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Business of traditional sweet, Chaku, made from jaggery molasses is now experiencing the bitter taste of a shortage of workers which in years might widen the gap between demand and supply. Rohit Shrestha (19) is the fourth generation within his lineage to continue the business of Chaku (molasses) in the ancient town of Tokha in the outskirts of Kathmandu but things are going to change from his generation onwards. “I am the fourth generation who has been working on this family business of Chaku (molasses) making. I started assisting in the factory from an early age. I recently have completed my intermediate level (+2) and haven’t enrolled in the Bachelor’s level (Graduation). I want to go to foreign country after completion of my studies, where as of now am planning to continue promoting the molasses,” Shrestha told ANI while taking a break from his work at the factory.

The rising trend of flying abroad in search of better opportunities and education has been rising in the country. The majority of those flying abroad are youths and earning age groups queuing up at the airport ready to take off leaving the elderly behind.

The aroma of boiling stacks of sugar lumps filling the air around the Tokha is fading out in Tokha which is popular for first-class molasses which has high demand in the market. However, the making of molasses is seasonal and the industry only works full-fledged for just two months in a year with production made sparsely based on the demands.

Tokha, an ancient settlement inside Kathmandu Valley, is believed to have been in existence from the Malla Period, long before the unification of Nepal by Prithivi Narayan Shah and currently has around 15 molasses-making home-based industries.

The word ‘Tokha’ has an appendage from a Newa word ‘Tyokha’ meaning sweet and molasses were the main product of this place which has continued over the centuries. The Newa community of Kathmandu valley consumes a high volume of Chaku (molasses)—confectionery made from concentrated sugarcane juice, jaggery, ghee and nuts which holds significance on Maghe Sakranti—the first day of the 10th month as per the Lunar calendar.

This process involves melting jaggery, stirring it continuously and then cooling it in clay pots. It is then whipped, slapped, and stretched until it turns dark brown. The confectionery is then weighed, topped with nuts, and packaged. The whole process takes two to three hours.

Shrestha’s factory which used to employ about 20 people last year now is hosting 11 struggling to keep afloat the business. The current number also includes his family members who are now assisting in the factory work to continue the business. The situation in coming years can be dire for the small-scale industries that exist in this ancient town within the valley provided the steep rise in immigration culture that is brewing among the youths and active population group. With this, the sweet business of molasses is now experiencing the bitter taste of a shortage of workers which in years might widen the gap between demand and supply.

“Every year the demand for the Chaku (molasses) is continuing to rise but the shortage of the staff to work in the factory is resulting in the downfall of the supply. Many of the youths are now vying from foreign countries (the Gulf, Australia, Europe and the US) which has resulted in a shortage of staff to work in the factory which has cut the supply in terms of demands,” Buddha Shrestha, the Vice-Chair of the Tokha Traditional Chaku (Molasses) Conservation Society told ANI.

Annapurna Media Network (AMN) has launched its annual subscription campaign, “Jasle Padchha, Awasya Parchha”, from Monday.

Readers renewing their subscription or becoming new annual subscribers to Annapurna Post and The Annapurna Express will receive guaranteed gifts upon subscribing.

The annual subscription fee for both newspapers is set at Rs 3,400 each. “Subscribers will receive gifts immediately upon subscribing,” said Krishna Bhakta Shrestha, Head of the Sales and Circulation Department at AMN.

According to Shrestha, annual subscribers will receive a voucher worth Rs 1,500 for Wonderland, where they can enjoy thrilling games, as well as a movie voucher from INI Cinemas.

Alternatively, subscribers can opt for scratch cards offering cash discounts ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 3,400, along with INI Cinemas movie vouchers and tickets for Annapurna Cable Car.

The campaign also offers exciting weekly and monthly prizes. Weekly lucky draw winners will receive OPPO mobile phones and Rs 5,000 vouchers for Tranquility Spa.

Monthly winners will be rewarded with washing machines and Rs 5,000 Tranquility Spa vouchers. The campaign, which is valid nationwide, will run for four months.

Shanti Silwal is a burn violence survivor. She is the mother of a seven-year-old who, she says, makes her happy to be alive. At 41, she’s braved life’s roughest storms but she says it’s not made her bitter, and for that she is grateful to “her spirit that refuses to give up”.

“I don’t want people to look at me and feel sorry for me. I want them to look at me and see a strong, determined woman,” says Silwal, who suffered above 40 percent burn when her husband set her on fire following an altercation 13 years ago.

