#TERAITALES

October 29, 2014 , by Aakar Anil Ghimire, Leave your thoughts

The Terai plains of southern Nepal are a story on their own. With the horizon stretching for miles and miles ahead, it is one of the most serene sights one can; a vision so poised your eyes refuse to blink. Aakar Anil Ghimire is a 26-year-old living in Kathmandu who hails from Sarlahi, Nepal. The youth captured these stunning images with his Samsung Galaxy 2 phone and wowed Nepalese all over the world when he shared his photos online.

If you have travelled to the Terai belt, his simple, yet amazing photos will transport you back to Terai, just like it reminded me of my home.

1. “Pink power” – A bicycle from Hero, a popular Indian brand.
Bicycles are the most popular means of transportation in Terai.
Every house in the plains has at least one of these bicycles as it is used for everything – from running errands to going to work.

2. ”Jor lagaake …bhaiisi” –Kids take their buffaloes back home after grazing.
In Terai, most families raise livestock, buffaloes being the ultimate investment.
These kids go to school but are given the task of looking after the livestock in leisure.

3. “Patience” – Two boys waiting for customers at the vegetable market.
This local vegetable market known as “haat bazaar” is held twice a week.
All local farmers sell vegetables and seasonal fruits straight from their garden in the market.

4. “Let’s go on a ride on my bail-gaadi” – an oxen-pulled cart.
A bail-gaadi is a cart that is pulled by oxen (bail) for easy transportation of goods, like hay, for instance. Seen in the background is a group of girls enjoying hot pakodas (fritters) as they return home from the haat bazaar.

5. “Terai Bloomer” – Morning dew nestles gracefully on a pink cactus flower.

6. “Pretty Plumpers”- Seasonal fruits, Lychee all ripe and radiant.
Lychee is a seasonal fruit loved by people all over Nepal and most of it is supplied from the Terai Region.

7. ‘We ride” – Avon – brand Indian cycle.
Indian bicycles are popular in Terai.

8. “Siru ko Phool” – This is a common plant found in Terai.
It can be blown like a dandelion.

9. “Makkai” – Maize (corn) field.
The flatlands of Terai are known as the granary of Nepal.
The maize field will transform into a paddy field during the monsoon.

10. Bamboo Blossom: Bamboo leaves adorn a lonely-looking tree stump.
Sugarcane field in the background. Sugarcane is another popular crop in the Terai.

11. “Beckoning of the skies” -
A woman walking along a road surrounded by maize and sugarcane fields on either side.

12. “The walk towards a better future” – Two girls on their way to school in the morning.

Follow Aakar Anil on Instagram and Twitter @aakarpost

Photos by Aakar Anil Ghimire.

Text by Aayesha Rai Gurung.