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HURRIED TRIP TO AVOID A BAD STAR

M. Lilla and C. Bishop Barry
American geographers M. Lilla and C. Bishop Barry in their essay Hurried trip to avoid a Bad Star present an exploration of Karnali zone of western Nepal on foot for 15 months. This essay was published as a visit report in The National Geographic as Karnali, The road less World of Western Nepal in 1971. The writers in this essay describe the life account of Karnali zone people, their daily life, their tradition and culture, their lack of awareness about environmental preservation and Karnali zone’s economic dependency with the plain region of south Nepal.

People living in this part are quite innocent and superstitious. Some of the people form these parts go to Terai regions to find the work and return home after several years. Unfortunately, most of the people lack education to understand the value of the forest. On account of this reason, deforestation has been on the increase. They feel that they are obliged to depend on the forest area to feed their animals.

With a view to study above mentioned aspects, the writers move to plain of south Nepal with the peasants (farmers) who were going towards Nepalgunj for their daily provisions. They were carrying medicinal herbs, hand knitted sweaters and blankets etc. to sell in Nepalgunj. While climbing step hill near Hari Lekh a Chhetri women of about 30 requested them to send her husband back home who left the house 15 years ago in search of job in the Terai. For this request revealed the concept of Karnali zone people about parameter of the world.

In a Sal forest slope the writers noticed the chopping down trees from several direction which indicated the possibility of rapid deforestation in the region. On inquiry, the people explained their compulsion to chop down the trees to feed their animals which exposed their lack of education and ignorance about the importance of preservation of environment. If the forest continues to be destroyed at this pace, there will be no trees left in this part of the country for the future. The writers noticed a group of 8 or 9 men in a forest processing Silajit in order to sell in Nepalgunj. This superstitious people made a hurried trip from their home valley to avoid evil influence of bad star. On arrival in Nepalgunj the writers watched the hill people buying their daily provisions; one of them spent all his money buying distillery equipment with a hope to earn money by selling alcohol. The writers concluded their journey at Jumla. They expressed their concern on lack of awareness on Karnali zone people about protection of nature and about the need of educating people regarding this vital aspect. They expressed that Karnali zone people were living in very difficult place with a very low agricultural production. The writers suggested them to involve themselves in trade with the Terai region in order to make their life easy with satisfactory earning.

Since the land is not fertile, they get little out of it and earn money through other means and activities. Terai is the bread-basket of Nepali and hence for Karnali too. People from Karnali at their visit to Nepalgunj swarm (pour) from shop to shop in the bazaar and buy things like cotton cloth, aluminum, ironware, spice, distillery equipment etc. above all one finds them extremely simple with a very small universe surrounding them.

To sum up the essay, it highlights how the people of Karnali zone are dependent on terai for their bread and basket because of the lack of trade, good market, employment opportunity, industry. They produce their food crops and handicrafts but there’s no market to supply it. They have to descend to terai for work. They have to come to lowland regions to buy basic goods for their life. Besides, the essay also depicts the predicament (plight) of the Karnali people showing their account of lifestyle, superstition, tradition and culture of thousand years old and simple human frailties set against the astonishing (amazing) backdrop (setting) of Himalayas at an altitude of 11,000 feet in the remotest mountain province of Karnali via plateau (tableland/a relatively flat highland) down to the plains of terrain, Nepalgunj.

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