Hurried Trip to Avoid a Bad Star

M. Lilla and C. Bishop Barry

Background.

American geographers M. Lilla and C. Bishop Barry in their essay Hurried trip to avoid a
Bad Star present a report on  Karnali zone of western Nepal  which they studied through their
personal involvement as surveyors on foot for 15 months. The essay is excerpted from the
same i.e. survey of Karanli zone and life over its mountains and hills. The report nomenclatures
Karnali as the The road less World of Western Nepal and was published in 1971. The authors
in this essay present the life account of Karnali zone people, their daily life, their economic
culture, level of their awareness about environmental preservation and Karnali zone’s economic
dependency with the plain region of southern Nepal.

Text Summary.

With a view to observe life from economic, geographic, cultural and quality perspectives, the
writers move to plains in southern Nepal with the peasants (farmers) who are going towards
Nepalgunj for their daily provisions. They are  carrying medicinal herbs, hand knitted sweaters
and blankets etc. to sell in Nepalgunj while climbing steep hill near Hari Lekh a Chhetri woman
of about 36 requests them to send her husband back home who left the house 15 years ago
in search of job in the Terai( plain region ). Her request reveals the concept of Karnali zone
people about their parameters of understanding of the world. In a Sal forest slope the writers
notice the chopping down of the trees in several directions which indicate the possibility of
rapid deforestation in the region. On enquiry, the people explain their compulsion to chop down
the trees to feed their animals which expose their lack of education and ignorance about the
importance of preservation of environment. The writers notice a group of 8 or 9 men in a forest
processing Silajit in order to sell in Nepalgunj. These people make a hurried trip from their home
valley to avoid evil influence of bad star in their superstitious thinking. On arrival in Nepalgunj,
the writers watch the hill people buying their daily provisions; one of them spends all his
money buying distillery equipments with a hope to earn money by selling alcohol. The writers
conclude their journey at Jumla. They express their concern on lack of awareness in the people
of Karnali about protection of nature and about the need of educating people regarding this vital
aspect. They express that Karnali zone people are living in very difficult place with a very low
agricultural production. The writers suggest that people should be involved in trade with the
Terai region in order to make their life easier with satisfactory earning and for this transportation
facilities along with cross flow of goods and ideas would be crucial.

Key Points to be learned.

A thorough look on this text offers an insight that:
People of Karnali zone are obliged to use their muscle power of hands, legs and shoulders to
carry their home made commodities to exchange with the daily need- materials
They are living with harsh geographic realities and thus, are deprived of productive cultivation
which has led to scarcity of food and living resources.
Poverty has bitten them too sharp and their life is too difficult due to climatic and economic
barriers.
The life is still too superstitious and far back from modernization as it is a road less world
situating itself aloof.
They are utterly dependent on low lands of Nepal, Nepalganj for their economic activities such
as trade of their home products and local goods and herbs.
The hardship is evident from their conditions as their obligation to buy the things at high price
and sell their craft and goods at low price which they can do only after porting the items on their
shoulder for months to and fro.
The ignorance level is too fierce and thus, they have been on fore front in causing deforestation
as well as plundering of natural resources
Lack of access to modernizing tools, devices and knowledge are barrier for them and so, they are
confined to adjust with the poor economic and harsh geographic conditions for ages.
The factors supposed to be responsible for their low standard and formidable life are namely
government’s unconcerned behavior for infrastructure development, no transportation access,
absence of market and commercial enterprises, pastoral life and lack modern means of
development and lack of knowledge to convert the local resources  into manufactured goods and
economic dependence.



Q.no. 1 .Give a short account of life of Karnali zone people.

Two American geographers have depicted (painted) and described the state and lifestyle of
Karnali zone. The life of Karnali zone people is extremely hard because Karnali zone is a
remote, not well connected with other parts of the country by road and economically backward.
Due to the lack of education they are very superstitious and believe that a bad star may have
evil influence on them and try to avoid it. They are lacking the awareness about the need of
preservation of nature. Due to lack of this aspect they indiscriminately chopped down the trees
there by speeding of the deforestation putting their own life’s in great risk because the entire
slopes became bare and prone (possible) of landslide and soil erosion.
Although the people of this region are living in harmony with nature in very difficult location
with very bad weather, they are not ready to leave their place. The writers found that a hill
place is very optimistic and cheerful despite hardship in life with low agricultural production.
The writers felt the need of the hill people to farm with other activities to live with satisfactory
earning. Many of them are involved in business. They carry their local products including Silajit
to sell in Nepalgunj whenever they go down to the Terai. When they return home they bring
necessary goods like aluminum and iron wares, cotton clothes, jewelry items and spices to sell in
their locality to earn a living.