Cutting grass

Namaste.

In rural Nepal many families keep goats and buffalo if they can afford it, for their own use. There are few fences and fields, as we know them in western countries, to contain the animals, and the more rural villagers tell tales of “tigers” coming out of the jungle and stealing their animals, so the animals need to be watched. If members of a family are busy during the day, at work and school, there is no one to act as shepherd whilst these animals graze.

Instead the animals stay tied up in the cowshed by the house and fodder is provided for them.  Someone from the family must go out ‘cutting grass’ early in the morning, to bring back food for the animals before leaving for work.

Whilst staying at my colleague Suchana's house for the festival of Teej we were allowed to join the grass cutting team, which was quite an education in itself.

Cutting is done with a sharp 'aashi', a small scythe like knife that many rural people wear on a belt round their waist.
Father sharpened the aashi on a flat stone near the house, that had obviously been used for this purpose for many years.

The cutting team clambered down the hillside terraces to reach a well grown grassy place to cut. I think they thought us strange to want to join them, but they were happy to show us how to do this work.

With five people cutting, ( I was mostly taking photos), the work was soon done and the cut grass was piled up into large bundles.

Suchana showed us how to twist long grasses together to make a simple rope which was then used to tie the bundle together.

Suchana loaded the bundles onto her back and carried the load up the hill for the buffalo and goats to munch during the day.

I have met several female teachers who daily have this chore to complete, before going to school. They walk out of the town into the nearby countryside, cut grass and leaves from fodder trees, and bind it into a load.  They then return home carrying the load on their backs.  These loads are very heavy – I could not lift one that I tried, although a woman possibly as old as me and much smaller was carrying it.

This is certainly not a job I would have wanted to do before my school day!