Solukhumbu, 12th January: The steep uphill path of Khumbu, with a hundred kilos of wood on his back. A body soaked in sweat. This is how Akash Kulung’s daily life goes. In the journey that begins with sunrise in the morning, he carries a load of more than a hundred kilos on his back and overcomes the difficult climb from Surke to Lukla for about five hours.
This road is difficult for other travelers to walk on empty. But for him, this uphill climb has become a means of supporting his family. Kulung, who has only reached the age of 26, lives in Gudel, Mahakulung Rural Municipality-4, Solukhumbu. Born into a lower-class family, he had to witness conflict from a young age. Having lost his mother at a young age, he now has a father, wife, and two young sons at home. The responsibility of educating his children and raising the entire family lies on Kulung’s shoulders. He is forced to carry the burden of running the family and raising the children’s education on a daily basis.
“This is how our lives go. We can’t survive without this work,” he says, wiping the sweat from his brow. Kulung sweats all day long as he carries loads of wood, food, zinc sheets and other materials uphill for his daily living. He earns between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000 a day carrying heavy loads, but this income barely meets the needs of his family.
Rising inflation and declining income have pushed many youths like Kulung into a difficult situation. But the unemployed youth here are forced to bear the burden of relying on this as their main source of income.
The story of sweat on the climb
The journey from Surke to Lukla is not only uphill, but also a difficult path with steps. Carrying heavy loads on this path is not an easy task. Tired of carrying the heavy load, Kulung rests for a while. At that moment, he says, taking a deep breath, “This life is not easy.”
According to Kulung, the work of porters working in the Khumbu region is the only way to sustain the local transportation system. In the absence of roads, porters have to be relied upon to carry goods. Akash Kulung is just one representative character. The lives of hundreds of porters in the Khumbu region are similar. Young people from remote villages like Mahakulung, Sotang and the surrounding areas come to Khumbu in search of employment. Carrying heavy loads has sustained their families. But this work has neither made their lives easier nor guaranteed their future. The road has been expanded up to Surke, but the road has not reached beyond that. Due to this, there is a demand for porters in Lukla and the surrounding areas.
The only option for transporting goods is human labor. The Khumbu region is a world-famous tourist destination, but the life of the porters there is equally difficult. Porter Nawaraj BK said that due to the high cost of living in Khumbu, most of the income earned throughout the day is spent on food.
“It’s expensive here, we carry heavy loads all day long, sweating profusely, but that money is spent on food and accommodation. When you calculate it like this, it seems like you’ve earned a lot, but when you return home, sometimes it’s like empty-handed. The life of a porter is difficult,” said Bik. For them, there is no other option but to carry heavy loads. Their sweat has sustained the economy of Khumbu, but stability and convenience have not been brought to the life of a porter.
“I wish I could find another easy job,” says B.k, a porter. Despite working so hard, they complain that the treatment of porters here is different. Porters complain that they are looked down upon and some even insulted when they are asked to carry heavy loads.
The story of Khumbu’s ascent and burden-bearing illustrates the reality of life for young people in remote areas of Nepal. The remote geography and uneven development have made their struggles more challenging. Improving local infrastructure and finding employment alternatives can be a long-term solution to such problems.
The government needs to honor the hard work of young people like Akash Kulung and Nawaraj Bik in transportation and come up with a plan to improve their living standards. For tourists in Khumbu, this is a fun aspect of the uphill scenery. But for Bhariya, this uphill is a struggle to make a living.
