Ropai in Lockdown
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
By Sachyam, Children's Home Caregiver
I wish you were here to witness the delightful smiles, lit-up eyes, and pure joy on the faces of our children when we shared with them about our week’s plan. Aakriti and I gathered everyone and announced: “We are going for dhan ropai this week! Who wants to join?”
Of course, everyone instantly raised their hands and cheered. All the children started prancing around, and the atmosphere turned celebratory in no time! After spending so many weeks inside the Children’s Home, the kids were longing for something different. Dhan ropai, which means rice paddy plantation in Nepali, provided just that – a fun-filled activity and sweet distraction from a somewhat monotonous routine created by the lockdown. Hearing the news, our kids could not contain their excitement!
In Nepal, the arrival of monsoon in June/July marks the most important planting season. The rains make the fields muddy and wet, creating the perfect condition for the planting of rice paddy- the country’s premier staple crop. It’s a long-standing tradition for farmers to get together and help each other in their paddy fields, dance, and play in the copious amounts of mud while singing Asare Geet— the traditional folk songs which delineate the joys and pains of a farmer.
The kids voluntarily woke up earlier than usual on the ropai day, which really spoke to their excitement. They finished their morning chores, helped our aunties prepare breakfast, then boarded the school bus for our vocational farm behind the Early Childhood Village.
Strait off the bus the kids began splashing each other with muddy water — considered an essential warm-up before the planting! Everyone was assigned some responsibilities. The big kids and adults arranged drain water, constructed mud-barriers in the fields, and plowed the fields to make it ready for the plantation. Then we held each other’s hands and formed a long straight line in the farms. Rice saplings were then passed down the line to began the planting. There were lots of fields to cover, but we made progress, slowly yet surely.
During these moments, we forget our troubles as we relish the experience of the rice plantation and a shared appreciation of being one big family. Activities like this provide us a brief moment of escape from the worries of the world. We’re doing our best to take care of our family’s mental health in this new reality. Can you relate?
Don’t worry! We celebrated ropai in a closed circle of our Kopila Valley family, taking necessary precautions against COVID-19. It took us three days to cover all twenty-six paddies of our vocational site. Three days of non-stop fun and learning that also contribute to our food security and sustainability during this national lockdown! “Involving our kids in such activities helps keep our tradition alive for the upcoming generations,” said Aakriti. “The children too are like the paddies we planted. We have to work hard to cultivate them and provide them a suitable environment for them to thrive. Then they will grow, little by little. Can’t wait to see the fruits of our hard labor!”
Seeing our kids grow, thrive, and prosper always reminds us of you– our community of supporters. We did this together! And whenever our work on the ground results in some joy and happiness, you are the first person we think of sharing it with.