The sound of Dhamiley….

Dhamiley, a small village situated at the lower hills of Rapti Municipality, Chitwan, where people mostly belonging to the ethnic community “Chepang” reside. 
This village could be considered amongst the places in Nepal that have been able to develop gradually. The locals of Gadeuli and Bhandara(places in Chitwan lying below these hills) going there to cut grasses to feed their cattle and woods for firewood for many years, say that the place has progressed a lot in terms of infrastructural development.

Dhamiley today has the reach for drinking water in every house. People there use traditional methods for water filtration. Each house has built a toilet outside also. They also have access to electricity via solar panels and the telecommunication service is developed today.
They have widened the road to reach the hills where small vehicles can go easily. Though there are no proper shops established yet in the village, local business people carry the grocery items on motorbikes or any other vehicle and take them to the hills to sell. 

Though the progress of this place can’t be neglected, there are still so many places where improvisation is necessary. The residents should come down the hill to Gadeuli for access to health facilities.  The children in the village do have access to one government school in the hills up to fifth grade, but after that, if they want to pursue their studies they have to come all the way down to Gadeuli for education. Teenagers and young adults cannot give proper time for education as they need to support their families financially.

Almost all of the houses have reared animals like chickens and goats. The people here are usually engaged in the works of construction, as helpers in the hotels. Some of the people who have taken good education are even involved in police work. But here, the need for awareness of the importance of education seems extremely necessary as many are focused to improve the economic condition of the family rather than education. 

Also, many houses built in the area seem so risky and on the verge of falling if an earthquake or any other calamities hits the place. The area is also very prone to landslides. They suffer heavy casualties from landslides every year. 

This small village has lots of prospects for development if viewed critically. Sugarcane plantations can be done in the hills and sold in the market. Similarly, Kodo can be grown there and sold downhill. There is an immense need for agricultural awareness and education for the locals and young generation of this place. The idea of terrace farming also could be introduced and fostered. Governmental or Non- Governmental bodies could arrange some awareness programs with the help of experts. To reach Dhamiley one has to surpass a jungle in between. The jungle is home to numerous trees of Saal, whose leaves are useful to make Tapari, an important item during rituals in every Hindu Household in Nepal. Lots of people in Dhamiley are experts in climbing trees, plucking the leaves, and selling them in markets could be another income-generating source for them, especially during the wedding and Puja season. The jungle is also home to various medicinal herbs like Harro, and Barro, which if searched and identified correctly could be another charm in the village in terms of income generation. 

There are numerous villages in Nepal like Dhamiley carrying lots of prospects for development yet the community residing are forced to live a petty lifestyle because of lack of awareness, and lack of education. The students from agricultural backgrounds could be deployed in such places for their practicals so that the actual scientific capacity for agriculture in these places could be found out and the awareness could be conducted on the same basis. Nepal has used the term as an Agricultural country for a very long time yet numerous potential sectors for agriculture are not yet searched and identified. This should be changed.