[Reader-list] third posting-They protect society but

[Hari Roka]

Dear friends
Due to my various personal reasons I became late for third and fourth 
posting. For this I express apology.  I will be continuing posting in   
coming weeks.  Please I have needed your valuable suggestions, comment and 
remarks.

They protect society; but who protect them?

One man was moving on  the road very slowly and gradually, he had  holding 
one stick (Lathi) on his righ hand. When he moved on the road then sound 
comes from the  Lathi  like  twak…twak…..twak  very strangely. And after 
three to five minutes interval he whistled and that sound of whistle was 
also heard very pathetic and strange. I asked my friend Deepak Bhatta, “who 
he is?” He replied ‘a watchman’. Then I imagine that he should be a  Nepali, 
although I asked Deepak to confirm myself “is he Nepali?” Then he 
immediately questioned me who care such job beyond Nepali? We met him, 
exchange our name and address. He was a watch man, a employed of Laxmi Nagar 
‘society’. He befrom   Bajura District,  far-western Nepal. His name was 
Khadga Bahadur Rawal.
It was around eleven pm when we met him in Jamuna- par Laxmi Nagar he was on 
duty. I told my friend of my desire to meet him and sharing the experience 
of  life, then Deepak converse my feeling. But Khadga denied talking on 
duty. And then we request for his time schedule for next morning and request 
  call for his entire nearest friends have a same occupation. But he gave us 
time for afternoon. My friend Deepak notes his address.
		---------   		………		……………..
There were ten people including Khadga Bahadur. It was a small room behind 
the main Bazaar of Laxmi Nagar. All gathering people were smoking ‘bidi’ 
(tobacco covered by leaf) and gossiping that is why room was full of smoke 
and smelled very sharp.  There was one thin bed on the floor; some clothes 
were hanging on the wall’s nail. In one corner there were cooking vessel and 
one plastic bucket, it was looking that just they finished their day meal 
but still left over to wash. A small bulb was hanging and lightening the 
room. I beg one ‘bidi’ and started to smoke; my friend Deepak (he was with 
me) introduced me as a people’s writer and want to write their story. Then 
we started converse.
I have had various readymade questions. But the time and theme was already 
changed after the ceasefire in the country. Maoists are sitting on the 
negotiation table with Government to resolve the conflict; most of the flows 
of young boys, girls and adults were back to their home. And the environment 
was really hopeful. When we started to talk about the ‘MAOIST MOVEMENT’ in 
Nepal, their face became bright. One of them said ‘now peace will be settled 
down’. He was Prem Ballav Joshi. He is a 27 years old SLC passed degree 
holder, well educated among them. He argued, ‘both Government’s army and 
Maoist guerillas became tired. Now negotiation is possible, for everything 
time should be ripe’.  But Daulat thapa- 41 suspicion on his belief. He said 
nobody can take guarantee of Maoist as well as government. They were also in 
negotiation table in last year but that failed.  How you can say that it 
would not repeated again?  But other people were very much hopeful for 
settlement, they refused his argument. They said people of Nepal can not be 
sustaining in war again. Maoists are also human being and Government army 
too. It is too much to kill own people. That should be stopped. Then I asked 
them, if Government denied fulfilling Maoist demand then? Again joshi said 
there should be implement ‘give and take formula. I read Maoist’s forty 
point demand; some of them are very genuine. That should be fulfilled.’ I 
asked again if not fulfilled by the Government then? He argued that 
government should fulfill some genuine demand for the restoration of peace. 
“And I hope so”.  Again I argued ‘they won’t back to the Jungle?’ They had a 
strong confidence on the peaceful resolution. Then I asked then you people 
started to send your earnings at home? At first they laughed on my question 
then reversely asked me when we stopped then. Most of them had sent their 
earning currently at their home.
              …………………..			………………………
We turn round in India. All gathering people were matured fellows. Ramesh 
Saud was twenty years old; among them he was the youngest. He came here in 
Delhi in 1999. And Raghubir Chand-43 was the oldest one he arrived here 13 
years before. They were working in different places of Delhi like Sakkatpur, 
Yemuna Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Anand Bihar, Baljit Nagar, and Sadipur. They 
have not exact idea about the number people are working as a watchman in 
Delhi as a whole. But in their rough estimate around twenty thousands people 
are working here as a watchman and Gate pale (Gate keeper). A small number 
of people are organized in ‘All Nepali Ekata Samaj’ (affiliated with Nepal 
communist Party Ekata Kendra), Nepal- Bharat Pravashi Sangh (affiliated with 
Nepal communist Party UML). The nature of job is not permanent type and very 
much difficult work and insufficient salary. Therefore, ‘come and go’ 
process is common in this field of job, but employ replaced themselves 
keeping another friend from the same village or relative on their response 
when society believe them. The experienced old men earned four thousand five 
hundred it is the peak amount on this profession, otherwise the average 
earnings amount is only Rs.2500 per month. Most of them earned a little bit 
amounts from the extra work, such as early in the morning they clean 
vehicles of their area. Instead of it they got extra money at the last of 
the month. But generally it would not be fixed, it depend on the pity of 
owner.
The watchmen usually came here from far western part of Nepal and northern 
Karnali zone especially from Humla, kalikot, Mugu, Dalekh, Bajura, 
Dadeldhura, Kanchanpur, Baitedi,Bajhang and Darchula. Usually poor people 
has two choice one is to go to Uttarakhand to carryout people in 
Ulinkath(planqueen) from Badarinath to Kedarnath, or to come to be a 
watchmen in Delhi and other cities. Daulat Thapa explined me that in Badri 
Nath there are more than 20 thousand  Nepali people who carryout  religious 
people those who could not climb the stiff of Kedarnath.
Most of the Nepali people speak broken Hindi. Some experienced old men speak 
fluently and correctly , but young speaks slowly and gradually,  They 
usually answered that they learned after capable to speak fluently within 
six month but it depend on how much you  mix-up  with local  people. Usually 
when they start to perceive sound of Hindi music, Hindi film then there is 
no problem on communication in Hindi.
The watchmen pass moving whole night within the limited area assigned by 
local society. They should responsible for any kind of trouble, like, 
robbery, or any kind of losses by thrives. Thus whole night they open their 
eyes, walking, and whistling. Then member of the society can sleep without 
fear. Therefore the longevity of their job or security of their job will be 
protected till nothing will be happen in the society. When some complain 
appeared by any member of the society then there is a maximum chance to lose 
of his occupation. There is no other place for hearing.
		…….			……..		…………

