WORK AND PLAY IN KAFER VILLAGE IN THE KALIMPONH HILL REGION

Life in The Kalimpong Hill Region.

A pair of oxen and the wooden plough is shared by all the people of the village.


The Kalimpong Hill region has a very underdeveloped infrastructure; it is mountainous and heavily forested.
The land has to be terraced for growing crops; this is done manually and with the help of oxen. The main crops grown are rice, potatoes, corn, dhal, maize, and several varieties of root and green vegetables. Also bananas, guavas, mangos, grapefruit and pineapple.
They also grow a few cash crops: ginger, broom, cardamom, arrowroot and tea, however tea is not grown in the region I was working in as the land is too heavily forested.
The villagers are hard working, their plot of land is often far from their homestead, water has to be carried to the fields and to the home, there are no mod cons.
Fodder has to be gathered in the forest for their animals and wood for their clay cooking ovens.
Their furniture is very basic and made in the village. They do not have chests of drawers or wardrobes or televisions. A few of the villagers have a wireless, but the reception is poor.
However they love music and have their own local musical instruments. They also love to sing. They are a very hospitable people and very generous, even though they have so little.
Education is very important to them as they realise that unless their children get an education the conditions in the villages will not improve. Their plots of land are small and it is not possible for them to acquire more land. In order for their children to gain paid employment outside of the area, they need an education. Many oif the adults are illiterate.