While strolling through the remote villages of Tehsil Munsiyari, shaded by the mighty Panchachuli and nestled in the Johar Valley of Kumaon region of the state of Uttarakhand, the remoteness of the region hardly escapes your notice. The sublime valley was once a bustling trade route to Tibet inhabited by the Himalayan trading and herding community, the Bhotiyas. Also known as Shaukas or Joharis, they followed barter system by exchanging produce like grains and jaggery for commodities like salt and wool.
Cover picture and the above picture credit : Atul Misra
The laidback Bhotiyas did not know the locks and metallic bolts of modern times. So, how did they keep their belongings safe? With the aid of two ingenious contraptions, Taal and Gareli. Their’s was a crafty system devised out of a sickle shaped key and lock in shape of a wooden block called Gareli. Two parts of a wooden door were fastened with a…
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