Life in Harsar Village of Dhanusa

April 5, 2017April 6, 2017 Puru Shah 0 Comment migration, student media grant

Harsar village lies about 20 kilometers north of Janakpur in Dhanusa district. Dhanusa district has sent more migrant workers abroad than any other district in Nepal. See Migration in Nepal – Data and Trends for a detailed analysis.

If you have been following my articles on migration, you may remember reading High Risk And No Return which chronicles the story of Halima Khatun from Harsar village. A month ago (in March 2017), I also wrote about Mohammad Mumtaz Rain in an article titled, Injured in Saudi Arabia, a worker is told: “It was your bad fate” who is also from Harsar.

In this article, I present a photostory that captures a portion of daily life in Harsar village.

A girl with a load of dry leaves. About 64% of the people in Nepal still use wood for cooking and this percentage is even higher in rural regions. The responsibility to collect firewood or dry leaves for cooking falls primarily on women.

On a long solo journey, one has to be prepared for unexpected hiccups.

A proud old man outside his fancy house in Harsar village. His younger son has been working in Malaysia since four years. He returned home, got married and left for Malaysia again.

A rice street vendor has placed himself strategically at a T-junction where three streets in Harsar village meet. While young men have gone abroad to work as laborers, the older men till the fields and sell the produce to earn a living.

The art of making cakes, we are talking dung cakes here. Dung cakes are a primary source of cooking fuel for many families in rural Nepal.

A curious buffalo and an independent one that is untied and free to roam.

A man who smiles with a load of leaves and tree branches on his head is a happy one.

A curious Buffalo staring at the camera.

Bullock carts have been the popular mode of transporting people and goods in rural southern Nepal.

Now motorcycles and tractors are making their way into villages. The purchasing power of villagers has been greatly increased by the influx of remittance sent by migrant workers.

Author’s Note:

I traveled to Nepal and United Arab Emirates (UAE) in December 2016 for documenting the stories of Nepali labor migrants.

This work is part of a student media grant by the Center on Conflict and Development at Texas A&M University. I would like to thank The Center on Conflict and Development at Texas A&M University (ConDev, condev.org) for its funding and support. ConDev seeks to improve the effectiveness of development programs and policies for conflict-affected and fragile countries through multidisciplinary research, education and development extension.

I would also like to sincerely thank Jeet Kumar Sah, a volunteer at Madhesh Relief Fund (MRF) and Er. Krishna Chandra Sah, the coordinator at MRF for extending their support during my field trip to Harsar village.

To read more about this project: see The Confict and Development Center at Texas A&M University.

See previous posts

Migration in Nepal – Data and Trends

Role of Literacy Rate and HDI on Migration in Nepal

Daily Life of Nepali Migrant Workers in UAE

All Glitter and No Glory

High Risk and No Return

Children in Khairba Village of Nepal

Life in Bhramarpura Village of Nepal

Injured in Saudi Arabia, a worker is told: “It was your bad fate”

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Puru Shah

Puru Shah is the founder of Madhesi Youth. For Madhesi Youth, he primarily writes about human rights issues and articles with an emphasis on data analysis & data visualization. His goal is to promote justice, equality, sustainable development, and youth empowerment in Nepal. Connect with Puru Shah on Twitter (@digitalsubway)

Puru Shah

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