Skip to main content

When looking isn't as easy as it looks


Man finally finds a single piece of magic worm 
“If wishes are horses, every beggar would ride it,” and if cordyceps are wishes, every highlanders would collect it as much as they want. But sadly though, wishes merely remain wishes.

Given the availability, every highland nomads vies for as much collection in every season as they can because every piece of cordyceps collected is a ‘midas’ collection when it can bring lots of money. 

"Like economist puts it, all resources are limited and one day must exhaust"

But like economist puts it, all resources are limited and one day must exhaust. This is exactly what seems to be happening even to the cordyceps in northern fringes of Laya gewog of the Gasa Dzongkhag as vindicated by Aum Om of Laya.

“In five days of literal hunting for the worms, I could manage only 100 pieces," said Om

“In five days of literal hunting for the worms, I could manage only 100 pieces,” unveiled Om. She added, “Last year I collected almost quadrupled the number in the same period of time. This year the yield is unusually very low.”

Before they head north, towards the ice capped mountain, they’ve to avail government permit (GPT) for which each pay nominal fee of Nu. 260/-. Maximum permits for the three members of the each household are granted in one season. This is supposed to check overexploitation of the resources plus the stern monitoring in the collection spots. Reports say that foresters in Bumthang have left a month ago to carryout monitoring at the cordyceps collections site in mountains.

"Preparations are hefty when it involves trudging folds of mountains and vales before reaching the cordyceps spot"

That’s not done yet. Preparations are hefty when it involves trudging folds of mountains and vales before reaching the cordyceps spot. With their mission destinations such as Sinchilakha, Butsulakha, Japhukab and Rodo some of which are many thousands of feet above sea level, it’s like going to a war. Few un-providential ones may not make back home becoming a sacrificial lamb in return for the nature’s costly gift.

"Looking ins't as easy as it looks"

The baggage includes yak herder tent which itself is a big baggage, warm wollen clothes and other necessities. This leaves with very little room for one basic need of every human – the food. Since it is not sensible to pack normal food, they make with fast food such as ‘flour dough.’ “Water is all you need for the flour to make a dough,” supplements Pem Dechay, seated next to Om in the Takin festival ground in Laya.

"Reaching to the collection location takes about 5 days journey through the hostile mountain environment"

Reaching to the collection location takes about 5 days journey through the hostile mountain environment. Once camp is set up, they march into the collection zone armed with empty plastics package of noodles. For whole day, they imitate or almost become an animal when they’ve to be on four feet, combing and scanning through every blade of grasses looking for the cordyceps. The mountain summer sun sweltering close to your head is merciless or the rain combined with low mountain temperature shivers almost to death, but there is no giving up.

Once back in the campsite, the day’s collection is cleaned and dried, the routine goes till the season last. But that evening, there is no such thing as sumptuous dinner. Every time the dough refuses to get swallowed, gulp of cold mountain water helps to force it down. At night temperature drops several minus below the zero degree and sleep evades you whole night.

"So, next time you see a highland nomads in maroon coloured dress walking away with enviable amounts of cash from one of the auction, its his fruition of near death commitments" 

But there is sense of an accomplishment, when at the end of the collection season; you’re heading back with your family’s source of livelihood in your backpack.

So, next time you see a highland nomads in maroon coloured dress walking away with enviable amounts of cash from one of the auction, its his fruition of near death commitments securing the one year livelihood of his family.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Long, long, long journey to Education

“Root of the education is bitter but the fruit is sweet” no one would know about it better than Kado. The fatigue of having to toddle to the school, fever of unending exams, the torture of having to burn the midnight oil, dozing in classes and the stern rigors are hard to endure, few even give up on the way but many endure it with utmost determination and commitment, because deep inside everyone knows it pays later. “Root of the education is bitter but the fruit is sweet” no one would know about it better than Kado Kado in the tender age of 12 is negotiating the lazily meandering footpath along the steep mountain. His school bag, full of books, pulls him back. His black naughty boy school shoe is all soiled, indication of how many times he has trudged that same footpath. He is on his way to the primary school in his village, almost 5 kilometers away. He has to make sure he is in the school before morning social work starts; else he gets penalized. Unlike the students who reside nearb
Post a Comment
Read more

Defining Tsa-Wa-Sum in One’s own Perspective

If I am asked, I would boldly answer, “The Tsa-Wa-Sum is “Gyeb, Gyelkhab and Meser”, (King, Country and People). But not everyone knows about what tsa-wa-sum is. Hence, when the superior ask them, they are left to conceive their own tsa-wa-sum. Once a meeting was convened by the Dzongdag. In a large congregation of illiterate rural people, the Dzongdag thundered, “do you know what tsa-wa-sum is?” “Can anyone from the crowd tell me?” The crowd went to pin drop silence and no one seems ready to answer. Are they scared of Dasho or no one has the slightest idea what it is? Suddenly, a Ngalop man sitting in the last bench, for whom Dasho is hardly visible, stood up. With his head bowed low, he answers, “The three tsa-wa-sum are Ngalops, Sharchops and Lhotsampas”. “This is because they are the three race in Bhutan” Dasho went into bout of annoyance but before he fired the man, another Lhotsampa (Southern Bhutanese Man) supplemented, “the three tsa-wa-sum are Royal Bhutan Army (RBA) Royal B
1 comment
Read more

Eternal Enemies

The Cats and Dogs are often adopted by the people in the metropolitan as pets. They go pretty good as pets since they are known to be endearing animals. Some set of folks have their paramount love and passion for these animals. But back in the village, these two creatures are mainly spared space in the home to shoulder their own responsibilities. For instance, the cat is entrusted with the job of dwindling or keeping at the sea bed, the number of rats referred to as naughty rodents in the village. And the dog cannot keep eating what the owner provides and sleep. At night, they have to escort the owners into the corn field and keep barking to keep away, the lurking night’s ambusher (deer, bears, porcupine, and wild pig etcetera). So, I see no overlapping of their right to food and duties. But, many might have surely taken the notice of these two four legged animal never tolerating each other’s presence. One fine day they meet but await a big confrontation. The sight of one another inv
2 comments
Read more