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Published: April 1st 2014
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Solahnu
April 1st 2014
Find a place to call my own And try and fix up Start a brand new day Neil Young, Out on the Weekend
Solahnu village (pop 123) sits at 2,800 mts above sea level in Banjar Valley, Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh and is one of hundreds of small villages strung across the lower Himali which are only accessible by walking/climbing track (often goat track). Yes it has electricity and piped water, satellite TV and even sporadic internet (for the few who have computers) but no shops and little flat space as it clings to the mountain side. The plus here is that being so high it receives over 10 hours direct sunlight from Spring to Autumn and a good deal more sunlight than the lower valley in Winter. And so agriculture is the mainstay of existence and survival here.
Apples are by far the most important cash crop grown, with Himachal Pradesh apples famous throughout India. Wheat, corn, beans, onion, garlic, peas, marijuana, cabbage and other leafy vegetables are also grown mainly for local subsistence (well the marijuana might constitute leisure activity). Goats and sheep and cattle are
reared for milk, wool, and (not the cows) meat. Hunting (these days using guns) occurs for wild boar, 'jungli' chicken (a kind of large quail), and the now more rare deer. 'Panthers' (a wild cat and not the panther we associate with Africa) are still common and can take an animal, while bears are also a threat to humans in the denser forest. Foraging in the forest occurs for wood and wild produce (e.g. mushrooms).
Here the days are peaceful and warm (so long as the sun shines). Winter is fierce and snow covered. Life is hard. Slowly modernity sets in with more houses having internal water supply and installing electric hot water systems (against the cold water outside wash areas) and changing to gas cookers over the traditional wood fires. But wood is still paramount for warmth and the work in the fields is constant and hard. Only in December and January is there some respite as people are largely house bound due to the cold and weather.
Each evening I wander up the track from my house to get a cup full of fresh creamy milk from Manta (one of the wives in the family who
also owns my house). This places me, while I wait, in the middle of village activity (such as it is) and allows me some familiarity with the locals who are otherwise highly private, superstitious and religious (I cannot enter their houses and strictly speaking should not even touch their houses).
It is never a mystery why India produces such fine cricketers. You only have to witness the daily play in all corners of this country, not the least on narrow terraces high in the mountains. The skill is absolutely amazing, honed to ensure the ball does not fly over the edge. The bat and ball are hand-made. Meanwhile a father and son handsaw a huge log for building planks (there are at least 5 new houses being erected in the village). And a woman is sitting in her 'idle' time (having worked in the fields all day – woman in particular are the real workers here in both home and field) weaving a traditional Kullu shawl at her outside hand-loom.
Life.... active and full but very hard.
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Big Fella
non-member comment
This is planet earth
Just what a beautiful description of the village life and the people who call it home.