Pokhara, 30 Jul: The Hayu family, originally from Sindhuli, has relocated to Pokhara and is now enjoying their new life in the metropolitan city of Gandaki Province. A team that traveled to Pokhara on Wednesday morning to convince them to return to their village had to return to Sindhuli empty-handed by evening.
Led by Ward Chairperson Rabin Kumar Shrestha, a group of relatives arrived in Pokhara to persuade 16 members of the Hayu family from Bikhar Kateri, Golanzor Rural Municipality–6 to go back. However, Urmila Hayu, the head of the family, made it clear they would not return to the village.
Leaving behind their house, cattle, goats, and chickens, the 16-member family, along with 3 relatives, has now started living in a rented room in Pokhara-30, Gagangaunda. Urmila said they came to Pokhara seeking a more comfortable life.
“We fell sick. The living conditions in the village were difficult,” she said. “We came here hoping to find work and live more easily.”
Urmila has six sons and six daughters, with about half of them being school-aged. Her husband passed away earlier. Her eldest son, Raju, said they left the village because the school was far and family members were frequently falling ill. He told the ward chairperson and relatives that he would take a few days to think before deciding.
The security forces, mobilized after the family lost contact on Friday, found the Hayu family in Pokhara on Monday evening. Though Bikhar Kateri is somewhat remote, it is not extremely isolated, said Chairperson Shrestha.
“There is electricity, drinking water directly in the home, and the nearest market is just a 30-minute walk away,” he said. “We are surprised they left everything — livestock, home — without telling anyone.”
There are around 50 Hayu households in Ward 6 of Golanzor. Chairperson Shrestha mentioned that, since not many members of the Hayu family are employed, living in the village may be challenging, but they still wish to help them return.
“We’ve said we can help them buy that same house or arrange another home and land if they want to live elsewhere — we just want them to return,” he said. “They’ve said they’ll decide in a few days. We hope to see them back home, living a stable life.”
On Tuesday, police entrusted the Hayu family to their relatives. In the presence of Pokhara-30 Ward Chair Durgaprasad Subedi, they were placed in the care of Dhan Bahadur Tamang, Urmila’s son-in-law (husband of her daughter Kamala Hayu). Tamang, who is from Tanahun, works in the Pokhara-Muglin road expansion project, and it appears the Hayu family moved to Pokhara under his guidance and support.
The Hayu community resides not only in Ramechhap and Sindhuli but also in Sarlahi, Mahottari, Udayapur, Kavre, and Siraha. Since 2007–08 (2064–65 B.S.), the government has been providing monthly allowances to members of the Hayu ethnic group.
According to the 2021 national census, the total Hayu population is 3,069. Although they have their own language, the number of fluent speakers has been gradually declining.
