Thursday 16th, after a nice cup of tea served with fat rich buffalo milk we load the hired minivan with books, luggage and cd player and head off to Dhulikhel.
As we drive away from Kathmandu, the landscape changes into rolling hills of juicy green colour. There’s only one big police checkpoint and I feel a sting of remorse as we are upgraded to first place while lorries and overcrowded buses wait in a snaking queue and I learn about the different ‘class system’ that operates even in the motor universe: different number plates for different purposes, whether its’ a private car, a taxi, a tourist car, an official one or a local bus they are all identified by their number plate colour: black, white, blue or red.
After two hours driving we arrive at Dhulikhel college where the principal is awaiting us.
Nepalese society still operates under the principles of the caste system, imported from India by the Hindus who fled the Muslim conquest of northern India. They are called the Hindu castes or Parbatiyas (hill-dwellers) since they dominate the middle hills and valleys. The Hindus are divided into four primary castes, the highest of which is Baahuns. Baahuns are believed to have been created from the head of Brahma, they are unable to eat food prepared by lower castes and they hold the highest positions in society: doctors, priests, lawyers and, of course, teachers.
We are received with honours and taken to the Principal’s office where necklaces made of flowers are ceremoniously placed round our necks.
We’re now on our way to the host family, the word has spread and there’s a little crowd gathered in front of the house when we arrive. Our hostess, Yog, is a strong Newari woman of generous proportions and her easy manners and monumental laughter make us feel instantly at home.
The family consists in : mummy Yog, who clearly rules the roost; daddy Min Gopal, seen briefly; two girls, Shreena (oldest), Shreeja (youngest, 4) and a son called Siddhanta. They own a large newly built house located on the main road 5 minutes walking distance from old Dhulikhel. They technically live in a large room where the whole family sleeps together and serves as sitting room, study, lounge and other multiple purposes as well as bedroom. The rest of the rooms are rented out to other families, therefore the two toilet facilities are communal. There’s a little kitchen where they cook and eat, that remains locked up outside meal hours. The overall impression is that of a pigeon hole construction.
