A Much Needed Break After the Recent Floods

The late Monsoon of 2024 brought heavy rainfall in Nepal, causing historic flooding and landslides. The floods swept away homes, farmland, roadways and more on its way. The resulting landslides blocked roads, damaged houses and even school buildings. Scores of people in Nepal lost their lives and many more were affected by the landslides. Even in our area, which is not typically prone to such events were impacted and many children have been left traumatized due to the deaths and destruction in our area. Some of our bahinis’ homes were destroyed, but thankfully all survived. One girl luckily survived a flooded road when she was walking back home from school, but her bookbag fell and was swept away by the flood. Bags and books can be replaced. With events like this going on, especially at a time reserved for joy and happiness due to the festivals, many girls of Rukmini are still in shock.

In order to provide a refreshing break from such traumatic experiences, Rukmini didis  organized a hiking trip for the girls hoping that they will be happy being with their friends and seeing new places. 

Hiking to Hattiban 

Hattiban is a nearby hill located above Pharping which is a part of Champadevi mountain. It is a popular hiking destination for the people of Kathmandu city and surrounding areas. The name Hattiban means Elephant forest, but there are no elephants. The place was chosen because it was an easy few hours walk with scenic views of the Kathmandu valley with playgrounds, endless walking and running spaces for the children to enjoy.

The Hiking Day

The trip took place on November 16, with  60 students including some boys from the tutoring class. The team was accompanied by 4 Rukmini staff and two Didis, Shristhi and Sanjita from community tutoring class. For the trip, everybody was instructed to bring water, homemade food (Roti, curry,other homemade snacks) but junk food. They were also asked to bring extra clothes, mats or something they can carry easily if they wanted to.

Everyone gathered at Pharping bus park in the morning. The hiking group started at 9 a.m. from Pharping for the 2.5 miles walking trip. They all seemed very excited and happy and started walking on the main road for about an hour towards Bhanjyang (one of the villages)  and reached the Hattiban gate. Children were very happy to see the signboard to the hiking trail.They took photos, and started the uphill hike expecting to see some animals and birds.  It was all uphill from the gate, although not very difficult but it was tiring. But the girls walked with didis, taking a little break from time to time and playing. Antakshari.  Antakshari is a popular  game of songs where one person or group sings a song, then the next person or group must start another song from the last letter of the previous song.

Our destination was a little farther off from the Hattiban Resort.  It was a flat area for  camping and picnics. The girls seemed very happy when they got there. They ran around the forest, playing and looking around and walking farther, enjoying the scenery. After a while, the group gathered for lunch. They shared food they had brought from home with their friends. 

Play time

After lunch, the team gathered for some fun and games. The first game was a balloon game, where two people balance a balloon between their stomachs and walk to the designated mark. The rule was, the group who reaches first without dropping the balloon wins the game. Nisha and Kunsung bahinis won the game. Another game called “Fire in the mountain” was played with everyone in a circle led by Shristi Bisunkhe. 

After the game, the Rukmini team provided some snacks of samosa, orange and banana to everyone before walking back. The hikers were very happy to get to eat tasty snacks. They  took many photos, made new friends and new memories. They had to conclude the day early, because of the short days and  a long way back to their homes.

Preparing to return and Feedback:

Everyone collected their things to carry back. We sat together and asked how they felt about the trip. Everyone said they liked it, it was fun. We  believed them, and that we wanted them to have.

Here are some very interesting and honest feedbacks from some girls:

Smriti Bhomjhan: I expected to see elephants as we were going to Hattiban (Elephant Forest). I Learned that it was only the name of the forest. Although I did not see an elephant, I enjoyed meeting with many friends and playing games and sharing our lunch together. I wish to go to a different kind of place next time because we walk on hills and forests everyday.

Nisha Tamang: I was tired from the  recent football activities in school, but  I felt relaxed  hiking with friends in the new place. I am glad I came to this popular destination. 

Aasha Tamang : I felt glad to meet new friends, see  new places and enjoy tasty food. 

The hike concluded with singing and eating peanuts on their way back. Bahinis were excited to spot eagles and vultures in the forest. All in all, it was a pleasant day for all of us.

They all seemed happy during the short day trip in the hills. We hope this trip helped a little to dim the horrible nightmare from the floods and landslides from their minds.