Kathmandu. Villages in all nine local levels of Bajura have become increasingly empty. With the completion of paddy planting in the first week of Saun, many young people are heading to India for employment.

Ramesh Sarki, a resident of Budhiganga Municipality-10, said, “There are no jobs for the youth in the village. They come to plant paddy in Ashar and Saun and then rush back to India for work.”

Youths are seen in the village during major festivals like Dashain and Tihar and a few days in Asar. The village remains largely empty for the rest of the year.

Badeda village, home to nearly two hundred families, has seen its young migrate to various parts of India.

Women are also going to India to work as domestic help, while men typically find employment as gatekeepers.

“Youths migrate to India with the onset of Saun. I decided to stay, hoping to find work here,” shared Sarki, who holds a higher education degree but has been unable to secure a job in the country.

Man Bahadur Saud of Badimalika Municipality-6 is heading to Shimla, India, for the apple-picking job, as the second week of Saun marks the start of the season.

“Many young people from the village go to Shimla for this job,” he said, adding that they return during Dashain after earning enough to manage household expenses for six months.

This tradition of seeking employment in India has persisted in Bajura for generations, with today’s youth following the footsteps of their predecessors.

Municipalities such as Himali, Budhinanda, Swamikartik, Jagannath, Badimalika, Gaumul, Budhiganga, Triveni, and Chededah witness a migration of their youths to India in search of employment every year.(The Rising Nepal)