Hurried Trip to Avoid a Bad Star

The essay “Hurried Trip to Avoid a Bad Star” composed by two American geographers 

namely M. Lilla and C. Bishop Berry. They have presented the real picture of Karnali region and people living there. During their fifteen months of journey on foot in Karnali, they knew a lot of things such as people lifestyle, people thought, source of income, condition of government facilities, and as well as geographical condition of Karnali region. At the end of their journey, they prepared a journey from Jumla to Nepalgunj. Specially, they wanted to see how Karnali is economically linked with Nepalgunj. The travelers had carried the baskets on their back filled with medicinal herbs, hashish, hand-knit sweaters and blankets to sell them in Nepalgunj. On the way of Nepalgunj, they
met a Chhetri woman. She overtook them and asked if they were going to Nepalgunj. She wanted to know about her lost husband. She requested them to send back her husband if they saw him.

In a forest at 9,000 feet, they saw some people processing Silajit. They were doing it on the way as they were influenced by bad star. The geographers climbed down the Sal forest. They saw women chopping the green branches, who were unaware about the bad effect of chopping. Finally, they reached to Nepalgunj. They heard jackals, bats, mules, and bullock carts, which they had not seen in upper hills. Hilly people were moving from one shop to another to buy and sell commodities. Usually, they used to buy spice, cotton cloth, aluminum and iron ware, and jewelry. But Karma bought the distillery liquor to earn money. Karnali people are living very difficult life. Soil isn’t fertile. So, productivity is less as compare with their requirement.

Karnali people are always in movement that means, they sell their things in lower Terai and buys whatever they need. They are living in harmony with nature, and are simple and hardworking. They sell Silajit, Yarshagumba, Hashish, hand-knit sweaters and blankets, and medicinal herbs. They buy cotton cloth, aluminum and iron ware and other essentials things. Some people do job in out of country or in different parts of country. It proves that Karnali is economically linked to low land Terai.

Summary Written by-Binisha Ghalan