By james art The flower fields of the Nepalese village of Gundu glow yellow, orange and purple as women harvest blossoms, a thriving industry that transforms the village’s difficult life by providing garlands for Hindu festivals.
Nestled on the edge of the Kathmandu Valley, Gundu is known for supplying brightly colored amaranth and marigold flowers, with demand rising for this week’s Tihar celebrations, also known as Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
At dawn, village women gather in the fields to pick the flowers, which by the end of the day will be woven into garlands to decorate homes and temples.
Gundu women have turned this seasonal bloom into a thriving industry despite the laborious process of picking and weaving them into garlands.
“It has provided more jobs for the women of our village,” said 56-year-old farmer Saraswoti Bista.
“We don’t have to leave the house, and by weaving garlands, we earn good income,” she added.
