Dhansari Raji Panchapuri 5, Surkhet
“I was very close to my mother. But 6 years ago, I lost her. It was the river that took her. It was raining heavily that week and the level of water in the river has risen. I remember looking at the river and I remember feeling afraid. It was making loud sounds and the rapids were crashing on each other. We lived not far from the banks of the Bheri River so what I saw felt threatening. But we could not abandon our home and leave. We left only we knew that the Bheri overflow and take our mother and our house.
Mother died and I felt like I died with her too. Although, father and my siblings were still with me losing my mother became unbearable. The grief never subsided but soon I started getting my senses back and with it came a lot of questions. “What am I going to do? Will I be able to continue school? Should I continue school? Who will look after my siblings? Who will be there for father?”
Eventually, I came to acknowledge my loss and I made up my mind to leave school. There was no money at home. Father was a daily wage earner and sometimes went to catch fish. Jobs were not available for him all the time. Now with mother gone, there was more financial stress. After all, we all need to eat. That is why I left school. Not because I did not love school but because I loved my family more. So I had to choose.
The Bheri had not only taken my mother but also our home. We were displaced and had to find a new place to settle. Things were difficult and to help father gather food and complement his income I started doing menial jobs, whatever I could find. But there aren’t factories here, the city is far and I wasn’t making enough money to sustain myself. But I would work hard and extra hours because I could not see my siblings hungry and unhappy. My mother never left us hungry and I have to take on that responsibility.When the Paani project came here, they asked me if I was interested in rafting. Although, I was hesitant at first I was excited and so I accepted their offer to receive training. It was a new skill, something that I had never imagined I would be doing. Also, meeting new people and their kind words gave me some hope. I did not have much confidence at first because I was naive and a bit afraid but the trainers were helpful and they guided me as they would do to their own sister.Today, I am happy to say that I am the first licensed female rafting guide from the Raji community. We Rajis live difficult lives and we are not many. So it was a thing of pride for the community that I was the first female licensed guide from the community. Not long after I received my license, I got a job as an assistant rafting guide for a trip of 10 days. I happily accepted because I knew that the money I would make in that 10 days would be more than the money my father would make catching and selling fish in a month.Today, I earn 1000 rupees a day for a trip. And for someone like me who does not have proper schooling, it is a lot. Today, I feel happy that I can take the money and help my father sustain the family. Although the pandemic has caused problems and halted my income, I know that I can always go back to the river. I know my mother would be happy to see me rafting in the river living a dignified life. And what a strange thing, the same river who took her is also the same river that is giving back and keeping us alive.”
(Dhansari Raji, Panchapuri 5, Surkhet)
(Dhansari Raji is the first licensed lady river raft guide from the indigenous Raji community who learned to paddle raft boats and guide tourists in the exotic rapids of Karnali and Bheri Rivers of Nepal at the age of 22. She participated in a 14-day river raft guide training organized by USAID Paani Program in 2019. Living near the confluence of Karnali and Bheri rivers where she grew up by touching and facing the rivers, she soon challenged the definition of male-dominated adventure sports with her strong and courageous presence. Now, Dhansari leads several rafting expeditions as an assistant raft guide, live a more dignified life and make earnings for her family)
