Tanahun, October 15

A local, Harka Bahadur Bote, 45, of Byash Municipality, Tanahun had reportedly taken a loan of Rs 20, 000 to celebrate Dashain.

While he had been able to finally purchase clothes for his family members along with other necessary items for the festival, he was distraught as he could not figure out how to pay off the loan.

As Harka did not have many options, he and his wife Kumari planned to go to the edge of the river in search of gold. Harka was unaware that Mesh Bahadur Bote was in a similar plight.

Mesh too had been preparing to go to the river bank in search of gold. Mesh and his wife Sani Maya too had a loan of Rs 15,000.

Similarly, another couple, Shanta Bahadur and his wife Mana Maya have also been preparing for the same. “Dashain was celebrated heartily but has left us deep in debt,” they said.

According to the locals, the Botes have been celebrating the festivals often with loans taken  from the gold entrepreneurs each year. Over time, they have managed to pay off the loan with the nuggets of gold they managed to scour in the sand of Trishuli, Marsyangdi, Budhigandaki and Kaligandaki rivers.

The Botes share that panning for gold is back breaking work.

Sand is collected from the river and is winnowed thoroughly on a  wicker.

However, the rivers contain so  little gold that sometimes although they pan and sieve for a length of time, they are not able to find even the smallest piece.