My Village: Sangachok

9th day of Dashain 2068 Tuesday ( October 04 2011)

People want to live in a place which they can enjoy the most. Various people like various places all over the world. If somebody asks you “Where do you want to visit during your vacation?”, obviously, the answers are the well known and the most amazing places around the world, but I would rather say the name of a small village, Sangachok, where I was born. It is the place of my choice. Not only was I born there, but I also enjoyed my early child hood there. My favorite place is Sangachok for three main reasons: it's geography, people and culture.
First, Sangachok is my favorite village because of its geography. It lies in the Sindhupalchok district of central Nepal. The two winding rivers namely Sunkoshi and Indrawati are the boundaries and also give a v-shape to the village. It is located on the lap of the Jyugal mountains surrounded by green forest. Sangachok is surrounded by Kavrepalanchok district on the south and west, Thulosirubari village on the north, Kadambas village on the north-east and Thokarpa village on the east. Sangachok is a small village which is 68 kilometers from Kathmandu, the capitol city of Nepal. The one and only highway to China, Araniko highway passes from Sangachok and also the pitched road goes from the mid part of Sangachok to Chautara, the headquarters of Sindhupalchok. On the summit, there are green forests from which one can smell the freshness and fragrance of flowers and ferns. In addition, you can hear the chirping sound of birds. In the middle, there is some housing and lands for farming. Generally, the houses there are made up of wood, stone and mud with thatched roofs. At the lower part, there are fertile lands for food and crops, where you can see the farmers at work and the green paddies. Moreover, you can hear the melodious sound produced by rivers all day and night. You get the taste of fresh spring water at the lower land of Sangachok. Sangachok Village Development committee is a collection of small villages namely Bhanjyang, Newar gaun, Kotthok, Tallathok, Pallatol, Swarthowk, Pokhere, Bahar ko bot, Nursery, Panichaur, Katunjepani, Phalate, Birtathok, Tamangaun, Kavre, Deurali, Harre, Jalkini, Ranathok, Khatrithok, Karkitar, Chotedanda, Chhap, Ranitar, Bhandanda, Kolta, Sukute, Bhimtar, Chehere, Shahithok, Lapsse, Pakhagaun, and so on. Besides the structure of Sangachok, people who live there make the village my favorite place to live.
Second, Sangachok is my favorite village because of the people who live here. About 12000 people are living in the sangachok village development committee. Although they live in different parts of Sangachok, have different jobs and occupation, they appear in unity. Most of the people in Sangachok are farmers; besides that, a lot of people are drivers. Others are priests, milkmen, oilmen, salesmen, teachers, government officers, carpenter, and fishermen. People here are helpful, humble, co-operative and religiously tolerant. People gather at birth and wedding ceremonies as well as for funeral mass processions. The crime rate is close to zero because almost all people know each other. They provide a great contribution in making the infra-structure. People in Sangachok live a simple life, unlike people who live in town. In addition, rural folks from Sangachok are hardworking, harmonious, energetic and believe in struggling. About 70% of people are well educated, but old people are still superstitious. Moreover, people who follow different cultures inspire me to like Sangachok as the best place to live.
Third, my favorite place is Sangachok because it is a multicultural community. It has many cultural beliefs, traditions and variation among the people. Some people are Hindu, whereas some are Buddhist . They respect others' culture and beliefs, though there is a big ethnic diversity. Sangachok is a multi-religion, multi-language, multi-occupation following village. They wear different kinds of clothes during different festivals. They speak different languages such as 'Sanskrit', 'Newari', 'Tamang', Nepalese and English. The traditions of living in a family and a society minimizes an individual's role in a society. There are varieties of tribes who live in Sangachok such as 'Tamang', 'Mangar', 'Giri','Puri', 'Bharati', 'Brahman', 'Bishwo Karma', 'Nepali', 'Sarki', 'Chhetri' and many more. Each of the tribes have their own culture and traditions. The multicultural society gives the identity of Sangachok as a whole. Although Sangachok is not rich in economy, it is rich in cultural resources and heritages like temples, or old architectural houses. People in Sangachok celebrate different festival such as Dashain, Tihar, Buddha Purnima and many more. It is believed that the great king Prithivi Narayan Shah made a campaign to attack Naldum (Nagarkot) at top hill of Sangachok, which is nowadays named as “Sangachok Gadhi.”


Among the different features of Sangachok, it's location, well-known faces among folks and multicultural community are the three major facts. Sangachok is a village in a developing country, it is more infra-structured and developed than the rest of the villages in Nepal. Sangachok is full of natural beauty and cultural heritages, so tourism could be a source of earning for the people who live there. Rivers and forests are also the major attraction to the village that could help the villager to sustain great ecological balance and Eco-tourism. Although Sangachok lacks medical facilities, quality education, economy, wealthy and luxury life, you can get peace and happiness in Sangachok. Therefore, Sangachok is my favorite place.