Histoire

Namaste Everybody,

Mon nom est Manikala Rai. Je suis du Solukhumbu dans la région de Taksindu au pied de l’Everest. J’ai grandi dans un petit village à flanc de montagne avec mes parents et mes 6 frères et sœur. Mon village, et ma famille somme de caste Khaling Rai. Cette petite communauté est répartie dans 6 régions Népal, principalement dans le Solukhumbu pour environ 9’000 personnes. Nous avons notre propre religion, le Kirati, proche de l’Hindou et notre propre langue, le Khaling. Comme tous villageois, nous vivons de l’élevage et de l’agriculture. Notre village n’étant pas sur un chemin de trek, il n’y a pas de tourisme.

Chhi
My Village

Les conditions de vie peuvent paraître précaires pour les occidentaux car nous n’avons ni télévisions, ni électricité, ni route, ni toilettes, ni lit, ni table  ni chaise et ni fourchettes. Mais quand on ne connait rien de tout ce confort, la vie parait  correcte. Nous vivons au contact direct de la nature au rythme de saisons.

My House in Chhee
My House in Chhee

J’ai eu la chance de pouvoir aller à l’école avec ma petite sœur vers l’âge de 4 ans. L’école était dans le village voisin à une heure de marche. J’ai passé beaucoup de temps à rigoler avec mes amies du village sur le trajet de l’école.

J’ai aussi passé beaucoup de temps dans les champs à aider mes parents avec mes frères et sœurs.

A l’âge de 20 ans j’ai quitté mon village pour continuer mes études à la capitale Katmandou. J’y ait rejoint ma grande sœur et mon grand frère. C’était un changement radical qui a marqué un tournant dans ma vie. Première fois que je suis confronté aux routes, aux voitures au bruit de la ville et sa pollution… Les études étant payante, j’ai dû travailler à coté, d’une part avec ma grande sœur dans une petite épicerie restaurant et d’autre part avec mon grand frère comme porteur sur les chemins de treks.

J’ai eu la chance de croiser le chemin de Phudorjee Lama Sherpa, un coureur en montagne. Il m’a donné le gout de la course à pied et m’a conseillé de prendre le départ de ma première compétition : Everest marathon. Il y a surement plus facile pour commencer mais cette course est très populaire au Népal. Malgré l’altitude et la difficulté, j’ai pris un plaisir énorme à faire cette course et surtout à la finir !

Par la suite, j’ai également rencontré Laxman Basnet, qui m’a grandement aidé pour continuer à courir avec ces précieux conseils. Grace à lui j’ai pris part plusieurs compétitions qu’il y avait dans la vallée de Kathmandu.

J’ai part la suite effectué des courses par étape. Mon niveau s’est progressivement amélioré. En Janvier 2013, j’ai la chance de pouvoir aller à Hong-Kong pour courir mon premier 100 km que je fini dans la douleur mais à une belle 4ème place ! Un grand merci à Natalia qui a été un soutien sans faille à tous les niveaux !

Puis tout s’enchaine, je retourne une seconde fois à Hong-kong puis je pars 3 mois en Europe pour effectuer différentes compétitions. Je reviens à Hong-Kong en décembre 2013 pour The North face Hong-Kong ou je prends cette fois ci la première place.

Je vie maintenant en France avec mon mari et coureur ou j’ai l’opportunité de m’exprimer pleinement dans ma passion ! Je me suis également mise au ski de fond grâce aux précieux conseils de Dawa Sherpa !

Manikala

Story of my mother

कथा मेरो आमाको

आमा हुन्,सब्द नै कति सुन्दर छ।जून आकास भन्दा विशाल र धर्ति जस्तै धैर्य गर्न सक्ने ,सधै सधै शहन्शिल ति हून् आमा । सन्तानको लागि मरिमेट्छन  प्रत्येक आमाको जिबनले  यस्तै बताउँछ । भनिन्छ ,आमाको सम्मान गर्ने मान्छे  सफल हुन्छन्   । हातले सम्मान  गर्न नसके ,कलम  र  सब्द ले आमालाई  सधै सम्मान  गरौ ।

 

In 1958, my mother was eleven years old. At this small age, Khaling people use to get married. Of course, this age i s too much young to find the good way in life but It was in the culture, the tradition of Nepali people. At this age, my mother, was growing like flower and really happy to enjoy life. But she was tall enough to understand the impact of traditions in her young life. Relatives and family have in charge to find a boy and process to the weeding. Relative propose to the family a boy with the same age between 10 and 13 years olds. The particularity is that people use to know each other across village and they know in witch village there are girls and boys with age ready for wedding. They have to ensure that boys and girls have no link on seven generation.

