A Reason to Believe | Cover Story

"Lord won't you tell us tell us what does it mean Still at the end of every hard earned day people find some reason to believe"
- Bruce Springsteen, Reason to Believe

The great festival of Dasain ushered in a sense of peace in the Valley. The daily toil and bitter memories of the recent past give way to the mad rush for bus and airplane tickets. It was the time of the yearly exodus away from Kathmandu - while life in the city settled into languid merry making, buses and airplanes, filled beyond their capacity, ferried passengers making it home for tika.

Dasain marks the victory of good over evil. In this year's context, it also signified resurgence – the wounds of 1 Sept. still fresh, the city woke up to the festival with renewed vigour. New Road, always a traffic nightmare during this time of the year, saw throngs that rivaled those of the good ol' peaceful days. Shops did brisk business while khasis in the thousands, and buffaloes in the hundreds, tasted cold steel in the name of religion and otherwise.

Rita Shah, 24 Lagan Kaankrowali Average Daily Sales – Rs. 100–150 Average Daily Profit Rs. 80
The bleat of khasis hung heavy in the air, promising treats for some and reminding others of yet another Dasain survived. In the words of Rita Shah, originaly from Kavre and now making ends meet in Kathmandu, "marna ta sakina rahecha, ajhai ek dasain ta bachiyo." There is no other time of the year, when hope is so alive, and masked beneath her heart rending words, it burned brighter than ever before. Rita represents that segment of the city population that survives on the fringe: living for, and on, one square meal a day.

Rita's plight, and Khalil's, Hari Raj's, Dhanram's and the others, provided an interesting contrast and foil to the Dasain fanfare and festivities. In this age when heroes are mostly restricted to comic books or the pages of history, they stand out as supreme examples of gut, grit and resolve. It just takes a bullet or a rope to end a life but it takes more than a fair amount of effort to live. Our heroines and heroes do not sport shining armour, they do not inspire awe, and they rather blend and disappear in any crowd. They are part of a larger humanity; their only act of heroism is survival and holding on to a dream.

In the current Nepali context, dejection and frustration are rather common. Some of our best and ablest minds have already given up, a few economic giants have collapsed and politically too, nothing good seems to be in the offing soon. A cloud of uncertainty and doubt hangs over even the spirit of Dasain – the question, what after the festival, dilutes the celebrations. Hope is hard to come by, and it is in exactly such a scenario, that Rita and the others stand out.

Rain or shine, you will find Rita in the vicinity of Tundikhel with a nanglo full of sliced cucumbers. The smile on her face reveals little of her daily struggle, being the sole bread earner of the family. She is married and has a four-year-old son. Her husband does not work. She came to Kathmandu with her husband a few years back – their plot of land at Kavre was not enough for their sustenance, life has not been easier here. She invests Rupees 40 each morning on about 10 Kgs of cucumbers, and manages to earn about Rupees 100 to 150 by the end of the day, selling them. The average profit she makes in a day is about Rupees 80 or Rupees 2,400 in a month.

Hari Raj Sharma, 45 Kalopul, Kathmandu Astrologer Average Daily Earning – Rs. 200
A fair sum by many standards, but introduce the drains, and one is left wondering how she manages. Food for three, rent and other expenses, all within her meager earnings, if this is not a budgetary and financial miracle, what is? And we haven't even mentioned clothes and her child's school expense.

Hari Raj Sharma shares space with Rita in the footpath bounding the Tundikhel. He is an astrologer, and reads palms. His grandfather and his father too plied the same trade though he is not too sure about his son. In comparison to Rita, he is slightly better off. As he says, "Din ma kohi bela ta 500 samma pani auncha, tara tyo sadhai hoena. Kohi din ta khali haath jaana parhca, Yeso tyeso, 150/ 200 rupiya kamai huncha." Rupees 6,000 to 7,000 is a big amount going by Rita's standards, but for Hari Raj, the expenses are more. He has a wife, a son and a daughter at home. Both his children attend school. We will leave the arithmetic to you.

Khalil Miya, 28 Birgunj Flute Seller Average Daily Sales – Rs. 200 – 500 Average Daily Profit Rs. 200
Khalil Miya is in no rush to reach home during Dasain. He is Muslim but that is not the only reason why he makes his rounds selling flutes even during Dasain – he eats out of what he earns each day. He makes music during his rounds, adding smiles of pleasure to countless faces on his way. He has little pleasure or music in his own life. Originally from the border town of Raxaul, India, Khalil has been based in Birgunj for a few years. He has been plying his trade in the Valley for the past four years. He goes once a year to Raxaul to replenish his stock of flutes, which he buys for Rupees 3 to Rupees 25 a piece. Khalil stays with his family in Birgunj for three months and then heads to the valley to sell his ware. On an average he earns about Rupees 500 in a day but taking away the cost leaves him with about Rupees 200 as profit. Taking in account his food and rent leaves even less with him – no wonder there isn't a moment of rest for him.

