Despite being the only district headquarters in Nepal that has suffered a major Maoist attack not once but twice, Jumla is surprisingly laid back. This high and remote town is in the icy grip of winter. The snow this year has been thick and a freezing wind blows down from the white-clad mountains to the north. People don't linger much, even in the feeble sun.
Jumla is an astounding representation of what lies beyond in the Karnali region. For those who can't quite make it to Mugu and Simikot, Jumla provides an accessible example of what rulers in Kathmandu have ignored over the years. Its tarmacked airport runway and the slightly kinder weather make it relatively easy to get to all year round. The flights from Nepalganj bring more cargo than people these days but the Jumlis are used to the sight of NGO workers and journalists getting off the plane.
When the airport runway was asphalted in 1998 it was hoped it would lure tourists to this remote western district, which is the gateway to Rara Lake and beyond. But the insurgency soon engulfed the region and the expected tourism-led economic boom never happened. The only large bajar in a district of 25,000 people lies along a ridge by the banks of the Tila also home to an estimated 4,000 soldiers in the heavily fortified army base overlooking the town. Essentially, therefore, this far outpost of His Majesty's Government is a garrison town. Children play in the snow covered fields on top of soil already prepared for winter barley. They run around barefoot in the snow, some attracting admiration and others pity from strangers passing by. Fathers uncharacteristically tend to the needs of their young ones, spinning yarn and knitting scarves. Everyday life continues despite the ever-present threat of violence.
Along the Karnali Highway south there are no teenagers and young adults to be seen in the villages. The only youngsters we meet are those who seem to be in 'the party'. Tasks traditionally undertaken by the younger generation are now predominantly carried out by women and the older inhabitants and this includes the community groups that are engaged in digging the World Bank-funded road. The Maoists tolerate the road-building and in some place actively promote it. There appears to be some confusion about the party's aims, even among the rebel cadre. The majority seem unaware of the ideological underpinnings of the revolution, although they seemed to have memorised the slogans and jargon of the struggle. Some appear to have paid a terrible price for their involvement: they were missing limbs or had been maimed.
The Karnali Highway isn't even finished yet and Jumla has already had its first road accident. One of the tractors that was ferried here by chopper fell off the road into the Tila, killing four people.
Both the state and the rebels are competing for the hearts and minds of the people and since the road is so popular, both are helping to build it. Given the war zone on the Kalikot border, it may take a few more years for this stretch of highway to be linked to Surkhet but for now at least a 30-km stretch will soon be ready from Jumla southwards to the Maoist-run micro-hydro plant at Rarali. Most young male Jumlis have fled the winter cold to migrate for seasonal work in India. They will come back in late spring with their savings, as they have done for generations to plant rice in the irrigated fields along the Tila. Then they will returnto India again.
As long as true development doesn't come to Jumla, this annual coming and going will continue. Even the conflict hasn't really changed the rhythm of life in this far-flung land.
