46-year-old Phoolmaya Vick leaves a house on Tilottama-11 Bhupu Sainik Path in Rupandehi on a bicycle. His introduction is the head mason of house building. On Wednesday, there was a hot case hanging on the handle of Phulmaya's bicycle – dry roti and potato bhujia. After getting up in the morning and doing all the housework, she left the house after giving tea to the family members. Sometimes it's so fast, you have to eat dry bread and tomato sauce.

Women in the construction sector are mostly in the role of general laborers and jammies. But Phulmaya takes the contract to build the house, looks for workers herself, also arranges the materials for building the house and builds the house herself. He is both a contractor and a head engineer. For the past few months, she has been running to the construction site, which is about 5 km from her home.

She doesn't hold back without getting up. She also takes breakfast from home for herself and her fellow workers. Midday meal is prepared collectively at home. She was plastering when Kantipur met her on Wednesday. 'We can do the prepared spices for fear of drying up, and only eat lunch,' Phoolmaya said, raising the corni that was rubbing on the wall, 'I will prepare lunch for all the workers, and we will cook and eat it in this place.'

Phoolmaya Arrangements have been made for the workers who have come to stay at the construction site. "The workers inside the district did not believe me, they left me in the middle," she said.

Before working as a mason, Phoolmaya worked in the construction sector for years. It has been 8 years since Mistry started working with a house contract. Phulmaya has walked a long path of struggle to reach Hazira from a worker to a mason. 

His struggle started when he came to Rupandehi from Morang in 2057 after getting married while studying in 8th grade. Her husband used to take house construction contracts. For the first few years, she walked to work with her husband. She also worked for a few years in between. In the last few years, she again walked to work with her husband. "I learned how to operate a carny by watching masons work on plaster," she said, "Old contractor, I learned mason work." 

After learning this job, Phulmaya learned how to find workers, how to assign them to work, how to keep proper accounts and work on time. She said that more than 200 houses in Ruppandehi have been contracted and construction has been completed. "In the beginning, while carrying sand and bricks, my hands would hurt and I would get stuck," she said. She works with 6 male colleagues. "There are about 20 men and women on the day of climbing," she said.

After learning mason work and starting to work on contracts, her relationship with her husband also became strained. In the years after her son's birth, her husband's neglect made her even more miserable. Later, the situation became such that she was not even allowed to stay at home during her maternity leave. And Phulmaya took more reeds and started building the house. It has been many years since my husband started coming home sometimes and disappearing sometimes. "My father has been neglecting me since birth," she said, "He has been leaving since August, saying he will not come." She came to India after getting married at a young age and returned with her 3 children in 2056 and started living in Tilottama Municipality-14 Durganagar. After the death of her husband in India 15 years ago, her sad days increased. Kamala said that from that day she forgot that she should be happy, that the world is fun. "We worked together, I came to Nepal to build a house," she said, "I regret that if we had been together, we could have saved my husband." 

Kamala Karki

After the death of her husband, she was unable to work. Looking for a way to earn, she started working on house construction. Kamala's memory of the struggle while learning the job is still fresh. Every morning, she prepared food for her three children and traveled 6 kilometers to work by bicycle. "I started going with my brother and sister from the neighborhood," she said.

After having to earn a living by laboring, she said that she decided to learn more skills and become a mason. 'I wanted to become a mason,' she said, remembering three days ago, 'In the beginning, masons were not allowed to work, when masons were resting, I used to make spices when the moneylender was not looking. I learned a lot by watching Male friends work.

After walking a long path of struggle, she left as a mason. "I started working with a salary of 40 rupees, now I earn up to 800 rupees a day," she said, "In the beginning I was a laborer, I became a mason!" Kamala is not sad now that her children are grown up. "I don't take the load of work now," she said, "I don't want to give up until I finish, I am continuing with the thought that I don't have to extend my hand to anyone."

Parvati Gharti Magar has a different experience than Phoolmaya and Kamala. She is 47 years old and lives in Tilottma-11, Kalikasthan. She came to Rupandehi with her husband after marriage. Her husband Muktiram Gharti worked as a laborer since 2058. When he visited Nuwakot from Rupandehi, he met Parvati and they got married. Out of the 2 children, the son is now abroad. After her daughter studies till class 12, she helps in the housework. Parvati, who has been walking to work with her husband since 2062, learned mason work for 6 years. Since then, she said, the elderly often look for work in Hajira. "Hajira has 4 hours of food and a wage of 1,200 rupees," she said. For the past 6 years, she has been working with only male colleagues. She said that there will be no problem as her husband will be with her.

Parvati Gharti Magar

She and her husband used to go to work for wages. While working, the husband taught Parvati to make spices and apply mud in addition to sand removal. "I used to laugh at myself for not knowing how to move sand," she said, "I learned a lot from watching others, now I am able to teach."

While learning skills while working in the construction industry, Parvati sometimes wanted to build her own house. "Yes, how many times I wanted to experience my own house when I built someone else's house," she said She told me that she built a house. She said, "Even if it is a tin house, you will have your own house. It has not yet been built properly. We have built a house for 8 lakhs." She wants to build another room, including a kitchen, if her son can earn money and save it. Parvati says that they will continue to work to meet their expenses so as not to trouble their children.

Gauri : A head mason for a decade 

Gauri Sintan

Gauri Sintan of Hetaunda-19, Bastipur has been doing house building for about 14 years. She has been the head engineer for the past decade. From the beginning in this long journey of the head mason, he has been hearing the same thing, 'Ah! Despite being a woman, she is a head mason. Gauri has established herself as a high-class construction worker, breaking the understanding that only men are technicians and head masons in the construction of physical structures and women are wage earners who do ordinary work. 

