I used to sell vegetables and incense in the square to see if I could get some help to support my husband. The income from here was enough to buy vegetables and salt and oil, while my husband's earnings helped pay for the rent and educate his children.
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The journey of life up to this point has not been easy. I have reached here after crossing countless mountains of suffering. Even now, I am not living a normal life. To make ends meet, I have to wander around the market squares all day long, selling vegetables. Sometimes, even after sitting in the sun and dust all day, I have to return home empty-handed in the evening.
My maternal home is in Devghat Rural Municipality-2 of Tanahun. I have studied only up to grade 5. I am now 40 years old. I got married at the age of 20. I got married to Hom Bahadur Bachche Magar from Kaliganga in Devghat.
We got married, but we were in a situation where we had to decide what to eat and what to wear. So my husband and I came to Damauli Bazaar, the district headquarters, in 2062 BS, imagining a happy future. After coming to Damauli, many winters and rains changed, but we could not bring any change in our lives. We are still struggling to make ends meet and provide for our children's education.
I have two children. My daughter Pushpa, 20, and my son Muskan, 15. My daughter has passed the 12th grade exam and my son is studying in grade 9. Since coming here, I have also started working with my husband. I worked as a laborer for about 6 years. Later, my health started to suffer. I tried many herbal remedies but it did not work out.
When I went to Pokhara and saw a doctor, he said that my liver had jaundice. I had saved some money by working, but since that was not enough, I took out a loan of 50,000 rupees for treatment. After treatment, I took medicine for a long time. I cannot say exactly how much I spent on treatment, but now I have paid off all my debts.
I sell vegetables all day, I see the money in the evening. It is enough to pay the money to the creditor the next day, but my pocket is always empty. It has been about 2 years since I started selling vegetables and incense at the Buldi Khola bridge chowk connecting Wards 1 and 2 of Byas Municipality. I used to buy vegetables and bring them. I make incense myself and sell them. I have been selling and distributing the vegetables I bought from the moneylenders with a little more money. I sell fruits and vegetables according to the season, such as bodi, gorbenda, pindalu, ghiraula, cucumber, almond, orange.
We are living in Bhadgaon, Byas Municipality-1, with 2 rooms, paying a monthly rent of 5 thousand rupees. My earnings are not enough to pay the monthly rent. I sell vegetables all day, I see the money in the evening. It is enough to pay the money to the creditor the next day, but my pocket is always empty. Selling vegetables does not save any money. If the goods brought in a day were sold in one day, it would have been saved, but sometimes the vegetables brought in a day go to waste if they are not sold for 4/5 days. When the vegetables are wilted, the customers don't buy them, we cook them and eat them.
I sold vegetables/incense sitting here in the chowk to see if it would help my husband to manage his affairs. If the income here was enough to buy vegetables and salt oil, my husband's earnings would help him pay for the room rent and educate his children. But, even if I work from 7 am until dark in the evening, I don't earn 2/3 hundred.
My husband works as a stone cutter. When he works, he earns about 30 thousand rupees a month. Nowadays, houses are not built much. That's why he says there is no work. When there is no work, it's the same as earning. I have nothing left, I worked since morning, in the evening I have to pay the moneylender, my hands are empty.
My husband's earnings also go to his children's education, room rent, and so on. We still haven't been able to save . We are happy that we don't have any debt . The income of two people has not broken our morning and evening meal .
Presented by: Samjhanja Rasaili
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