Tuesday is the weekend holiday for the Monks of Sera Jey, which is the market day at near by town. All the school children and University monks spend holiday by washing cloths and going to market to get vegetables, posting letter and etc.
On September 23rd Ngari Monk students spend their holiday at construction site filling earth and carrying stones. At morning 6 AM monks gather at Construction site and have their breakfast – cup of salt tea and a piece of bread and started their morning work with filling earth. Almost 100 monks gathered and were divided into 10 groups. Each group filled foundation of 12x12 foot size room. As foundations are lifted 3 feet above the ground level, they spend half day filling one room.
Around 10 AM it was very sunny, all were drenched with sweat, hurrying to be the first one in complete the filling. Each group had one leader and there was playful competition, singing songs of Tibetan, Ladakhi, Nepali etc., and Younger students are busy serving water and tea.
At 11.30AM lunch was served – rice and dal with fruits. Tenzin, 16 years of age want to have another day like this. He said today’s works are too remembering the days in his village, where he and his family works collectively to survive family members. He said our Khangtsen’s jobs will be fulfilling as all the students are too curious and working collectively for Khangtsen.
Another student called lobsang, 10 years of age choose his room in the middle site and said when we shift from crowded room, my teacher and I will stay in this fifth room. Right now we are four and I am sleeping with my teacher. When we shift here we are two and I can sleep separately as others.
After lunch there is a break and In-charge asks all the students to join again at 3.30PM due to sunny and hot weather, while on the other side Indian labors are busy filling concrete beam.
At 3.30PM we once again started the filling work. Around 4.30 kitchen served sweet tea, some groups has complete their jobs and some are still filling. In-charge asked others for carrying stones. One student was hurt by a stepping on to a nail and another with crushed finger jammed by a stone, both are admitted at hospital and have good condition.
Dinner was served at 6.30PM and there was no power supply and monks and students have to take their dinner in dark. At 7 PM all leave from the site each wishing good bye and good night. The Two in-charge left fully exhausted but happy for the completion of major task.
From Wednesday, there will be no labor at 1st block and we need to water curing the concrete beams. 8 Indian labors will do unearthing for the foundation of 2nd block and our old kitchen Mess repair will continue for few more days for roofing cement sheets.
For more details about the construction kindly write us at serajeyngarimonks@yahoo.co.in or visit our official web as www.serajeyngari.org.