For the first four years, Gauri, like other women, worked as a daily wage worker in the construction sector. While working, she also learned technical skills. "When I was working as a labourer, I thought that I could do it too," she said.  

While Gauri was learning, husband Navraj was in Malaysia on business. When Navraj returned from Malaysia, he was shocked to find his wife Gauri working as a head mason. Navraj said, "When I come back from abroad, Gauri Mistry will remain a mason. At first I didn't believe it. It was fun when I saw it myself later.'' Nowadays, Gauri couple work together. Navraj told, "We work together 27 to 28 days a month." When there is no contract work, they also work on daily basis. They say that by doing such work, they will earn between 1,000 and 1,200 rupees per day. 

They have built their own concrete house in Hetaunda-19, Bastipur some time ago. The Gauri couple, who moved to Bastipur for work from Manahari rural municipality-1, Goganpani and lived in a dera for 10 years, have managed to build a house with their own earnings. They are educating a son and two daughters by doing construction work. Just a few weeks ago, she took a contract for a house in Hetaunda-19, Sannatar and completed the construction. 

According to Balgopal Kandel, President of Makwanpur Construction Professionals Association, the number of female head masons in the field of physical infrastructure construction throughout the district is extremely low. 

From laborer to head mason 

Khagisara Vick

48-year-old Khagisara Vick from Birendranagar, Surkhet, does not have much free time. She is busy with one job after another because of her skill and strength. But to reach this day, Khagisra has gone through many cycles of suffering and struggle. Khagisara, who started working as a laborer in house construction about seven years ago, is now the only female head mason in Surkhet district. Four years ago she became a trained head mason. 

In a society that thinks that only men can do mason work, it took time to convince Khagisara to work. "Initially, I had to show a certificate of training in some places, now there is no such problem," said Khagisra, "I am happy that a woman can also do all the work like a man." Khagisara is busy filling the shoes. In her journey from laborer to head mason, Khagisra has crossed many paths of suffering and struggle. 

The struggle of a Dalit family whose home was poor was not normal. It was not easy to support a family of seven with five children from the wages earned by her husband, Bhim Bahadur, who worked as a laborer in the house construction sector. At that time, when her husband fell ill, Khagisara had a sudden landslide. On the one hand, there is the concern of saving the family, on the other hand, the lack of medical expenses for the sick husband. "And I started working as a laborer," said Khagisra, "It was very difficult at first." It was very sad. I worked as a laborer for three years. I started raising money to raise children and treat my sick husband.' 

While working as a laborer, Khagisra also started working as a mason. Later he felt that he could have been the head engineer himself. Seeing that he would earn a little more money if he became a head mason, he decided to become a head mason anyway. She used to work as a head machinist, but because she was not trained, many did not trust her more than a head machinist. She participated in the mason training conducted by the municipality two years ago. "I was the only woman among the 20 who took the training," she said.  He already had the

skills. It became easier after training. Recently, due to the rule of building earthquake-resistant houses, everyone builds earthquake-resistant houses and other physical structures. The training he took was also in line with that, so it was easy. She hires up to four helpers for a small house, up to 10 for a large house. She says, "Being a head mason, I have completed 90 houses." After becoming a head mason, Khagisra's self-confidence not only increased, but her income also increased. Even though he was a head mason, his daily wage was 700 until he was trained. After training, his daily earnings have reached 1200. This income has not only helped the family, but they have not had to take help from others to raise the medical expenses of their sick husband.

Contractor husband, head mason wife

Shanti Bayambu

Shanti Bayambu, who started working as a 'helper' with a child in her belly and sand on her back, has been a 'head mason' since she was a child. She came to Pokhara 17 years ago from Rampur in Palpa and had a three-month-old baby in her stomach when she started working at Jami. She was working till the day before delivery. 

worked her husband's husband's late couple 20 years ago. Helre became contractor and contractor as Mistry. In 2063, Jadan arrived in Pokhara gave birth to Pokhara, the first son Susan gave birth in 2064. The next year pregnancy was held again. Room rent, rental ranks, it was approaching by only a husband's earnings. When the baby was three months old in the stomach, she decided to work with her husband. & Nbsp;

Helper as a helper carried stones, sand, bricks on the house. At that time, he was 1550 rupees for the day, 300 of her husband. The men used Rs 145. She took the eldest son in a job. Another child worked at the time of tomorrow, 'Pokhara -17, "Pokhara -17 Redirerai," said, "I do not know. & NBSP;

is born a year for a year and NBSP; she rest. Then he started the old diary. She took both sons with her son. They enjoyed ballast, playing with the sand. The leg of peace was a latch-eating by the Cement. "It at that time did not have to buy shoes, she had to work with shoes," she said, "The elders said, 'I did it in mind.' & NBSP;

he learned to fall spice. In Dokoma, she knew itself. Then he reached his wage of wages. The sons 3 and 2 were of years old, she would school. She learned with the bridge of the stone, the brick, and she played with her husband to put a wall. After the mascularity, the income also increased. Only a husband and wife took to plaster the house of the three tents. The money began to be built. The money earned by her husband / wife and night bought a home near the International Mountain Museum on the Rosy Ranorari, a decade ago. "It was difficult for two babies," she said, 'She said,' She was a child. ' The peace did not work for work, as the Storyi-Break husband began to bring a contract. He is still a contractor home. She was at home on Friday because of the joint of a contracting new home. She said to work when I started garment. He who reads only up to class 6 comes to calculations. He has now reached his pay for 1,000. She is satisfied with the Mistry Work. She puts the video you worked in. 'Still, he does not have to abuse his work so far,' she said, "Sometimes it is sometimes runging or fears that Sahu is afraid. However, males are not different in what I have done and I have done. 'The one who seems to work, praise.