MEMORIES OF NYUKUNG: A FARMER AND A MATRIARCH

Just like how the autumn leaves fall, crisp and brown, onto the earth after completing their time, my grandmother too passed away after a lifetime of labour and love. She was the pillar of our family and her loss left a huge void and grief within my heart. She was outspoken and an ambitious woman who led our Breemu (a Lepcha clan in Sikkim) family until death took her away.

She lived her whole life in Pakyong, our ancestral hometown in East Sikkim. The town derived it's name from a Lepcha word "Pay yong"(bamboo bow), just like her spirit, both resilient and graceful. Inspired by her life I was determined to understand my roots and the bilingual culture in which I grew up. I went around interviewing my family members, collecting their perspectives and memories from their childhood of the Haat, the family business and the black cardamom cultivation. I collected enough to shape it into something worthwhile.

My grandmother, Farasay Breemu Lepcha had very distinct Mongolian features with big eyes, pointed nose and brown skin, tanned by the heat of Pakyong. She was a house wife who worked most of her time in the field, tending to her crops and observing people who passed by. I recall her dressed in a long  "phoro" (long skirt) a printed fabric, mostly worn by elderly women. She would wrap a shawl with unique prints around her waist, paring with a shirt in summer and a sweater in winter. She was strict, vigilant disciplinarian and also a great storyteller. When we used to visit her, bringing vegetables as customary, she would enquire the price of each item. On hearing the cost she would gasp and recall how cheap they used to be as compared to the high price of the vegetables now.

When we used to visit her, bringing vegetables as customary, she would enquire the price of each item. On hearing the cost she would gasp and recall how cheap they used to be as compared to the high price of the vegetables now.

The weekly Pakyong Haat was an important feature in our village lives. My grandmother used to sell vegetables such as the local cherry, tree tomatoes, the famous round chillies (dalla khorsani) and local rice harvested from our paddy field. She also sold churpi (local cottage cheese), eggs, milk and wild, medicinal herbs such as Timbur,kinembee,kurubee and sometimes seasonal fruits like oranges, bananas, jackfruits, cucumbersand corns. However, it was difficult to export and sell these produce due to the lack of transport and other facilities.

Indeed it was a tough job for my grandmother and her friends to reach the haat as early as possible, with heavy loads on their backs. In rare occasions they were lucky to be offered a lift by an old utility or a truck  to ferry them to the haat. Roads were not well constructed and the footpaths through the forest were the only option. My aunt remembers that it was was risky navigating through the thick forests, especially the return journey at night. Fear of falling prey to wild animals or the forest spirits was imminent. Monsoon rain and the slippery wetness of the land compounded the obstacles. Continuous rainfall and landslides killed many people trying to make their way to the haat. Yet this didn't deter them from waiting patiently for the "Sukha din haru" (good days of harvest and wealth).

Passing through Pakyong bazaar as a child during my holidays, I used to follow my mother and my cousins to the Wednesday Haat. I was dazzled by the glittering wares for sale, hand made clothes, the aroma of spices and the shrill voices of the vendors crying out “Bustee ko sabji linus linus “(vegetables from the village please buy them). Ammu (mother) used to carry a huge jute bag which by the end of the day would be full and heavy with the purchase from the Haat. The colourful stones and the shiny clips worn by various ethnic people mesmerized me. The vendors would spread their goods on the jute mats below the blue tirpal while they called out for customers.

The Pakyong Haat, according to elders, started way before 1975 on the National Highway 717A of Pakyong where different roads of the west and south districts are interconnected. Earlier, the Haat was an open area under the dusty sky. The Haat is now located within the taxi stand complex, just a few meters from the highway. It stretches several hundred meters from one end of the complex to the other. Each area chooses a particular day of the week to organise the haat for example the Wednesday (Budhuwar) haat. The Haat plays a culturally significant role as a meeting venue for different tribes in and around the area. They showcase their ethnic specific costumes, jewellery and other commodities like Dhoko (bamboo baskets) Khukhuri (Nepali dagger), Banpok (Lepcha dagger) and Hashya (sickle).

They would be joined by others from the village. The weak would start early and others would catch up with them before long. And at times they would leave the loads on the way for the healthy young ones to carry. At the end of the day everyone would return to the village together.

The people in Pakyong actively took part in these Haats and my family was one of them. These haats provided them the opportunity to earn their living. Matim, an aunt of mine mentioned that her earnings were usually sufficient to run and support household expenses with only 5 to 10 rupees. However, with time as my elders slowly began to acquire formal education and the only family business was converted to an alternate way of earning.

Nonetheless, the way my grandmother as a farmer, managed life as a vendor while running her household both intrigued and inspired me. She was in the business since her younger days at Kaputhang, another village in Pakyong. She would wake up at dawn, collect and load the vegetables with her siblings and make a long trek to the market. They would be joined by others from the village. The weak would start early and others would catch up with them before long. And at times they would leave the loads on the way for the healthy young ones to carry. At the end of the day everyone would return to the village together. However, selling and buying was not the only thing they did at the Haat. Grandmother once shared that she used to ride the wooden ferris wheels (Rotay ping) as a child with her siblings. They would play under the scorching heat while her father waited for people to buy their goods. Then with the money earned they would all go buy rations and utensils for home.

Then as an adult, grandmother too became a farmer, like her father. Among the many things she cultivated and sold, black cardamom or badhi elaichi was one of them. She realized the economic potential and promoted its cultivation.

Then as an adult, grandmother too became a farmer, like her father. Among the many things she cultivated and sold, black cardamom or badhi elaichi was one of them. She realized the economic potential and promoted its cultivation. This activity was the mainstay of her agri business. Moreover, Sikkim’s terrain was suitable for cardamom cultivation and became the largest producer of cardamom. This was a great source of income and a business for her and many other farmers in Sikkim. The cardamon saplings were usually planted during the monsoon season and was replaced every two years. The cultivation was done on large acres of hilly slope and during harvest grandmother and family used to live in an old wooden shelter till it was over. For most of the time, it lay unoccupied, with people staying there only during the sowing and harvesting seasons to tend to the fields. The black cardamom then used to be harvested during September or October. Grandmother mentioned that at times a 12 bags of cardamom after the process of drying on a chula or a big furnace, would reduced to only 2 bags. Then only in December the buyers come to collect the dried cardamom and take them away on trucks. Sikkim used to one of the largest producers of cardamom in the country but over the decades the yield has decreased drastically. Now as I look over grandmother's cardamom field, it lies abandoned overtaken by weeds and trees. This makes me reflect on the hardships my grandmother endured as a farmer and how, at one point, she could no longer sustain the business and was eventually forced to retire. However, I wish to carry her memories and her way of life with me to honour her as both a dedicated farmer and the matriarch who nurtured and supported us.

Glossary:

Bazaar: A traditional market place where a variety of goods, including foods,
textiles and craft are sold.

Haat: A local amalgamation sale of everything ranging from fruit , vegetables to
clothing and utensils .

Tripal: A tarpaulin or tarp is a large sheet of strong, flexible ,water- resistant or
waterproof material used to protect people from the wind , sunlight and rain.

Chula: a fireplace made up of mud usually used in villages.

Kinembee / Kurubee: wild green vegetables found in Sikkim.