KATHMANDU
Returning from a two-week long journey through Chitwan, Bandipur and Mustang, the participants of the Women's Travelship 2022 organised by Duluwa Outdoors, a venture that organises outdoor experiential trips for women, the participants and organisers held a showcase event to share the stories of their travel on August 20.
The journey from June 15 to 29 was a part of the first flagship programme of Duluwa Outdoors. The founders - Binita Jirel, Shanti Kala Rai, Juliana Shrestha, Rejina Tamang, and Menuka Gurung - thought of this programme to help Nepali women to travel across communities of Nepal and immerse themselves in these communities irrespective of the boundaries of their home and society that restricts them.
For the first edition of their flagship programme, eight lucky participants were selected from a total of 211 applicants. After a rigorous selection process of written applications, judges scoring, individual and group interviews the final team that comprised of Anu Siwakoti, Hisilina Shrestha, Krishna Bogati, Samikshya Choudhary, Priyanka Thapa, Samridhi Pokhrel, Simrika Manandhar, and Smarika Tumbahangfe was decided.
Besides immersing in the communities that they would travel to, the participants were also required to share their learnings through various mediums of photo story, video, painting and more. The event also showcased a few of these photo stories as well. Like in a photo that captures the village of Ludak (Lubra) in Mustang, Shrestha describes "feeling emotional leaving the village" as she was awed by the beauty of this "hidden village".
Having found a sisterhood amongst themselves, as per Siwakoti, some of the participants also shared their journey and the lessons they learnt.
"There was this lady we met in Mustang who ran a liquor shop and single-handedly managed her finances and her familial duties," Bogati shared. "I find her very inspiring. She has become a manifestation of my hopes of independence and self-reliance for me."
Similarly, Choudhary expressed that the travelship allowed her to connect with the people of her community in Chitwan. "Growing up I have always had racist comments being passed to me saying 'Oh timi Choudhary ho' (Oh you are a Choudhary) all of which has only fuelled my desire to work in removing such stereotypes," she said. "Getting to familiarise myself with the Tharu community in Chitwan has further emboldened my dreams."
"Travel is such an important aspect of learning," Choudhary added. "The person I was before and after this programme is so different, I have learnt and grown so much. Travelling exposes you to so many new places, peoples and stories that help you learn so much about the society you live in and yourself as well."
According to Jirel, the organisers have decided to continue the programme. "In future, we can hopefully extend the programme in various forms," she said. "This year we thought of the Tarai-Hills-Mountain route, maybe in the future we will expand beyond the borders and into South Asia."
A version of this article appears in the print on August 23, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
