When spring comes, many men in the villages of Monggar know it is time for them to leave their village, go out, and earn. After finishing maize plantation, they leave for nearby places like Gyalpoizhing, Monggar town and also other parts of the country.
Chimmi Wangchuk, 40, from Chali, along with a few village folks, has come to work at the construction of a wall in Gyalpoizhing.
“We don’t have any source of income back in the village. We just cultivate maize. So after we are done planting maize we go out to earn some cash.”
He said with the money they earn they buy household items.
Chimmi Wangchuk said it has been about 20 years since he has done odd jobs to earn cash. “I have been to many places and have done all sorts of work. It is tough to be away from home.”
Accompanying Chimmi Wangchuk is Pem Tshewang, 49. He is a father of three.
“We are here not because we want to. It is because we do not have a choice. Here, we have to work in blazing sun. It is a tough job. I have to earn enough for my children who go to school.”
They earn between Nu 500-700 a day.
Similarly, there are many others like them who have come to work at the same site from Udzorong in Trashigang and Kengkhar in Monggar.
After being away from home and working hard, they know it is time to go back home when the harvest time comes.