Teeming waters

By Laxmi Prasad Ngakhusi

KATHMAND, DEC 27 -

For the Tharu womenfolk of the Geta VDC to the south of the Dhangadi municipality in Kailali, fishing isn't just a way to supplement their meals and incomes, but also a break from the monotony of general household chores, a chance to socialise, catch up with one another. It's a wonderfully convivial sight, that of these women—young and old—gathered in groups around the many local ponds and streams with their equipment, maintaining a steady, familiar banter as they wade into the water to pan for fish with their nets. That shouldn't imply the work is any less demanding, though; setting up the traps and pulling in the catches are tasks that call for solid physical effort, and one can see limbs stretched and muscles strained in the process. The fish caught therein, meanwhile, either end up on plates in the village itself if they're sizeable, or are taken to the Capital to be sold in the form of sindra if they're of a smaller variety.