Goodbye program

Decorations in front of the central seat


Kailash - the "MC"; school children, in the background, begin to arrive


The ceremonial "tongba" - millet beer, with endless-refill-thermos


Children gather around the MC for the first song of the program


A partly-paralysed Limbu woman, wife of a former British and Indian army soldier


Villagers, including my good friend SB on the far left, and CM on the far right


"ke-lang" (L) or Chebrung (N); the traditional Limbu dance




The husband (on the right) of the woman I mentioned above


Members of the "mother's group" dance the rice-paddy-dance - "ya'rakma" (L); dhān nāch (N)


Girls from ward 5 perform a dance


Girls from ward 3 performing a dance


An improvised dance: limbu-anglo fusion


Receiving flower garlands and giving thanks




View from the garlanded-seat




Spectacular performance from a boy who lives in Jhapa (but was born in the village) and is training in dance


Later that evening, laden with gifts and covered in petals and red paint