MY DIARY: UNCERTAIN ENVIRONMENT IN NEPAL

While I was in Bangladesh, one of my Nepalese friends said me in yahoo chatting “Nepal has changed a lot after you left the country.” I asked her about the type of change and she said “Come back, you will see the change.” Therefore, I was very excited to see the change of New Nepal, but I found uncertain environment in Nepal especially about children. Mothers are scared about their daughter, whether their daughters will safely return home from the school or not. Fathers are unsecured about their children’s future. Brothers are worried about their sisters, whether their sisters might be the target of kidnapper. Therefore if daughters, sisters, children, and mother didn’t return back before the dusk, their family members start to call their love ones. Let me share with you, what I have seen in these days in Nepal.

On July 9th 2009, at about 2pm, I safely reached at Tribhuvan International Airport in Katmandu, Nepal. At the Airport, people were wearing mask to prevent from swine flue that has already seen in seven people in the country. I ask myself is that a change my friend was talking with me? After all the medical and airport process, I goodbye with my friends and started my journey hiring a taxi to my relatives home in Katmandu. When I was traveling from the airport to my relative’s home in Narayanthan, in the middle of my journey near the Golfutar, I saw a group of people and heard the voice of women “help me please, I am going to die. Help me please.” I thought she might be injured or was in the trouble. The road was blocked by the mass of people and I was stack in the taxi. I decided to go outside of the taxi and wanted to know about the situation of the woman so I went near the mass. It was out of my expectation. I was scared and nervous to see the miserable situation of women and people’s behavior towards her.

The cruelty of the group of people’s behavior touched my heart. I saw middle size of small bamboo sticks and stone in some people’s hand. Some men were kicking to her and others were spiting in her face. She was lying on the floor requesting the help. I start to talk with some of the people from the mass. They said that she was an abductor so she should be burnt. Some people were asking fire to burn her. I don’t know what to say but immediately a voice came out of my mouth and I said “Please stop. It’s not a way to punish a criminal. Let’s go through the legal process, if she is a kidnapper.” Then a man next to me said “Sister it’s better you to be quite otherwise you might be the victims of the mass. I have already phoned to the police, hopeful police will be here after a few minute.”

While I was talking with unknown man in the mass, I saw the police. The police clear the mass and take the woman for the legal process. I was said that she was taken to the Hanuman Dhoka to case the file. Again, I started my journey to my relatives' home. After reaching to my relative’s home, I talked with them about the accident that I saw in the way. I request my cousin to go to Golfutar to know about the situation, and he said I have a friend there, if you want to know about the situation, I will call him here.” Later at 6pm, Mr. Binod Shakya (name changed) came to my rative's home. He was the same man who phoned to the police. I was surprised to meet in my relative’s home. He states that, four days ago, a boy was lost from Chakrapath. The woman, which name is still unknown, took the boy to her house and buy new clothes for him. She also feed the boy properly. It is said that her son was died by diareheao, and she was mentally depressed. On July 9th 2009, at about 3pm, she came with the boy in Golfutar for shopping. The boy parents saw the woman with their son and started to hit by sticks and stones. Finally, other people came and support the boy’s parents. Mr. Shakya also said that no one listened to her. But she helped a boy who had lost his way instead became a victim. Parents are unsecured about their children so they didn’t want to listen anything.

On July 1o, 2009, I woke up early in the morning and traveled some of the places to buy plane ticket from Kathmandu to Biratnagar. After buying the ticket, I started my journey from Ratnapark to meet my friends in the micro bus. In the micro, people were talking about the same uncertain environment of their children. A man was saying to another man that about 40,000 kidnappers has entered to Kathmandu, so he has decided to send his children to foreign country for their study by talking loan from the man. I looked at the man face very carefully, he looked sad and worried. I questioned to myself, Am I in Nepal or dreaming? But it was the reality. I went to my friend’s room in kupondole, we talked for an hour and went to meet Anjana Luitel, World Pulse future correspondent from Nepal. She was busy with her project and wasn’t in the office. I talked with Dipesh, the founder of Yatra, and was impressed with his vision. After an hour, she came to her office, Yatra. We discuss what we are going to talk about the main meeting. We also talked about the question that might arise during our meeting. At about 6pm, I returned back to the home. Near my relatives’ home, there was a school name, Buddhanilkantha high school, a group of people tried to kidnapped two children but the children were able to run away. Hearing the situation, my relatives were worried about me. Finally when I reached home, everyone started to scold at me and asked where I was? We took our dinner together and start to watch the news at 8pm. There was a news about a “Teenager escapes abductors’ clutches.” Isha Bhattarai who was only 20 years old and was studying in ICom second year at Kanya Cmpus in Dilibazaar was kidnapped by a group of veil people. She was staying with her maternal uncle and aunt after her higher education at Gyaneshwor, Kathmandu.

When she was returning home after collecting the second year exam admit card from the campus, she was asked the way to Maitidevi by a white car driver. Another man in the car showed her a picture and asked whether she knew him or not. When Isha tried to pore over the photo, she was pushed into the vehicles. Immediately she was unconscious. She was threaded by three veil man with glasses. She said this to Nigarh Area Police Office, Bara. Furthermore, she says that the three veil men threatned to chop me and my family into the pieces if I say anyone that I was kidnapped. Isha did whatever was requested to do by the kidnapper. Immediately she waited the chance, turned on the mobile, and informed the alert Armed Police Force with the help of her brother-in –law. Isha was crying when she recounted the incident to the police. “Inspector Uttam Karki said that a probe was underway.” According to the Nepal newspaper about …… people has been kidnapped for various purpose.

On July 11, 2009, I was preparing about the meeting and was busy with the schedule. I will be posting about that later because of too late internet facility in the city.

On July 12, 2009, I reached my home safely from domestic airport. On the way , I talked with my father about the uncertain environment. My father said that children are safe in our area with a proud voice. But the last night our neighbour brother Pankaj Karki is missing from his home. This morning they searched everywhere in their relatives home but he sin't there.

This is a change, I found after returning back in 16 months. I was very curious to know the change but the change was negatives which frustrate me and I believe the Nepalese. Please suggest me the possibilities that we can do to make our sisters, mothers and children secure? I am waiting to hear from all of you.