Khati's newest arrival was born on the 24.02.2008. Piria entered the world in under two hours to be greeted by a hostile father who was far from pleased at the presence of yet another girl. The family now has three girls and one boy. However, I must add that as time has gone on, the tiny tot has grown on him...
I mentioned Champa in an entry on 'Fertility', it is a sad footnote to the story that she gave birth to a still born baby boy a few days ago.It is the third baby she has lost in the last three years. She is currently inconsolable.
The Khati baby boom is experiencing a lull - the next spate of births will begin in June.
The fields are a verdant green with the wheat and barley crop just six weeks away from harvesting. For now the women enjoy a little quite time awaiting harvest season.
The variety of birdlife is a 'twitchers dream' with the cacophony of sound becoming louder with each passing day as the altitudinal migrants move to a cooler clime to escape the oppressing heat build up on the plains.
A week ago a leopard killed a substantial amount of goats at Chilta. The shepherd had disappeared to a Mela for three days leaving the flock unnattended and is now financially reeling from the consequences. We were left buoyed by the obvious presence of the common leopard, albeit sympathetic to the herder.
Today the last of the 'mooka' (lichen) is being sorted for sale in Ramnagar. In Winter, Nepali workers enter the valley for 'mooka collection' it is a relatively lucrative product that is used for a variety of things from spice, a dye, to a mehendi component. The workers today have spent a tremendous amount of time going through the sacks to compress the load for transportation via mule out of the valley. Some made its way to the market in February while the rest was stored until now. In the rampant resource 'grab' the workers unfortunately strip all the moss and lichens from the trees up the valley leaving one to question the sustainablity of such an exercise.
As soon as the snow melts high up on the bugials (alpine meadows) 'kheeda-gass' (Cordyceps sinensis) fever will see every able bodied male leave Khati in search of the 'Catipillar Gold'. Unlike other regions where women and children (thanks to nimble fingers)are eagerly sought for Kheeda-gass collection - here it is solely 'mens business'. This will make for an interesting trekking season as it will be the first time those involoved in trekking will leave the valley chasing greener and more lucrative pastures.
Bonnie (PEAK) April 2008
