As part of a research project, I visited several villages in southern Nepal and captured photos of Nepali migrant workers who had returned from working abroad. They shared about their life abroad. Similarly, I also met and talked with people whose family members were working abroad. In this process, I also captured photos of some ordinary day to day life. These photos are a representation of all the above.
“I went to Malaysia first in 2004. In Malaysia, I worked at Cheung Hing Timber Company for 3 months. Then I got into an accident. Look at my hand, I got injured. Can you see? I worked for only three months and then there was the accident..”
“My name is Chandeshwar Yadav. My home is in Khairba [village in Nepal]. I went to Qatar in 2006. I did the work related to bricks and stones. What else could I do? I had work in construction. I used to climb up the buildings and provide ply, bricks and stones there. I worked for eight hours and about one and half hours of over time. Yes, I did paid for the voertime. I worked for six years.”
A father and a son. The father has a bachelor’s degree but is still searching for employment. Unable to find employment since several years, he is considering going abroad for a job but is worried to leave when his son is still so young.
Two children posing for the camera. They are fascinated by a DSLR camera and are enjoying this novel experience.
She has a little shop in the village. When she first started, there were a limited number of shops but now they have mushroomed all over the place. It is hard to make a decent income yet she has to work because her son passed away two years ago in an unfortunate bus accident. One of her grandsons is working abroad and supports their family. When business is slow, she also works on an adjacent kitchen garden to grow vegetables on land she rents and shares half of the produce with the land owner.
She dries leaves during the day and uses it as fuel for cooking meals later at night and the next morning. It is hard work to collect the leaves, dry them, and use it for cooking but on the positive side, leaves can be collected for free and it is a lifeline for extremely poor.
A student returning from a local school in Khairba village.
A student returning from a local private school in Khairba village. Private schools usually have a uniform that all students are required to wear. Often, the high cost of school uniforms discourages some parents from sending their children to private schools.
Students are happy that classes have ended. There are no school buses or other modes of transport because most students walk to their homes.
There is only one government school in the village and it is the oldest. However, many parents consider its quality of education inadequate so, opt to send their children to a private school. Keeping up with this demand, there are now two private schools in the village.
Schools have long teaching hours. Classes run from the morning till late afternoon. In between, there is a “tiffin” break that students use to eat snacks and play different games. The empty Sprite bottle serves as a reusable water bottle for some of these students.
Students are eager to appear in the photographs because it is a novel experience for them.
Kari has three sons working abroad but he still works in the village and grows vegetables on rented land. He keeps half of the produce and shares the other half with the landowner. This form of cropshare on rented land is a common practice in southern Nepal.
An elderly and a child in front of a storage room. Most of the working age men have emigrated abroad so, the village has a disproportionately higher number of young children and elderly. The storage room in the background is used to store grains, lentils, and vegetables such as potatoes, onions after a harvest. These types of detached storage rooms are common for many households involved in farming.
All photos are taken by me and are available for use with proper attributes to me and Texas A&M University. To see more posts related to this research project, see Migration.
Puru Shah is the founder of Madhesi Youth. For Madhesi Youth, he primarily writes about human rights issues and articles with an emphasis on data analysis & data visualization. His goal is to promote justice, equality, sustainable development, and youth empowerment in Nepal.
Connect with Puru Shah on Twitter (@digitalsubway)
