the chilly winter days. Open sesame! ----------------------- #sesame #seeds #herbs #Nepal #oilseeds #travelblog #religion #belief #makarsankranti</a></div>
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A photo posted by Sanjib Chaudhary (@sankuchy) on <time datetime="2016-11-20T17:07:23+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Nov 20, 2016 at 9:07am PST</time></div>
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<b>Chamomile</b><br />
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Chamomile is a recent addition to the list of cash crops being grown in the terai. Currently grown only in the Mid and Far Western Nepal, farmers need to spread its cultivation even in the Eastern Nepal. <br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BKDevF8Da5E/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#Chamomile flowers from the #bardianationalpark #bufferzone area. #Farmers have been planting these #medicinal plants instead of #foodcrops since the #wildanimals don't eat it. Also it fetches more income than #rice and other food #crops. Once planted, it can be harvested three times in a year and its oil fetches a really good price in the market -- more than NRs 20,000 per litre -- that comes out to be around 200 US dollars. Also written as #camomile, it has #anticancer, #anticoagulant, #antiinflammatory, #antispasmodic, and #antidiarrhoeal effects. It's proving to be a good intervention to reduce #humanwildlifeconflict and increase #income of people living near #ProtectedAreas. #conservation #terai #madhesh #Nepal #flowers #herbs #essentialoil #chamomiletea</a></div>
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A photo posted by Sanjib Chaudhary (@sankuchy) on <time datetime="2016-09-07T12:16:29+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Sep 7, 2016 at 5:16am PDT</time></div>
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sankuchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06654029610863216765noreply@blogger.com0