Hurried Tirp To Avoid a Bad Star, M. Lila and C. Bishop Berry

                               Hurried Tirp To Avoid a Bad Star

Summary:-

           "Hurried Trip to Avoid a Bad Star"  was jointly written b two American geographers, M.Lilla and C. Bishop Barry based on the writers first hand experience of travelling on the hills of western Nepal, this essay depicts social and Economic life of Karnali region.

            The writers started their trekking from Jumla to Nepalgunj after Christmas. The writers were accompanied by a group of local travelers who were carrying some local products like Hashish, medicinal herbs, hand knit sweaters and blankets to trade them in the market of Nepalgunj.

            While climbing an 11,350 feet high mountain, Hari Lekh. The writers met a handsome Chhetri woman of about 30. She asked them the usual questions . They had been asked on the way. She also requested them to send her husband back home if he had moved to their village. The way woman talked and behaved with the writers revealed that the people of Karnali region were imprisoned in the narrow universe of their own . While climbing up another mountain, the writers met a group of 8-9 people who were processing Silajit on the way. When asked why they had not processed it before they left their homes, they replied to the writes that they had to star their journey in hurry in order to avoid the influence of bad star.

     After descending to lower elevations the writers passed through the forest of skeletal looking sal trees. They could her the local people cutting down the branches of tree to feed their cattle. When the writers pointed out the possibility of deforestation due to their ruthless exploitation of nature, they replied to the writers that they could do nothing as they had to feed their cattle at any cost.

   Spending a night in tent , the writer arrived at the market of Nepalgunj. The  local travelers sold the goods they had brought and bought the goods of daily needs like cotton clothes, aluminium, iron ware, spice, jewellery and even distillery equipments. The writers returned to Jumla  to complete their project during their 15 months of wandering through western Nepal, they learned that the people of this region are devoted to farming but farming alone does not sustain them all the year round. So, they have to llok for alternative means of earning besides farming.

Question

   1.     Write a paragraph to show how Karnali is linked economically with the lowland regions of south.

       Karnali region is one of the hinder lands of Nepal where there is  neither enough cultivating land nor alternative sources of income of its own. The people of this region area wedded to farming but it does not yield enough to keep them alive throughout the year. So, the people of this region have to depend on Terai region

For their livelihood. They carry their local products like hashish, medicinal herb, hand knit sweaters and blankets to sell them in the market of Nepalgunj with the money they earn selling their goods. They purchase the goods of dialy needs like cotton clothes, spice, ironware, aluminium, jewelry and distillery equipments. Some people got to Nepalgunj and other cities of Nepal as well as India looking for alternative sources of income. Thus, Karnali region depends economically on lowland regions of south.

   2.     What did the two writers learn about the life and culture of the people of Karnali region during their journey on foot?

      "Hurried Trip To Avoid a Bad Star" is written by American geographers M.Lilla and C.Bishop Barry. Their essay presents social, economic and educational aspects of Karnali region. To present these aspects, they have brought four events in the text their meeting with a chhetri woman and the people processing Silajit and their encounter cutting down trees and the peole of Karnali buying and selling things. The two writers learn that the people of Karnali are innocent, simple, labourious and uneducated. Their world is narrow and limited. The Chhetri woman asks the travelers to find her husband and send him to the village. They live in geographically difficult part completely depending on their own or animal strength. They are ignorant about soil erosion and deforestation. Not only that, alcohol consumption in Karnali region is high because of he porters buy distillery eqiupments  in the bazar of Nepalgunj. He hopes that he would sell liquor and earn enough money to buy goods in Karnali.

   3.     Write an account about life of people in Karnali region.

       The life of peple in Karnali is economically poor and dependeant on Terai region and socially traditional, superstitious and backward. This region does not have alternative sources of income besides farming. Therefore, the people have to dpend on Terai region for their livelihood. The girls are married at pre mature age and are compelled to send their husbands away from home to look for job opportunities since the people don’t have outside contact, they are imprisoned in the narrow universe of their own. They believe that the position of heavenly bodies influences their lives and schedule their everyday activities accordingly. Being unaware of consequences of deforestation, they are exploitating nature ruthlessly. As a whole, the life of the people of this region is poor and deplorable.