Within the Girdle of a Rye Field

originally published in her. magazine volume 05

I find myself in Nimudi village located in Southwest Nepal, on the prefectural border with India. The rye field has turned yellow and it is time to harvest. This wide, golden expanse is different, but just as beautiful as any green rye field.

To get here, I flew to Dhangadhi from Kathmandu on a light aircraft. Following the flight, I spent a couple of hours travelling by jeep along narrow roads, passing through many small villages. I first visited Nimudi in 2015, and at that time, the villagers watched me curiously. Some girls were giggling and smiling, and some boys stood staring, unable to hide their interest. I soon got to know more about the villagers - most of whom were born and raised there and will also finish their lives there. I learned that until recently, there had been a cruel system of female enslavement called "Kamlari."

The electricity is cut off for most of the day, and the roads are hardly paved, but the people who live here live peacefully. All you can see are a few shops and endless rye fields. I spent several days with some of the young people during that first visit, and the majority of what we talked about focused on love. However, although they fall in love just like we do, they seemed happy far beyond my imagination. In March 2016, the son of the village mayor got married and they asked me to join the ceremony, so I immediately headed back to Nimudi for the second time. By the time I arrived, the village was colourfully decorated, and music was playing loudly. It seemed like everybody, from the young kids to the elderly people, were dancing - even though it was still two days until the ceremony.

Finally, the day of the ceremony arrived. The women, dressed differently from the day before. All wore colourful saris and looked so beautiful. More curiously, the men dressed up in suits, which looked kind of strange in a field, but I guess that is their custom. The ceremony was all about dancing - dancing all day. Eat, dance, drink alcohol, dance, and dance again. And when the sun went down and we couldn't see anything, we were still dancing. I remember looking up towards the sky, and there I was, fully illuminated by the stars, moving to the music while surrounded by the most wonderful smiles.

On this current visit, just like those before it, I received my usual warm welcome. We all take walks, harvest the rye, talk and simply spend a relaxing time enjoying village life together. I have not asked how they have been since last time, but I feel very nostalgic to be with them. It's as though these people and their village remind me of something long forgotten - something hidden behind our consumerism and information overload. I wish to see them again next year.

I only hope that the simple beauty of their surroundings and the innocence in their eyes remains just as it is now.

Photography & Writing_ Yusuke Abe

Design_ Takeshi Matsumi