Learning From Kavre Folks

Parmeshwar Devkota

At a time when every sector in Nepal has recorded a fall in production, a farmer of Balthali village in Kavreplanchowk district, said, “We cannot consume all the milk products we produce. So, we send these products to Kathmandu.’’ Kavreplanchowk, also known as Kavre, lies to the east of Kathmandu. Kavre is adjacent to Bhaktapur, one of the ancient cities in the Kathmandu Valley. Unlike the flat terrain of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur districts, Kavre is extremely uneven in terms of its topography. It is full of hills and dales. The district contains tributaries to the Roshi River and the Sunkoshi River. 

Contrasting to the rough terrain, the people of Kavre are so friendly and caring that every outsider is happy to be with them. An example is here to justify this. When a person was asked for the right and short foot trail from Balthali to Khopasi, he, though pensively sitting at a shop and appeared to have suffered from multiple diseases caused by alcoholism, he stood from the seat and lead us not only to some three hundred metres but also wished to lead us to Khopasi itself. However, we did not want to give him pain.   

Instead, some bad aspects were also seen among the people. The majority of males were seen strolling around shops and some were even found daytime alcoholic. But the females were seen collecting fodders in the jungle. Another bad scene was that some farmers were seen spraying pesticides without using masks and gloves. It is bad because almost all pesticides are cancer-prone. We should not learn these three things from Kavre people. 

Unlike such habits, there are many more things we can learn from the people of Kavre. They have been doing exemplary works in two sectors -- farming and tourism. Animal husbandry and potato farming are the best examples of that area. The hybrid potato has been planted in the whole arable land without leaving any corner of the land by making perfect ridges and water outlets. The potato plants are so tall green and fine that they have turned the whole area green and beautiful. 

The plants have been covered with soil to emerge shoots and to develop underground tuber bigger as possible. The farmers were seen meticulously and aggressively weeding out the grass and spraying pesticides across the farms. The orange farms and the settlements around the farm have been making the whole area a dream park. One of the farmers proudly said that the potato of Kavre is of the best quality and sold for a higher rate. 

Another notable potential of Kavre is the awareness of the local people about tourism. Homestays are seen in the every settlement. The tourist-friendly people have either opened hotels or resorts on the hilltops. Some are in the process of opening bigger ones with added facilities. Therefore, even the people of provincial capitals and adjoining districts should learn skills, technology and courtesy from the hardworking people of Kavre to be self-reliant. Interestingly, traditional ploughs were seen at the side of almost every house, if not in the farm.