 

Between two families, there is a full respect. The boy use to give some traditional jewels for nose. Nowadays, they don’t use to wear jewels.
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Parents of both families have to agreed proposition done by relatives and they organise the wedding.

Once the wedding is done, my mother came back to the family house in order to take care about younger brothers and sisters. She was the first child of the family and so, she got a lot of responsibility by taking care of brother and sisters. Around 3 years, she use to stay between Basa, in the family house and Chhee, the village of her husband.

 

At this time, villager people use to go to Bhuthan and Sikkim in India for find work and get money. There is no income source in village. My mother get also some beautiful dreams: She would like to change family situation.

They had a big family but it was difficult to find food, clothes and difficult to solve some problems. My mother was thinking how to get a good situation for the family. There was only one idea , just go to Bhuthan and to hard work. So she start the travel with some friends and try to get work in Bhuthan. She use to stay with villager fiends from Basa. My mother fund a work of carrying wood. It was a very hard work : from early morning until night. It was really difficult work. If she didn’t do this work, how to get money and improve family situation? She use to do it every days. One day my father went also to buthan and they stay together. They did big struggle to live here together. My father start to do work cut wood. My father had already experience about this work so it was easy to find work for him. But physically, very hard work. They have big family, not a lot of fields. My father and mother had a lot of nice dream about future. For future, they did really hard work. They use to stay very normal house without good protection and suitability. Living style was very simple. One day, they got my elder sister who was first child. Unfortunately, she didn’t live long time. It was very painful for family. Atfer some year, my elder brother was born. It was very good news for family. Even with small child, my mother did stop work. She continue her hard work of carrying wood. My brother was growing day by bay and when he get two years, my father decided to come back to the Khaling village. They came back with some money hardly earned. In the village, they made a house and buy some fields, some got. They have spent the money like this. It was not enough money for them to solve all problem but useful to start a better life.

Manica

Time was passing village, life conditions were also difficult: No hospital, no communication, no any facilities at this time. All people had same conditions. After some year they got children step by step. My second brother, third brother, my elder sister… They was very small in a big family. They didn’t get always nice food, nice clothes but it was quite a normality for families of the village.

In order to get a minimum of income, my father used to go to Kathmandu to by some “Thukpa” (=spaghetti). But the way, without road was very long. He took around 16 days by walking. By addition, they had to manage any difficulties with full struggle and not a lot of means.

Sky was very clear, not cold, not hot, some stars all over the sky cover the village. Outside, my mother can see and appreciate this nice view, even with big pain. It was 4 AM morning in a Friday of November and people was sleeping.. My mother was alone when she bring me to life. My father was not here for assist a wedding celebration in another village. I can’t imagine how much it was difficult for my mother.

And time was passing and I was growing day by day. I remember I was 3 years old when my mother get my little sister. I was very happy. My older brothers and sister was all student when my little sister came.

After, in order to find a little of additional money for the family, my mother use to go to Lukla and Namche for sell some product like Kodo Makai. She use to go every week around and came back with some money to buy book, copy and pen for learn. My little sister and me started to go school together. It was very difficult for my father and mother to manage all at this time. My parents have big dreams to make all children vey talent and all over studies, sport, music and all. My parents were uneducated but they would like to see us with a good education. Always, they did the best for us. It was not easy because of this big family so my brothers did sometime trekking as a porter. After, we got more good environment and situation to do all. Todays, we always try to do the best for studies and all things. And now, my father and mother are living in the same little village. They are old they are always thinking about us.

“Thank you father and mother because of you,,,”

Manikala