Chaturman Gurung , a porter from Khewang VDC in the district, has never seen a break from his mundane job. Neither does he hope for such a chance in the future. Gurung, 64, started this profession in 1971 when he went to Ilam with some friends to carry goods of local traders. Since then, he is into this job. “One born into a poor family has to struggle for survival like me. I do not think that I would get rid of this profession in this life,” he said. “I would only have a chance to meet my family once a week while working in Ilam. Nowadays, I return home in the evening after work, and I am satisfied with it,” Gurung said. He said that he used to receive Rs 50 paisa per kg for carrying goods for a day's walking distance when he started the job, but now he gets Rs 20 per kg for the same distance. Gurung remembers how he would carry a load of up to 80 kg when he was young. “But with my growing age, I hardly carry load of 50 kg now,” he said, adding that sometime he carries up...