Kaushalya Pariyar (introduced in the previous blog entry) lives a block away from Ranjita Pariyar in Shantitole Village. They are not related by blood, rather they are related through their situations and struggles. Like Kaushalya, Ranjita is the wife of a tailor who could not sustain his family though tailoring. Ranjita’s husband has had to go to India as a day laborer, just like Kaushalya’s. Both these women work hard physical jobs to try and make ends meet while their husbands are away.

Ranjita works at the local stone mill. Working at the stone mill more or less entails breaking rocks all day with a hammer. In Nepal it is cheaper to have humans make gravel than to buy machines. Ranjita sits for hours a day in the hot sun using a small hammer to break as many rocks as she can. Recently Ranjita has been having more trouble working at the mill but she cannot stop going. What is the reason behind her recent difficulties? Ranjita is more than seven months pregnant.

Ranjita recently learned her husband, Ramesh, is on his way back from India. It is too hard there for him to earn a living, and he does not want to be away when his third child is born. What Ramesh will do when he returns is unclear, but for the time being Ranjita is just happy that he will be back home. His children Saugat and Siddharth will also be happy to have their Father home again. Ramesh will certainly be happy to learn of Saugat’s recent progress in school. At less than ten years old he is now the first member of his family who can read.