Moti the Grower

This is Moti – a retired Gurkha Soldier in the British Army and Nangi resident. He works in the Tree Farm and Nursery in the Nangi valley where he spends most of his mornings caring for young saplings used to replant many of the local forests that have succumb to deforestation throughout the years.  He also nurtures many plants useful for medicine – as he carries a large ‘Handbook of Medicinal Plants of Nepal’ book with him in his backpack just in case. Moti also works as the leader of the village’s fish farm project just a few minutes stroll down the valley from the nursery. There, he spends his afternoons soaking up warm sun, caring for the fish until they reach maturity and sells them for the much needed protein rural Nepalese residents lack. Fish are considered a delicacy as they run scarce in the thousands of streams flowing down from the Himalaya. The best part? Moti donates his time to the projects and all proceeds go back to the Himanchal Education Foundation supporting the school, tele-medicine center, and other income generating projects. Sounds like the ultimate retirement life right? You could say not only does Moti have a green thumb, it smells like fish too.