We used to be very naughty at school. Sometimes we would get beaten by our teachers. There was a fair in the village, we would walk from home to school, but we would skip school and go to the fair. And then we would go home after school. There would be a great yagna, even then there were 5-7 of us, we would go. It's funny to remember it now.
What you should know
I was born in Twagaan, Ruru Rural Municipality-4, Gulmi. The district where I was born is famous for coffee. The coffee produced in Gulmi is popular both in the country and abroad. In our village, ginger was also cultivated along with coffee. Since I was a child, I have seen the people of the village cultivating ginger and trading it.
Sugarcane was also cultivated in the village. It was customary to make sugarcane by crushing it. Around 2060/61, you had to walk two hours to go to school. There was a primary school in the village, for children and 1st and 2nd grade. But there was no option to walk far to study further.
At that time, there was only a dirt road. Cars were not available. Now that I remember, even motorcycles could not ride on that road. In that case, it would take four hours to go to and from school. If someone got sick in the village, they had to carry them, and the road was not in good condition, which was very difficult. There was a health post in Tinga, and the villagers would carry the sick to it. I still remember that during Dashain, we, the people of the village, would go out on the road carrying spades to clear the road. Since it was difficult to walk due to stones, leaves, etc., we would all clean the road together. Now, after the road was built, there has been a lot of relief. But that was only in 2068/69.
People had many fields in the village, everything from vegetables to fruits was grown in the village. No one had to go to the market to buy them. Everyone lived off the crops they planted in their fields. Now the produce has been marketized. But people have stopped farming. No one seems to be struggling in the fields like before. We had also given the fields to the government earlier, but now there are no people working in the village. I think this is not just a problem in my village. This is the situation in villages across the country. My mother is busy with household chores. My father runs a clothing shop in Raniwas. The house is in the village, the shop is a little higher up on the hill.
Almost everyone in our village was involved in agriculture. Some of them would also go to work in India from the village. When those who had gone to India sent money, the village would be happy. At that time, there were 36 households in the village. Almost one person from each household was in India. During Dashain, they would come with a radio hanging from their necks, and the people who came like that would have a different reputation. When the Lahure started to arrive, it felt like Dashain had arrived. They would distribute chocolates to everyone. Three people would teach in the village. Even now, there is no good school in the village. However, the road has improved. The school bus can reach the village. Students can easily go to school from home.
My father had gone to India once to work. But two months after my father left, my grandfather passed away. My father returned, and since he was the eldest son, he took care of the house. Then my younger and older father went to India to work. My father started working in the village from that time on.
I first studied at Tuwanga Primary School. There was education up to grade 3. Then I studied at a school in the market. There was education up to grade 5. There were a few students. The teaching and teaching style was not much different. After grade 5, I came to Butwal and studied at Buddha Public School. After that school, I had to start from the lower grades again. It was a boarding school. When I got there, I understood what politics and society were.
We used to joke a lot in school. Sometimes we would get beaten by our teachers. There was a fair in the village, we would walk from home to school, but we would leave school and go to the fair. And when the school was off, we would go home. There was a great yagna, even then there were 5/7 of us, we would go. It's funny to remember now.
Once, there was no communication between boys and girls in school. Then, when there was an inter-school entrance exam competition, we went in two groups. Later, when the principal tricked us into taking us to Manang and Mustang, we started talking. But we couldn't go on the Manang and Mustang educational tour. Now, we meet and talk to some friends. Most of those who studied together have gone abroad.
There was a 'sports week' in school. I was interested in football and volleyball. Before the anniversary, there were continuous sports. I also participated in cricket, oratory and debate. We had opened a children's club in the school, and I was its president. It was called Buddha Public Children's Club. The school had allocated houses for students in Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Sagarmatha and Kanchenjunga. I was also the captain of Sagarmatha House. The club published a weekly wall magazine and organized various programs.
During school holidays, I often went to my maternal grandmother. My maternal grandmother's house is in Majhuwa, Gulmi. At that time, there was no vehicle facility. It took a day to go to my maternal grandmother's house. I had to cross two or three rivers. Now a bridge has been built. But at that time, it was very difficult to reach. There was no opportunity to eat anything on the way, so we often cooked and brought food from home to eat on the way. I also read books. When I was in grade 7, I read 'Jeevan Kanda Ki Phool'. I had an uncle, he used to give me books to read, and I have been reading books ever since.
When I was in school, homework was very stressful. It was stressful. The bag was also very heavy. There was a diary, and I had to get it signed to show whether I had written the homework or not. After everyone's homework was done, I had to show it to my parents.
It was also fun when I returned to school after a long vacation. On the first day, we would go to the last bench and sit. Sometimes, my friends would throw papers in front of me and have fun. Once, a friend put a compass on the bench, and when another friend sat down, it scratched and blood came out. Immediately, my friend scolded me so that I wouldn't tell anyone. But later, I had to take him to the medical center and get a tetanus shot.
Now, everything seems fun when I remember it. Sometimes, when I meet old friends, I smile remembering those moments.