The scars have healed. The pain remains. It’s something she will never forget. It’s limited the opportunities she would have gotten had she not had debilitating scars on her face and body. But Silwal is brave enough not to let her scars define her.

Under Inara, a social enterprise by Astitwa Nepal, an organization that supports and rehabilitates survivors of acid and burn violence, she has participated in multiple trainings to pick up skills that can help her create a good life for her son and herself. What caught her interest was jewelry making, she says. A few years ago, she participated in a workshop where she learned how to make earrings and bracelets.

“I can make 50 simple bracelets or 10 pairs of earrings in an hour,” she says, the pride evident in her sparkling eyes. It wasn’t always so easy though, she adds. A handmade earring might look simple but you need to know how to use the tools and have good hand-eye coordination to make a decent pair. Also, two pieces in a pair need to be exact replicas of each other and that is difficult to achieve.

Trisha Pradhananga, program and operation officer at Inara, says Silwal is extremely talented as well as quick and eager to learn. She is able to complete orders that take others a week or more in just a day or two. Her attitude and approach towards her work is inspiring, says Pradhananga.

Silwal says she can function on very little sleep if she has work. She is driven by her need to do more and to do better. It has always been like that. Work, she says, is worship. Even as a child, Silwal was a go-getter who had to excel in the simple tasks her guardians asked her to do.

Driven by the motto that no work is small and that everything you do must be done with passion and a sense of gratefulness at being able to use your mind and body, Silwal tackles work with commendable zeal. She goes to bed at midnight and wakes up at six in the morning or even earlier depending on her workload. The early hours are for prayers, chores, and getting her son ready for school. The rest of the day is for working on the orders—making customized earrings and bracelets.

Pradhananga says the pieces Silwal makes are good. Even though she works fast, she doesn’t compromise on the quality of the products. Inara too wants to ensure the quality is maintained so that those who buy them get their money’s worth. “We want people who shop at Inara to feel like they are supporting a cause as well as investing in really good pieces of jewelry,” she says.

This is how training and workshops have been able to help. Burn violence survivors get to learn different crafts like jewelry making, pottery, macrame, etc. which provides them with income generating skills. Silwal says they have been a boon to her.

“I try to participate in as many workshops as I can so that I can learn new skills and use them to increase my income,” says Silwal as an instructor shows her how to create neat layers on a bead necklace at a recent workshop organized by Inara.

Out of the eight participants, Silwal was the first to complete a five-layered necklace and to do so without having made any mistakes. She then helped other participants, while also berating them for wasting time and resources when they spilled beads on the floor or used excess thread and wire only to eventually cut and toss them in the bin. The two trainers at the event agreed she could very well have been one of them.

“I have always disliked wasteful behavior and believe we must respect the things we have to live a prosperous life,” says Silwal. Having always struggled with not having enough in life, she believes you must make the best of what you’ve got. She’s also a firm believer in the power of hard work. It never goes unnoticed and unappreciated, she says.

However, Silwal admits that she loves the financial freedom her work gives her. As a burn survivor, it’s difficult to get work. They aren’t hired as receptionists or in positions where they have to deal with a lot of people. The society today has a much broader outlook but biases run deep. The changes in people’s attitude towards burn survivors, Silwal says, is superficial. Their scorn is masked by sympathy or rarely empathy.

“So I’m happy to be doing what I’m doing. I love making things and it brings in some money for me to be able to buy what I need and want,” she says. She doesn’t have to ask anyone for money. She is able to eat out when she’s bored of homemade food or doesn’t feel like cooking. She has even managed to save a little and that puts her mind at ease. “Being able to earn has also made me confident. I don’t fear the future like I once used to. I know whatever happens I’ll be able to manage things on my own,” she concludes.

President Ram Chandra Paudel has expressed the confidence that the Maghe Sankranti festival would inspire one and all to develop a civilized, cultured and an equitable society by preserving nature and culture.

In a message today on the occasion of Maghe Sankranti, the President has extended best wishes to all Nepali sisters and brothers at home and abroad for their happiness, peace and prosperity.

Different communities celebrate this festival in their own ways.

The Tharu community observes it as New Year while the residents in Tarai district mark the day as the festival of baths known as Nahan.

The President has also recalled the tradition of holy bath and offering puja in different religious sites including Barahchhetra, Devghat, Ridi and others.

President Paudel has said that such festivals will have crucial roles in spreading the fame of Nepal after building a common identity of Nepalis by connecting our special and unique festivals, cultural and ethnic diversities.

The President has expressed confidence that such festivals would contribute to maintain brotherhood, mutual reconciliation and tolerance to further strengthen our national unity.