|
[media id=28 width=350 height=270]
|
|---|
Gongdue Gewog is one of the remote Gewogs under Monggar Dzongkhag. It is officially 10 days walk to Gongdue and back to Monggar town.
The Gewog has five Chiwogs and about 330 households. The people of the Gewog speak Gongduep, a language native to themselves. The farmers depend on horses for transportation.
With excitement, I started-off the journey towards Gongdue on 9th of January. It was a much awaited journey for me because I had long wanted to go there and learn and experience the hardships faced by the people there.
There is a farm road under construction towards Resa under Saling Gewog. It is the same route which takes to Gongdue Gewog. Only four kilometres have been complete so far.
As I started to walk, many things ran in my mind. Whatever it maybe Gongdue is my destination, I told myself and that I have to reach there. Most of the time, I was pre-occupied with how could I best bring this Gewog on screen and into the limelight.
Kezang Jigme was my travel companion. He is the Gewog Administration Officer of the Gewog. It is his 35th time walking up and down the same route in the past four years that he has been there. I was happy that I had an experienced travel guide.
It was a mule track. We met a couple from Resa. They were heading towards Gyalpoizhing to meet their relatives with oranges on their back. They greeted us with a smile and gave us few oranges which lifted our spirit. They told me they had started early from their village so they can return the same day. Resa from where we met was about 5 hours walk.
We continued our journey and stopped in between to chat with the fellow travelers from Resa and Gongdue. It was not unusual to see the people carrying oranges and baby on their back through the rough terrains.
We came across a small stream. Just as we crossed the wooden bridge we saw few signs- leaves pressed in between two stones. Kezang tells me that it is a means of communication among the villagers.
“In the past when we did not have phones and mobile, the villagers while travelling left messages through such marking. It was a sign to show other villagers that some of them have crossed the distance and need not wait for them,” Kezang says.
It is still practised by the villagers here even though the mobile phone connections have reached the nooks and corners of this Gewog.
As we continued I was totally amazed by natural beauty of this place. We spotted some langurs and squirrels as they leaped from one branch to another. I thought to myself- their lives might not be so different from ours- always in search of something.
We reached Resa after 5 hours of walking. Resa greeted us with gush of cold wind. The place is known to be windy most of the time.
As I entered the only shop in the area it was surprising to see only small children in the shop. Upon asking, I found that the elders have left for field work. I was told they will be back only in the evening. Some of the children were as young as 5 years. I thought not many people might be visiting here to buy goods.
Resa was our halt for the first night. The place has a school and solar energy to light the houses. Electricity is yet to reach.
Early next morning, at about 5 we got up and went to the shop for breakfast. I saw a man weaving a basket in the dark. It was barely dawn and there was no light. Life surely begins early here. The man said he started to weave at about 3;30 in the morning.
The second day
We continued on the journey. It was mostly downhill and it became increasingly difficult for my knees. I was getting exhausted. My legs felt heavy and every step I was slowing my pace. We stopped for a while to rest and also to enjoy the nature’s beauty. From the spot Kezang showed Gongdue. As I peered through the sunlight, Gongdueu looked like a speck of dust in the distant horizon and my heart sank at the number of mountains we have to cross.
We were also able to see the construction of the Gyelpoizhing-Nanglam highway, which is under construction.
It was past mid-day when we reached Bangbangla village. It is under Pam Chiwog. The village is surrounded with orange trees. Villagers told me that the yield is good this year. But of no use. They cannot market it because of the distance.
This house is known as tosapa house in Bangbangla. This is where we were offered lunch for the day. It was delicious.
Our next destination was Pam which was another six hours walk. When we reached Pam, dusk had already set in. The view in front of me was breathtaking. As we entered a house, Abi Chumpi sat beside the fire place with her rosary. She reminded me of my grandmother. A mixed emotion rushed through my mind.
The daughter of the house, Sonam Pem, welcomed us with a Palang of Ara. We were also treated with a delicious supper.
The third day
Next morning when I woke up villagers had already begun their chores of the day. Sonam Pem was weaving bangchung. She told me that she does that when she was not attending the field works or visitors.
This was one of her ways to generate income for the family.
We continued with our journey. Some of the villagers who had been to the out-reach clinic for monthly check-up accompanied us. Some of them were trudging barefoot with babies on their back.
Finally we reached the last river that we had to cross before reaching Dakssa. The river is locally known as Renari.
It was good to run into other travelers to chat. We exchanged our experiences and were good to hear about their experiences too.
We reached Gongdue village. Children were on their vacation from school and busy helping their family. The girls were carrying stones for construction at their home. It appeared to me that most of the women in the Gewog were actively involved in all kinds of work. They were chopping wood, carrying baby on their back while looking after horses among others.
Many people live in huts with roof made of banana leaves. There are 11 households. Salabi and Gongdue are two villages in the Gewog known for being poor.
Finally we reached the Gewog centre, Dakssa. It took us five hours from Pam. Dakssa has highest number of people living in the Gewog. It has 33 households. They have a school, RNR centre and a BHU. We stayed in Dakssa for two days before we took the journey further down to Yangbari.
Journey further down
When we started our Journey initially we planned to go till Dakssa. However, along the way Yangbari was much talked about place. So I thought why not go there since I was quite near to the place. I might not get chance to come again.
Tashi Dorji, a village tshogpa was our guide towards Yangbari. He said Yangbari is one of the main business hubs of the people of Gongdue. Yangbari is about 5 hours walk downhill from Dakssa.
People of Gongdue sell their oranges at the depot in Yangbari where the orange exporters come every year to buy from them. It was evident of the popularity of the place as we met many of the people coming from the place.
As we headed downhill we caught up with some of the orange vendors. The students from the Gewog were busy transporting oranges from their villages towards Yangbari for sale. Winter vacation is also a time for them earn some income for their families.
Even the girls were seen working as potters. They start their day early in the morning to return home by evening. With the money they get they take back household supplies from Yangbari.
It saddened me to think of the hardships that they are enduring but at the same time some kind of respect instilled in me for them as days passed by.
I began comparing how lives have changed in the towns where we hardly have time to spend with our family.
When we were about reach Yangbari we came across a Chorten. But, the sad thing is that it had been robbed-off its Nangtens.
As we descended, the weather became warmer and the undulating plain fields awaited us. Some of the people told me that there are chances of becoming a commercial hub like Phuentsholing in future, once the Gyalposhing-Nanglam highway construction is complete. For now it is just like any other rural village.
A 22-kilometre farm road towards Daksa is also under construction. So far 18-km of first cutting has been completed.
At last we were in Yangbari. Clustered houses and plain fields look promising for a new growth of township in this area. A long suspension bridge divides Mongar and Pema Gatshel Dzongkhags. Tashi Dorji said the bridge is so long that it is difficult managing movement when horses come from both side at once. He said villagers signal each other in advance by whistling at each other. We stopped in the middle of the bridge to let the horses pass.
As I stood here, I could not help reminisce my journey from the day one. I thought along the way I have left part of myself and taken a lot from the experience. Yet, when the journey was about to come to its end I could not help but feel sad for what I am going to miss about the village life when I get back to my normal work and life.
