Date: 1964-01
Location: Bhojpur, Bhojpur
Description: Sherpa woman selling potatoes to a Newar couple at the Dobali Mela. The Dobali Mela was an annual affair held near Bhojpur bazaar, a huge market festival that lasted about a week. It was a primary meeting place for people from the nearby villages to trade with people from the north (Sherpas) and the south near the border and took place every January. This particular woman was a regular at the Bhojpur weekly bazaar and we often bought potatoes or "shergem," a hard, dried cheese, from her. The Dobali Mela seemed to be a dying tradition and people complained that the numbers were dwindling. People were surmising that the "bright lights" of Dharan, down at the edge of the Terai, were more appealing now. After all, you could see a movie down there.
