November is a month to rejoice for the Terai dwellers in Nepal. It is the month of harvest, and perhaps the busiest month of the year. Farmers are busy reaping their crops, gathering the result of their hard work. The aroma of fresh rice wafts into the entire village.

Meanwhile, women in the houses make Jhutties. Jhutties are woven rice stalks. When the Jhutti is complete, the women hang it outside their houses so that birds can peck at them. The women feel that the birds will die of hunger once the rice is harvested. Thus, these benevolent women make sure that the birds get to eat even after harvest.

Jhuttis are also used for medication purposes. The people believe that the Jhutti rice is a cure for nausea. But when a person is suffering from nausea, the person does not consume his own Jhutti. That does not work. He/she has to get it from others. This makes Jhutti a form of art that teaches people to help each other during times of need.

The Jhutti hangs in almost every household in the Terai, spreading an important message about love and care towards nature. A simple message from the simple people of Terai.