Nabina Tamang, 15 Daapcha, Kavre Housemaid Net Monthly Earning – Rs. 700
Nabina went home this Dasain with a bundle of gifts for her family members: nothing big and expensive but memorable nonetheless, having bought them off her own earnings. At 15, when many of her friends spend time in school, she earns a living as a housemaid in Kathmandu. She belongs to Daapcha in Kavre, and comes from a broken family. Her parents separated when she was small – after spending some years at her home, she ventured out to Kathmandu with her elder brother about two years ago. Her monthly earning, excluding food and board, comes to Rupees 700. Not a princely figure by any account, but she knows, even that is of use looking at the state her family is in. She contributes to the upkeep of her younger sister and mother at home. She does not know if her mother will allow her to come back to Kathmandu after dasain – she feels Nabina will be of better use at home. Given a chance, Nabina would definitely study but the realities of life have not afforded her that chance so far.

Krishna Rokka, Shantinagar Cobbler Average Daily Earnings – Rs. 200 - 250
It was only on tika that Krishna closed shop this Dasain. Running a family is no easy job and having seen much better days as an employee of Bansbari Shoe Factory, he finds the going extra tough. His toil began roughly seven years ago when the factory closed down. Since then he works almost 15 hours each day to make ends meet. As a cobbler, Krishna makes about Rupees 200 a day. With that amount, he has to meet all his expenses including, his rents and his daughters' school fees. He has a wife, a son and two daughters to take care of on his sole earnings. As he says, "Gaaro cha jiwika chalaunu. Ekklai kaamai lai saabai kharcha chalaunu parcha, tara kasari ho, pugekai huncha."

As for most people in Kathmandu, dasain days were special for Gorey Bahadur too. There was food to eat, rituals to fulfill and even a few rounds of cards. His nights though were busy as always – starting at 9 pm. Gorey is among the many who make a living sifting sand from the banks of the Bagmati river. Its hard work but as Gorey says, people have to do much worse chores than this to live. At 40, Gorey feels he is just beginning, and that the future has better stuff in store for him. A sack of sand fetches anywhere between Rupees 13 to 25 and he manages to extract as much as 10 sacks of sand each night. Interestingly, Gorey has two wives and makes time between each of them. Recently, in a move to use his time in the day better, he had opened a small shop to sell vegetables. But three days after starting, he was robbed. With the responsibility of three daughters and two wives on his shoulders, it is a daily struggle for him but he is more than happy to slog knowing the love that he gets at home from his wives and three daughters.

Gore Bahadur, 40 Shantinagar Sand Porter Average Daily Earnings – Rs. 150 - 250
If one frequents the New Road area one cannot help noticing Dhanram at the pavement besides Bhugol Park – he is a man truly dhani in spirit. He does not run his household anymore but he still earns enough for himself, and even manages to assist his son in taking care of the family. In the present times when people often complain of the lack of opportunities, Dhanram leaves home each morning with a weighing scale, his only means of earning. What makes him even more special is the fact that he has a deformed hand and slurred speech. Originally from Solokhumbu, Dhanram has overcome his shortcomings to survive in this city of dreams. At Rupees 2 per customer, he manages to earn as much as Rupees 90 in a day. Not enough, he admits, to make a living off but good enough to win him respect at home.

Dasain is over and it is back to the grind for most people but then again, looking at Rita, Khalil and Krishna, the phrase 'back to the grind' may well need to be redefined. Life is not easy for anyone, not the millionaire in his bunglow or the orphan on the street, but when we search for the clichéd 'indomitable human spirit,' we may well focus our sights on the general rather than search for examples in the exalted rungs of the social ladder. Women like Rita continue to make a living, however bare it maybe, in the midst of the political turmoil and uncertainty.

Dhanram Basnet, 57 Kasthamandap Weighs People Average Daily Earnings – Rs. 80 - 90
Oblivious to the hue and cry being raised about child labour, Nabina is earning for herself and her family at the tender age of 15, and yet managing to dream of a better future. Hari Raj Sharma foresees the future for others but believes in living for the moment when it comes to the self. Dhanram can lead an easy, dependent life if he wants to but prefers to toil and earn a life of respect.

Hope is one thing that seems common in all our personalities, and the element that seems to keep them going. Each of them finds a reason to believe at the end of every hard earned day. They see promise in the future, and are willing to invest in education for their children hoping that the promise get fulfilled through it. In their quest for a living, they epitomize the best in human qualities – contentment, honesty, self-respect and most of all a zeal for life. Truly super people!