“आमासँग म निकै नै नजिक थिएँ । ६ वर्षअघि उहाँलाई गुमाउनुपर्यो । नदीले नै उहाँलाई लग्यो । त्यस दिन ठूलो झरी परेको थियो । अनि खोलामा पानीको वहाव पनि निकै नै बढेको थियो । खोला निकै नै डर लाग्दो थियो । पानीका झोक्काहरू एकआपसमा ठोक्किँदा निकै ठूलो आवाज आएको थियो । भेरी नदीबाट हाम्रो घर त्यति टाढा नभएकाले आफ्नै अगाडि देखिरहेको दृश्य निकै कहालीलाग्दो थियो । तर घर छोडेर भाग्न पनि सकेनौँ । भेरी बढेर आमा र घरलाई बढारेर गएपछि मात्रै हामी त्यहाँबाट निस्कियौँ ।आमा बित्नु भएपछि म पनि उहाँसँगै गएको जस्तो भयो । बुबा र भाइबहिनीहरू मसँगै भएपनि आमालाई गुमाउनु परेको पिडा असैह्य थियो । त्यो पिडा कहिले पनि कम त भएन तर विस्तारै मेरो होस फर्किँदै आयो । होससँगै अनगिन्ती प्रश्नहरू पनि आए । “म के गरुँ? फेरि स्कुल जान सक्छु कि सक्दिन? पढाईलाई निरन्तरता दिनु कि भाइबहिनीहरूलाई हेरूँ? बुबासँग को अब हुन्छ?” यस्तै यस्तै…मैले विस्तारै मेरो पिडालाई आत्मसाथ गरेँ अनि स्कुल छोड्ने निश्चय गरेँ। घर चलाउन पैसा थिएन । बुबाको दैनिक ज्यालादारी काम थियो । कहिलेकाहिँ माछा मार्न जानु हुन्थ्यो । काम सँधै हुँदैन थियो । आमा जानुभएपछि आर्थिक समस्या झनै धेरै हुनथाल्यो । आखिर बाँच्नको लागि एक छाक खानैपर्थ्यो । त्यहि भएर स्कुल छोड्नुपरेको हो । किनकी मलाई मेरो स्कुलकोभन्दा परिवारको माया धेरै लाग्यो ।भेरीले मेरी आमालाई मात्रै लगेको थिएन । घर समेत लगेको थियो । हामीहरू विस्थापित भयौँ । बसोबास गर्न नयाँ ठाउँ खोज्नुपर्यो । धेरै गाह्रो हुन थालेपछि बुबालाई सघाउन मैले पनि जे जस्तो भेटिन्छ, सानोतिनो काम गर्न थालेँ । तर यहाँ कलकारखानाहरू छैनन् । शहर पनि टाढा छ । गुजारा चलाइराख्न आवश्यक पैसा कमाउन सकिएन । तर मैले धेरै काम गर्दै गएँ, अतिरिक्त समय पनि । किनकी मेरा भाइबहिनीहरू भोका र दुखी भएको देख्न म सक्दैन थिएँ । मेरी आमाले हामीलाई कहिले पनि भोको राख्नु भएन । त्यसैले मैले त्यो जिम्मेवारी सम्हाल्नुपरेको थियो। पानी परियोजना यहाँ आएपछि उहाँहरूले मलाई राफ्टिङ सिक्ने हो भनेर सोध्नुभयो । सुरूसुरूमा त अप्ठेरो लागेपनि पछि उत्साहित भएर राफ्टिङको तालिम लिने अवसरलाई मैले स्वीकारेँ । त्यो सिप मेरो लागि नौलो थियो । यस्तो गरिन्छ भनेर जिन्दगीमा कहिले पनि कल्पना नै गरेको थिइन । नयाँ नयाँ मान्छेहरूसँग भेट्दा उहाँहरूको मायाले मलाई नयाँ आसा दियो । साह्रै सोझी भएकीले सुरूसुरूमा त डरले गर्दा आत्मविश्वास नै आएन । तर तालिम दिने दाइहरू निकै सहयोगी हुनुहुँदोरहेछ । आफ्नै बहिनीलाई नै जसरी मलाई सिकाउनु भयो । राजी समुदायको म पहिलो महिला लाइसेन्सवाला राफ्टिङ गाइड हुँ भनेर भन्न पाउँदा आज मलाई निकै खुसी लागेको छ । हामी राजीहरू निकै दुःखका साथ बाँचिरहेकाछौँ र हामीहरू खासै धेरै पनि छैनौँ । त्यसैले हाम्रो समुदायमा म पहिलो महिला राफ्टिङ गाइड हुनु समुदायको लागि नै गौरव गर्ने विषय भएको छ । लाइसेन्स पाएको धेरै दिन पनि नबित्दै मैले १० दिने ट्रिपको लागि एसिस्टेन्ट गाइडको काम पाएँ । मैले सहर्ष स्वीकार रेँ । किनकी मलाई थाह थियो, महिनाभर बुबाले माछा मारेर कमाउने पैसाभन्दा मेरो १० दिनको कमाई धेरै हुन्थ्यो ।आज म एक दिने ट्रिपको १००० रूपैयाँ कमाउने भएकोछु । पढाई कम हुने मजस्तीको लागि त्यो धेरै नै हो । बुबालाई परिवार धान्न सहयोग गर्न पाएकोमा आज म खुसी छु । कोरोना महामारीले गर्दा अहिले धेरै समस्या आएको छ र मेरो कमाई पनि रोकिएको छ । तर मलाई थाह छ, स्थिती सामान्य भएपछि म जहिले पनि नदीमा फर्किन सक्छु । आमा हुनुभएको भए आज मलाई राफ्टिङ गरेर प्रतिष्ठित जीवन बाँचिरहेको देख्दा खुसी हुनुहुन्थ्यो होला । अनि कस्तो अनौठो कुरा हेर्नुस् न, जुन नदीले मेरी आमालाई लग्यो, त्यहि नदीले हाम्रो जीवन चलाइरहेकोछ ।”(धनसरी राजी, पन्चपुरी -५, सुर्खेत)(नेपालको कर्णाली र भेरी नदीमा राफ्टिङ र टुरिस्ट गाइडको काम सिकेर राजी समुदायकी एक मात्र लाइसेन्स्ड महिला राफ्टिङ गाइड हुन् धनसारी राजी । युएस्एड पानी परियोजनाले २०१९ मा आयोजना गरेको १४ दिने राफ्टिङ तालिममा उनी सहभागी थिइन् । कर्णाली र भेरी नदीको संगमस्थलमा हुर्किएकी २२ वर्षिया राजीको दृढता र साहसले पुरूष हावी भएको साहसिक खेलको परिचयलाई नै उनको उपस्थितीले चुनौती दिएकोछ । धनसारीले सहायक गाइडको रूपमा अहिले धेरै राफ्टिङ एक्पेडिसनहरूको नेतृत्व गरेर प्रतिष्ठित जीवन जिउँदै परिवारमा राम्रो आयआर्जन गरिरहेकिछिन् ।)
