Tirthe Bahadur Tamang

Tirthe came to Lower Ramalingam about 30 years ago. At the time of our interview he was 75 years old. When he first came here, there were only 4 houses in Lower Ramalingam. There was not much agriculture at that time, so he worked as a logger at Sessni, Sunderview and Lama Camp.

Each logger had a nail about 8 inches long, which would be hammered into a log. A hook attached to a sling. They pulled logs (called dhulai in Nepali) with a chain and hook strapped across their shoulders.

They pulled logs alone in tough mountainous terrain until they reached a path which was better connected. Logging camps were basic – tarpaulins for roofs and wood planks for walls

 

With the vagaries of age their back-breaking work took a toll and left many with back and knee problems.They used to be paid by cubic feet, and the distance over which it was pulled. They would pull beams of 6 to 10 cubic feet over distances as far as 5km.