Dhan Bahadur Thapa Chettri Salleri, Solukhumbu
“I lived in Qatar for several years. There, I saw that if one had some skills, it was possible to earn money. And one could do that with a minimal amount of blood and sweat. After I returned from Qatar, I had decided that I was not going to go back to ploughing the fields. I felt I had wasted my youth toiling in the sun digging. One sunrise, as I had tea with my 92 years old father, he showed me the farmland he had accumulated during his lifetime. And he said ‘I have sacrificed my life farming this land that you will inherit from me when I am gone. You see son, we all ate what little this earth gave us. Your mother never complained of the hard work and we raised you to the best of our ability. Money was never a reason for our sadness or happiness. The fields, the animals and the daily toil kept our family together. But today, my heart aches to know that once I am gone, this land will become barren and weeds will take over. What am I going to tell your mother when I will meet her in the afterlife?’ I looked at the old man and as I watched his lips whimper, a sudden sense of realization shook me. It did not take me long to change my mind. Father was right, for money was not the only thing important in life. Father’s life had to mean something and as a son, it was my responsibility to look after what he was leaving behind for me. So I abandoned my ideas of opening a shop and I am back with the oxen again, back with the goats, back with my seeds and saplings, and back with my plough. I am keeping the words that I have given to my father. Money is less. But I am happy that when my time is up, I will be handing over these fields to my children, with a more fertile soil.”
