“I remember my father trying to hold his tears back when he bid me farewell. Even though a very old man, he knew a son looks up to his father for strength.

My father did not want me to go to another country. Although I understood the old man’s hurt, I knew I had no choice. I had to take care of my ailing parents. I had to take care of my family. There were no jobs in the village. And if one wanted to grow food there was no water. There was no irrigation. Every year the water at the source was depleting. People were struggling in the village to make ends meet. And men were leaving in groups, mostly to India. I had no other choice so I had to leave too. Leaving behind my own parents and my family. It broke my heart. I remember my father trying to hold his tears back when he bid me farewell. Even though a very old man, he knew a son looks up to his father for strength.

In India, I worked for two years. I was doing well. Maybe the money that I sent home gave Father some hope. The old man needed medicines and nutrition and I was happy that I was able to fulfil his needs of old age. Maybe he also felt that my decision to leave home was not a waste after all.

But life is uncertain. Our employer in India shut down his factory when the lockdown started and people started dying. We were 20 of us, locked in desperation, all of us longing to return home. We had lost our jobs and we all felt the home was the only safe place for us.

We all somehow managed to return home. At home, I felt like I was back to nothing. The money I had saved was gone staying in India during the lockdown. I had nothing to show for. The pandemic affected many people like us. It brought me to a desperate situation. My family empathized with me. They would say, “You are alive, and you came back home safe, that is all we want, you can always earn when the days become better.”

I always wanted to do agriculture in my village which always has been my first wish. That way I could stay at home and be with family. They would be happy too. However, for farming, there was no water. That had made me leave the country.

Like all good things end, all things bad also end. I found it out when persons from an organization called Paani Program came to the village and trained us on how we could preserve our dwindling water source. After that, people actively engaged in protecting the water source. We constructed recharge ponds and planted trees and shrubs around the water source. The water source showed signs of improvement. I also received training on how to grow vegetables, how to use and plant seeds, how to make the beds to sow seeds and how to use the drip irrigation system. I was also able to dig up an irrigation pond. Not only that, I understood how water could be re-used. With all this knowledge now, I was finally able to grow vegetables like pumpkin, spinach, tomatoes, chillies and many others. The happiest day in my life was when I picked the first lot of vegetables. Today, I rely on vegetable farming for livelihood and with the money I had earned I have also been able to invest in a chicken coop. I am in a better position now. I am with my parents and they don’t have to cry every evening thinking of me. They don’t have to worry about me not being by their side when they eventually leave this earth.” 

(Suresh Bohora, Alitaal 4, Dadeldhura)
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(Suresh Bohora is a migrant worker who returned to Nepal after the COVID pandemic outbreak in India. He retained to stay in his village after receiving training and support from USAID Paani Program on starting up Climate Smart Vegetable Farming in his own land. He is now making earnings out of his vegetable and chicken farms.) USAID NepalPaani – पानी

“आँखाबाट धुरूधुरू आँसु खसाल्दै मेरो बुबाले मलाई बिदा गर्नुभएको म सम्झिन्छु । वृद्ध भएपनि उहाँले यो बुझ्नु भएको थियो कि छोराको साहसको स्रोत आफ्नो बाउ नै हुन्छ ।

मेरो बुबाले म विदेश नजाओस् भन्ने चाहनुहुन्थ्यो । उहाँको चाहना बुझेपनि मसँग बिदेश जानुको बिकल्प थिएन । मैले बिरामी बुबाआमाको ख्याल गर्नुपर्थ्यो । मेरो परिवारको बारेमा सोच्नु पर्थ्यो । तर गाउँमा केहि काम थिएन । खेती गरूँ भने पानी थिएन । सिंचाइको सुबिधा नै थिएन । पोखरी र खोल्सा पानी हरेक वर्ष घटिरहेको थियो । गाउँमा आफ्नो गुजारा चलाउन मान्छेहरू संघर्ष गर्दै थिए । कामको खोजीमा एकएक गरी सबै इन्डिया जाँदै थिए । बाआमा र परिवारलाई घरमै छोडेर विदेश जानुको बिकल्प थिएन मसँग पनि । मेरो मन भारी भएको थियो । आँखाबाट धुरूधुरू आँसु खसाल्दै मेरो बुबाले मलाई बिदा गर्नुभएको म सम्झिन्छु । वृद्ध भएपनि उहाँले यो बुझ्नु भएको थियो कि छोराको साहसको स्रोत आफ्नो बाउ नै हुन्छ ।

