Tansen: Radio, Forestry, Conservation, and Dakka

Our days were packed with little excursions to learn about different bits of development and community groups. We departed in 3 jeeps, each crammed with about 9 people.

First, we went to Radio Nepal, a community radio in Madan Pokhara (not the Pokhara near Annapurna). It was about a 45 minute jeep ride away, but basically Tansen's neighbor. The radio station broadcasts news, entertainment, and education. They market themselves as helping to preserve culture, language, and reduce poverty by reducing illiteracy. They gave and example that Dalits (untouchables) can't enter a Brahman or Chhetri household, but they could express their opinions and lifestyle through radio and enter their houses that way.

SIT donated a small radio. Radio Nepal will hold a competition and whoever wins will receive the radio. 

We did a short jungle walk after the radio talk. It was pleasant until we left the path and waded through a sea of giant spiders. Yeah, spiders again (I'm starting to sound like the boy who cried wolf), but these were GIANT. Right now, I'm sitting in my room keeping an eye on an extremely mobile spider, but it bugs (pun intended) me less because compared to jungle spiders, it's the lesser of 2 evils. I'm waiting for my room ecosystem to kick in: spiders eat the mosquitoes that keep eating me every night, and the 3 lizards in my room eat the spiders. Currently, no one is eating the correct prey. Come on, nature.

In the jungle, pre-spider viewing.

After the jungle walk, we listened to a community forest group talk. It was pretty interesting. At least one person from each of the 102 families must contribute work to the forest in order to reap the benefits. The families get a substantial bundle of wood every year for their work. The community self regulates the forest so that no one can sneak into the woods and cut down trees. Sometimes in other forestry groups, guards can be corrupt and let thieves in.

Next day, we went to the DSCO: District soil conservation office. Nepal's jungle-y hills were much more sparse 50 years ago because people were chopping down trees, which also meant the soil would get washed away. This office worked on rebuilding the environment. Some of their projects include water source and riverbank protection, landslide treatments, irrigation canal improvement, road slope stabilization, and educating communities about conservation.

Then and now, the area around Tansen. Much more green than back then.

Dakka (spelling varies) Factory- one of many in Tansen. Palpa is famous for its Dakka cloth. It is commonly used in Topis (see picture, but it can be used in scarves, shawls, dresses, etc. This particular factory used to employ 500 people, but it's now down to about 50. They say this was mainly due to the huge emigration of young people from the villages and Nepal. This factory said they mostly hire women and that they were a safe place for women to come if they'd been kicked out of their family. They also said they didn't have contracts, which raised some questions later in discussion about the potential for it to be a sweat shop. The queen used to order her Dakka from them, but since the royal massacre, their business has been slow until he recent addition of an American customer.

Making Dakka at a loom.

Foot pedal for the loom.

The factory's shop.