Ura Village Documentation- Part III

Part III- The story of cold soaked feet

The cover of the Booklet

The smile on everybody’s face when we saw the draft print of the Ura documentation was incredible. It was all the frowns and stresses that finally found a way to stretch into the long lost smile. It was the kind of smile that had many reasons. It was the smile of relief, the smile of completeness, the smile of satisfaction, the smile of pride, and the smile that our hardworks finally paid off and that we’re finally going to get some sleep. It was happiness. And when we finally saw the hundred and sixty-one pages booklet in a glossy cover picturing Ura Village, the smile multiplied even more.

After documenting fourty-five houses of Ura, we spend the last day studying the general aspects of the village: Settlement pattern, connectivity, infrastructure, drainage, waste management and water supply (Which is included in the booklet).

What made the study so unique was a heavy snowfall during the last two days! The Uraps called it “Daw Dangpey Kachen” (The Pillar of the first lunar month), which meant two wonderful things for them. It meant the strong establishment of the newyear with good fortunes and wellbeing, and it was a sign that they are going to have a good harvest this year. Although, for some of my friends, it was the first snowfall-experience in their lives. It was a bonus to this amazing study tour and we even started calling it a “holiday.”

Look how happy they look

The snow covered the ground almost a foot high and it blanketed the whole valley with peace and calmness. It silenced all the busy movements and negativity, and only birds sang from the distant forests. The snow crystals crunched under our soles and slowly creeped into the shoes soaking them wet. These cold soaked feet walked all around the village without the slightest of complaint or resentment. And before we knew how that week came to an end, we had to come back. The bus felt heavier on the way back, probably with new experiences and the load of new things we learned.

The twenty seven days of drafting after we got back to college was not a cinch. The data and measurements we brought on our graph books then needed to be developed into accurate scaled drawings. We did the drafting manually and often in the middle of some nights, I questioned myself if I found the modern CADs any more attractive.

Aum Thukten Choden's House(Divya's sheet)

Aum Dorji Pelzom's house

It’s strange but I miss our drafting. I miss the late night suspensions with my set squares, the smell of new sheets, the smooth run of Rotring ink on the Gateway sheets and the feeling of relief when I complete a sheet without an accident.

Looking back at the journey and this booklet, it assures me that we did something really productive this semester. I cannot be happier.

Ura Sombrang

Look at Penjore being Sporty!

Dawa and Karma

The cute Little Twins