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A Rural Story

Having been to the place several times, I took the opportunity to learn a bit of its history. Metakha-at first the name denoted me nothing more than just simply the name as with any other names. It could certainly sound a greek to first timer as it did the first time with me but I have picked up the spelling and the pronunciation.

I caught over a man, a porter to me. When we are walking, talking such leisure chat is known to save the fatigue. Hence, in my quest as well to know about the place, I asked him to narrate me the brief history of the place we were heading that day. He started about how the place got its name-METAKHA

“In the time immemorial,” he commenced. The place served as the migratory route for people from Paro. Come winter, the people would head down to Phuntsholing for their warmer habitat. When Paro got dry in winter, the warmer place further south provided their cattle and horses enough forage. This people are known to have two houses, one in the south and other in the north.

With the first fall of winter dawn, they would pack enough stuff to last them whole winter. With line of cattle and horses, the mobs would make their way past Metakha. The place, the then the dense forest served them as stopover site for them. But for few unprovidential ones, the rations would run out, some get struck by diseases, famine, calamities and make not a single step forwards on their move.

The same happened to a couple. The place at that time was known to this migratory entourage as Nyetab-establish shether. (Nye-Shelter, Tab-establish). The couple then built a ramshackle house and sowed the seed to the village. Soon, few more joined when they found out that the soil is fertile and the place harboured good crops. The jungles were cleared, the population exploded and today, the village is a sole geog under Chukha Dzongkhag.
The nyetab with time changed with name and outlook. More houses sprouted and as is with Zhongar to Mongar, the numerous twist of boneless tongue drove the name of place to Metakha. The road, electricity and other development is yet to come to the village but the place if you learn to live long is a good place for one to put up. For atleast the people living in the geog, Metakha is a heavenly abode for them, ‘East or West, Home is the Best’.

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