इन्डियामा मैले दुई वर्ष काम गरेँ । म राम्रै काम गर्दै थिएँ । घर पठाएको पैसाले बुबालाई केहि आसा दिएको थियो होला सायद । बुढेसकालमा बुबालाई चाहिने औषधी र पोशिलो खाने कुरा उपलब्ध गराउन पाउँदा म पनि खुसी नै थिएँ । घर छोडेर विदेश जाने मेरो निर्णय व्यर्थ गएन भन्ने कुरा सायद उहाँले महशुस गर्नुभएको थियो ।

तर जीवन सँधै एकनास कहाँ हुन्छ र ! कोरोनाका कारण इन्डियामा पनि मान्छे धमाधम मर्न थालेपछि लकडाउन भयो अनि हाम्रो फ्याक्ट्री पनि बन्द भयो । हामी २० जना काम गर्थ्यौँ त्यहाँ । घर फर्किन पाए हुन्थ्यो भनेर हामी निराशामा थियौँ । पाएको काम पनि गुमेपछि घर नै सबैभन्दा सुरक्षित ठाउँ हो भन्ने हामी सबैलाई लागेको थियो ।

जसोतसो गरेर हामी नेपाल फर्किन सक्यौँ । घर पुग्दा म फेरि शुन्यमा पुगेको जस्तो भयो । इन्डियामा काम गर्दा जम्मा गरेको अलिअलि पैसा लकडाउनमा उतै सकियो । मसँग देखाउने केहि थिएन । महामारीले म जस्ता धेरैलाई असर पार्‍यो । परिवारबाट मैले सान्त्वना त पाएँ तर म निराशाको बन्दी भएको थिएँ । “तँ जुउँदै छस् । सकुसल घर आइस् । हामीलाई त्यसमै सन्तोष छ । राम्रा दिन आएपछि फेरि कमाइहाल्छस् नि भनेर” उहाँहरू मलाई सम्झाउनु हुन्थ्यो ।

म सँधै गाउँमै बसेर खेती गर्न चाहन्थेँ । घरमै परिवारसँग बसेर काम गर्न सकिने भएकोले त्यो नै मेरो सुरूदेखिको इच्छा थियो । उहाँहरू पनि खुसी हुनुहुने थियो । तर खेती गर्न पानी पनि त हुनुपर्‍यो नि ।त्यहि भएर पो मलाई विदेश जानुपरेको त।
जसरी समय सँधै एकनास राम्रो रहन सक्दैन त्यसरी नै नराम्रो समयको पनि एक दिन अवश्य अन्त्य हुँदोरहेछ । पानी परियोजनाका केहि सरहरू हाम्रो गाउँमा आउनुभयो र हाम्रै वरपर रहेको पानीलाई कसरी संरक्षण गर्न सकिन्छ भनेर सिकाउनुभयो । त्यसपछि सबैजना मिलेर पानीको स्रोत जोगाउने काममा क्रियाशिल भएर लाग्यौँ । हामीले रिचार्ज पोखरी बनायौँ अनि पानीको स्रोत वरवर रूख विरूवा रोप्न थाल्यौँ । पानीको मुहान विस्तारै फेरि फर्केर आयो । मैले पनि विभिन्न तालिमहरू लिएँ । तरकारी खेती गर्न, ब्याड बनाउन, बीउ रोप्न अनि थोपा सिंचाई प्रविधी प्रयोग गर्न मैले सिक्दै गएँ । सिंचाइको लागि पोखरी खन्न पनि सक्ने भएँ । त्यति मात्रै कहाँ हो र, पानीलाई कसरी पुनः प्रयोग गर्न सकिन्छ भन्ने पनि बुझेँ । यो सबै ज्ञानबाट मैले फर्सी, साग, टमाटर, खुर्सानी लगायतका धेरै तरकारी उब्जाउ गर्न सक्ने भएँ । अहिले म मेरो जीविकोपार्जनका लागि तरकारी खेतीमा नै निर्भर छु । यसबाट कमाएको पैसाले मैले कुखुरा पनि पाल्न थालेकोछु । पहिलेभन्दा म अलि सहज स्थितीमा पुगेकोछु । कुनै दिन उहाँहरू यो धर्ती छोड्दा म छेउमै नहुँला कि भन्ने चिन्ता छैन अब उहाँहरूलाई पनि।”
(सुरेश बोहोरा, आलिताल-४, रनगाउँ जलाधारक्षेत्र)
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(बैदेशिक रोजगारीमा भारत भएका सुरेश बोहोरा कोरोना महामारीका कारण नेपाल फर्केका थिए । युएस्एडको पानी परियोजनाबाट तालिम सहयोग पाएपछि आफ्नै जमिनमा क्लाइमेट स्मार्ट तरकारी खेती गरी उनी गाउँमै बसेका छन् । अहिले उनी आफ्नै तरकारी खेती र कुखुरा पालन गरेर राम्रै आयआर्जन गरिरहेकाछन् ।)