Feature: Students skip class in search of valuable Yarsagumba in Nepal's remote mountainous districts

The new academic season has begun across the country and students are now adjusting to their new classrooms with new books and new friends while teachers are rushing to plan their subjects around the Ministry of Education's syllabuses.

However, the situation in the Ranamaikot village development committee (VDC) located in the northeast part of country's remote district of Rukum, some 700 kilometers away from the capital, is not the same.

Rather, all the primary and secondary schools in the entire region, including Maikot village, have remained closed for a week as the annual season known as Yarsagumba harvesting is about to begin.

Ten-year-old Deepsikha Magar is helping her parents and sisters with the domestic chores at a temporary hotel setup inside a narrow blue tent in the Hampa area, at an altitude of 3,500 meters, which is a five hour uphill trek from her village.

Her tiny hands slightly swollen by the cold are clutching utensils instead of text books. But she shows no signs of disappointment on her face; she is excited to pick the precious yarsagumba, which she calls "Kira"in Nepali meaning insect in English.

"Last year, I found only 4 pieces of kira as my health was poor due to the excessive cold. This time, I am hopeful of finding more like my elder sisters. I feel happy to search for kira," Magar told Xinhua on Tuesday.

She started climbing the snow-capped Pupal Valley, which peaks at 4,500 meters above sea level, the most popular region in the district for yarsagumba, at aged eight. Her elder sister Usha is now guiding her through the process of picking the caterpillar fungus at the lap of the 7,246 meter Mount Putha.

She had picked nine pieces in her first year, which were sold to a local trader through her father at a cost of 500 rupees (about 5 U.S. dollars) per piece. Within two years, the price has gone up to 1,500 rupees (about 15 U.S. dollars).

"Most of all my classmates will be there in Pupal Valley. I think I will find around 50 pieces this time, I am excited,"Deepsikha's sister, Usha, 15, told Xinhua, while serving lunch to a customer at their temporary hotel.

Their family will move toward the highland carrying sacks of tents, clothes and food items, two days later since the local committee will formally announce the beginning of harvest on Friday through ceremonial gun shots.

Putha Himalaya Higher Secondary School, where Deepsikha and Usha study, is the only higher secondary school in the region. It has provided a holiday for one-and-a-half months for the yarsagumba harvesting season although other schools in the nearby villages are closed for two months.

Bishnu Pun Magar, a primary school teacher, told Xinhua,"We started providing official holidays to the students for this season seven years ago. As all the students migrate to the highlands for two months emptying the classrooms, there is no point in running a deserted school."

In the past, the school administration even imposed fines on students who remained absent, however, it could not discourage the students to skip the harvesting process that ends in July.

Magar, who has been picking yarsagumba for the last 18 years, will continue with the harvesting this year, along with eight local teachers from the school.

This year, his two teenage daughters Anita and Binita and son Dhan Singh will accompany him on the harvest, while his wife will take care of their five-year-old son and cattle back home.

According to him, out of 400 students in the school, 90 percent engage in collecting and selling this expensive resource which is valued the same as gold in the global market.

The value of this fungus-caterpillar found mostly in the mountain regions of Nepal, China and Bhutan, is skyrocketing due to its aphrodisiac value and belief that it can cure various diseases like cancer. As a result, almost all the lowland villages are empty for two months for the yarsa-hunt.

Yarsagumba has no specific rate fixed by the government or any other authority but its cost differs from day to day depending upon the demand from global traders.

Parents prefer to use their children to harvest as they believe children have sharp eyes, good stamina and high determination due to which more pieces can be found or, in other words, they can make"more money."

Krishna Prasad Magar, father of Deepshika and Usha told Xinhua,"Yarsagumba is not like a common mushroom or worm, but it is the sole income for a livelihood. I take my children to the highland so that they can be educated through the profit earned from selling the same yarsagumba."

Though his younger daughter was ill last year due to the freezing temperature and lack of adequate warm clothes in the valley, 52-year-old Magar is confident that this season that she can adjust.

Along with Deepsikha and Usha, thousands of children from Rukum and neighboring districts like Dolpa, Jajarkot and Myagdi are all set to be in the high meadows until monsoon in search of the valuable Himalayan remedy.

As agricultural production is insufficient and the region is not connected by roads and transportation and lacking in trade opportunities, yarsagumba has practically become the only source of income for many families in the region.

The isolated communities are highly dependent upon this valuable resource and they believe that two months of hard labor can fulfill their basic requirements for the next eight months. Enditem