5 Ten Rupees
I would pretty much remember that little girl who stood 20 meters up hill and shouted with such a distinguish and stone cold tone, “Chacha 10 rupay de”, that I was afraid she was about to harm me somehow. Thinking about the ways she could do that, I was just coming out of the sight range of a dog so that would be my worst threat. After being bitten by a dog at the age of 11, i developed a severe cynophobia. At that point I could not recall any kid in the valley who had not ask me for the money. From the start kids were asking for ten rupees. And it was quite strange that there was no variation. Even if they were with their parents, they would still do the same and their parents won’t have any issue with that. 3 things were in standard there.
1. Every kid would call you “Chacha
2. Every kid would ask for 10 rupees
3. Every kid literally every kid would do that
But “Exceptions are always there”. As exception to the first static I was called “Mama” by a girl. And exception for the second one is quite interesting. Three very little kids, must be less than five years of age, approached me. They were two boys and a girl. One of the boys stayed behind while rest of the two said to me:
“Chacha 10 Rupay de na” which I refused and in response they said
“Neechay aik chhoti si bachi bohat bhooki hai koi bubble de de uske liye”
Now this was hilarious, the whole logic. They were kids and I knew what were they up to but I started laughing. This somehow encouraged then and they started chasing me. I have a very cold and rigid tone when it comes to refusing but those kids were consistent. They followed me for long.
As far as the exception to the last one matters, it’s most memorable. Just after the cold tone girl from the start, I saw some shepherded kids with a lot of goats. Now I knew one thing that it’s useless asking the kids about how far the destination was so I only asked them something I was warned about a while ago. “Shepherd’s Dogs", I was told to be careful about them. I asked a kid about dogs and had me even more scared but I heard a little laughing in background. Another kid who must be around 9-10 years wore a red jacket and had a very funny haircut. But with face of an angel and eyes much like the lake he lived nearby, he could pull off any haircut. He came to me and we started talking. Such a nice boy, he told me not to worry about the dogs. As they are like the clouds in the valley which only “thunder but don’t rain”. I remember one of the fellow blogger who goes by the alias of “The Silent Traveler” who would ask the kids for “Lassi”. So I thought to do the same and I asked the little angel for that. He didn’t want a second and ran to his hut, up the hill, after telling me to wait there.
It was a domesticated area. Couple of huts and their residents were spread across. I waited there for a while, a grown up man on a little distance was looking at me. These events were a while after “Can men have some privacy too?” so I did not wanted to wait long to be caught up by Suicide Squad. I started walking, but stopped after a few steps as I heard someone calling me. The grown up man was coming towards me, as he approached, we greeted. I told him why I was looking towards his hut and he told me it’s no problem, they welcome guests. He invited me to stay with his family for the night to which I politely excused. In meanwhile angel arrived with a big bowl of yogurt. It was so thick just like butter. It won’t move if you shake the bowl. And it tasted equally yummy and delicious. Only thing that was not perfect was that it was bit sour, perhaps it was a day older. I enjoyed it a lot but since it was way too creamy, I could not have it all. I appreciated it’s taste to my generous hosts the elder one of whom explain the reason being natural and non-fertilized grass on which their goats graze.
“Real taste and benefit is in the milk and yogurt of these mountains” his exact words.
He was insisting me to have it all or pour it in my bottle to carry it with me. But I thought its better off not taking that as I did not know how much it meant to them. They enjoyed talking to me as we talked about their routine life and movement according to the weather change. I was still frustrated over the events that occur a while ago. So, as I saw a group of people on a distance approaching us, I told my hosts that I have to go now. Elder one noticed the expressions on my face and asked me the reason as he looked back towards the group in distance. I unloaded all the material to him. Which kind of made him angry as he did not like such conduct of others.
Anyways I said good bye to nice people and started taking quick steps. After a while, I looked back and saw the elder one have a talk with the group of people. My legs started shaking as I realized what a big mistake I had made.
This picture is quite interesting for me, if one looks closely, everything in it is closing down to one stop away in horizon. Earth is meeting the sky there but also both of the sides are meeting to each other in the end.
I don’t give away anything at all during my treks. In many northern areas, kids and sometime elders ask for money or something else (as they do in rest of the country). I just believe that it destroys one’s dignity and pride and to do so to kids will have severe behavioral impact on them and their development over the years. But on our way back, we discussed something that I had observed many times.
Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist, proposed a "Hierarchy of Needs" in 1943. Which categorized our needs from basic to self fulfillment. If we just look at it, while we never have to worry much about basic needs and doing all the trekking we are at “Esteem Level” to feel accomplished. But if we look at all these people living there, they are stuck at the basic level. Whole day, everyone is working hard for food. They don’t have many clothes to change or surety that they won’t starve if they take a week off to relax. They are always living on edge. Sometime on mercy of weather and sometime on visitors like us.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs, represented as a pyramid with the more basic needs at the bottom
On our way back, in the van, someone actually brought this up. That it won’t hurt us to help them out. Some of them don’t even have necessary items to live in cold weather meanwhile we have our wardrobes loaded with clothes we don’t even know we still have.
Why don’t we bring some of clothes and other items, those we don’t need anymore, in next trip and give it all away?” Someone reached a conclusion after telling a heartfelt story.
“Well, that won’t damage their self-pride if done properly.” I said to myself.
It was hard for myself to change my own principle but the way all of them explained it to each other, completely changed my point of view about giving away. So that’s what happens when all the people with positive minds discuss something. They really bring some change which I myself can vouch for.
