Til village does not entertain new visitors after 5 pm

By Our Correspondent,Humla, June 27: The residents of Til village do not allow any stranger to enter their houses after 5 pm.  Til village of  Limi located beyond the Himalayas in Namkha Rural Municipality- 6, Humla, The villagers state that due to safety concerns, they are following the provision. Four days ago, a government official, Tul Bahadur Tamaba, reached Til village from Hilsa at 7 in the evening. But no villager allowed him to stay in their houses, compelling him to spend the night at a community building. He with three others was denied entry as all the villagers locked themselves inside the house and did not respond to their calls. 

A resident from the village, Fuli Tamaba, said that it was a community’s collective decision to not allow visitors to stay after 5 pm due to safety concerns. Initially, the villagers had decided not to allow strangers to stay after 7 pm but recently they imposed the ban from 5 pm. 

There are only 22 houses in this village, out of which seven are left locked as the residents deserted them. 

Presently, there are now only 35 residents in the village. Most of those who have migrated are young males and females. They have either gone to work at Taklakot, China, or Kathmandu. 

The majority of residents are either senior citizens or children which is believed to be the main reason behind the odd ban. Robbery, theft, rape, and wild animal encroachment are the main reasons for the resident applying the rule. 

Ward chairman Paljor Tamaba said he was aware of the rule as it is an old rule, but wasn’t aware the timings had gone down from 7 pm to 5 pm.