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🇳🇵 Nepal /Culture & Society

Tharu Family's Nine New Homes Mark Shift from Joint Living in Bardiya

From Kathmandu Post · (5m ago) English Positive tone

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • A 59-member Tharu joint family in Bardiya, Nepal, has divided into nine separate households, forming a new settlement after decades living under one roof.
  • The decision to split was made by mutual agreement during the Maghi festival, reflecting broader social shifts towards nuclear families in rural Nepal.
  • Despite the physical separation, family members are collaborating on building the new homes, demonstrating a continued spirit of reciprocal labor and mutual support.

In a heartwarming display of tradition and adaptation, a sprawling 59-member Tharu family in Pattharbhojhi, Bardiya, has embarked on a new chapter by dividing into nine distinct homes, creating a new settlement. For generations, this large household lived harmoniously under a single roof, sharing resources and a collective destiny. However, a recent mutual agreement, solidified during the auspicious Maghi festival, paved the way for this significant transition.

Earlier, we had one cook in the family... Now that we are separate, each house must send one person each for such duties.

— Mahangu ChaudharyThis quote illustrates the practical adjustments the family is making as they transition from a joint to separate households.

This remarkable division underscores a broader societal transformation occurring across rural Nepal, where the traditional joint family system is gradually making way for nuclear households. Factors such as increasing migration, economic pressures, and evolving aspirations are collectively reshaping family structures. Yet, in this particular case, the spirit of community and cooperation remains vibrantly alive. The family members and their extended relatives are pooling their labor to construct all nine houses simultaneously, eschewing external contractors.

Relatives have come to support us, so I am cooking for around 65 people twice a day. It is demanding, but this is how we support one another.

— Ramdulari ChaudharyThis quote emphasizes the continued spirit of mutual support and collective effort within the extended family during the house construction phase.

Mahangu Chaudhary aptly described the shift: "Earlier, we had one cook in the family... Now that we are separate, each house must send one person each for such duties." This highlights the practical adjustments required. Nevertheless, the collaborative construction effort—with members carrying timber, weaving bamboo walls, and plastering with mud, while others manage cooking for the workforce—vividly illustrates that the Tharu ethos of reciprocal labor is far from diminished. Ramdulari Chaudhary, preparing meals for around 65 people, noted, "It is demanding, but this is how we support one another." This story, as reported by the Kathmandu Post, showcases not just a family's evolution but the enduring strength of community bonds in the face of changing times.

It is our tradition to support relatives in their time of need. We do not work for wages here. We work for each other.

— Chhalluram ChaudharyThis quote highlights the deeply ingrained cultural value of reciprocal labor and mutual assistance that persists within the Tharu community.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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