Krishna Kumar Bhujel, in his early sixties is the head of the family. His wife Pawitra Bhujel is 51 years old. They own 06 acres of farm land and grow a mixed crop of paddy, millet, maize, ginger, pulses and vegetables. They own oxen, cows, goats, pigs and poultry. Pawitra has brought up a family of 09 children. Of these two are still dependent on the parents.

Three of the Elder daughters are married outside the village. Tara Bhujel, the elder unmarried daughter, is 29 years old. She has been working at the Samthar Farm House as a chef for the last 08 years. Pushpa the younger daughter studies at the Samthar High School in the 10th class. She is a gifted singer and a good dancer.  Tilak, 19 years old is a school drop out and now works as a caretaker at the Awake & Shine Pre School. The youngest son, Deepak is 14 years old and studies in the High School The Elder son of the family 35 years old Hik Bahadur, lives in a separate house close by, with his 36 years old wife Krishna. They farm their own two acre plot.

They have two boys - Anil (20) and Deo Kumar (12) both are studying at School. Anita the only daughter is 16 years old and is also in school.

Three rooms are available in Gairigaon -

• On the first floor of the main pre School building. Built of natural stone , with wooden floor and ceiling. The bed room is spacious with attached tiled toilet and bath. The toilet is a western style WC. The bed room opens to a 6 feet wide verandah with direct view of the snow ranges.  Suitable for couple with children or a family of 03 persons.
• A seperate cottage with verandah facing the snow ranges, and attached toilet and bath is part of Hit Bahadurs holding. also bui;lt of natural stone with wooden floor and cieling and tiled Western style WC. Suitable for a couple
• A smaller room constructed entirly of wood on the first floor of a natural stone structure which houses the toilet and bath. Suitable for single person or a couple favouring a double bed. 

WEST KABI HOST HAMLET

Kabi is a large village subdivided into East Kabi and West Kabi. The name Kabi is derived from the Lepcha word Kaladong; meaning the place where the great Hornbill died.

The West Kabi host hamlet is spread on a large terraced spur extending from the top of the valley, steeply down towards the lower valley overlooking the Samthar Khola ( river).  Its upper end rests on the main road as it enters the Samthar area. It is a sunny location, with its 48 homes spreading down to the lower valley. The people are primarily Lepcha – 13 Christian and 14 Buddhist families. Also there are 19 Nepali Bhujel Hindu Houses.

The main occupation is agriculture. Each homestead usually keeps Oxen, cows, goats, and pigs. The main crops are Paddy, Maize, Ginger, mustard, Millet, and buckwheat. Pulses, potatoes, beans and other vegetables are grown seasonally. Ginger is the main cash crop. Some  families keep Bees and produce honey using traditional methods Thatch grass growing in the lower valley is also harvested.  Kabi also grows cardamom, Broom sticks, chillies, and oranges. For more details of agriculture read Samthar Seasonal Cycle.

Kabi has its skilled artisans – Four carpenters. Apart from agriculture they work on daily wages. Two basket weavers are skilled at making bamboo baskets for carriage and storage. Two artists are working in outside towns. 25 persons are employed at Delhi, Calcutta, and Bangalore, as cooks, stewards, and in beauty palours and hairdressing establishments.

Some men supplement their income by working as labour and by carrying loads such as ginger crops to load into vehicles, and work as porters.

Kabi has a primary School. 80 children are going to school; of these 20 go to the high school.

There is no piped water supply. Homesteads have to fetch water manually for drinking and cooking from springs drawn through plastic pipes. Some households have these pipes coming up to their kitchens

Electricity is available from the rural electricity scheme which provides electric lines if 25 households undertake to get paid connections. Power cuts are frequent.

Essentials are available close by in the main Samthar bazaar. Village folks have to go to Kalimpong bazaar for most consumer products. Village jeep taxis commute to Kalimpong daily.

No medical facilities are available in the hamlet. A primary health centre is located 03 kms away, with a doctor and ambulance.

There are no places of worship at Kabi. Lepcha Christians worship at the church at Suruk (1.30 hrs walking time)

X-mass is the main Lepcha Christian festival. Buddhist Lepchas celebrate Lepcha New year in Dec and Losar the Buddhist New year in Feb. The main Hindu festivals are Dasain ( Kali puja) and Tihar ( Laxmi Puja) in Oct. For more details read Samthar Seasonal cycle – Agriculture & festivals. The celebration goes on for a fortnight.

The host Family

You will be hosted by 26 years old Charles Lepcha and his 20 years old wife; Judith, in their newly constructed home. Charles works as a teacher with Awake & Shine Pre School, He is also a local guide with Gurudongma, and helps his father with farming chores. Occasionally he works for social organizations

Charles parents Mangal Lepcha ( 64) and Helen Lepcha (59) live close by with their son Raymond (22) and daughter Valentina (20), They have 02 more sons and 04 more daughters who are away from the family home.

The guest room is on the first floor. It is build of natural stone and bricks, with wooden floor and ceiling There  is a tiled toilet and bath. The toilet is a western style WC. The bed room opens into a verandah with direct view of the snow ranges.  The room is fully furnished and equipped for comfortable living. A secluded garden with lawn is being developed by the host family.