Ranjan Bahadur Nepali was in Ganga Ram Hospital. He was admitted there since 
three months. He had a big wound on his stomach. It was because of bullet. 
When he was on his duty on Dilsabeg Garden area at night, a group of thieves 
came driving their vehicle at night. It was near about 12 to 1 am. When 
Ranjan saw them and imagine that they are not belonging from that locality 
then he whistled and cried out.  Of course they were not ordinary thieves 
and wanted to steal the houses. Then when people started to cry ‘choor- 
choor – pakdo- pakdo (thieves –thieves, catch them) then one of the thieves 
shoot him. Luckily the bullet goes on beneath the chest so he saved. Police 
came and admitted him in to the hospital. Operation became successful but 
loses his entire saved amount in to the medicine. The society did not care 
him. When his nearest friends went to the office and asked for some 
co-operation to the society but executive of the society denied to help 
saying, “it was Bahadur’s (usually Nepali people are called ‘Bahadur’ by 
Indian Merchants and officials) duty, he fulfilled, for taking risk we are 
paying money as salary on monthly basis, the extra money is not possible to 
give.  If he will return back from the hospital then we can offer again at 
that job only”. After huge cry, then society gave them only one thousand 
rupees.  When I met Ranjan’s brother Raman at the hospital ward (he is also 
working in the same place as a watchman) he said the total expenditure was 
about more than 50 thousands. They finished the entire saving amount 
whatever they have had (it was eight thousands only). Then later he went 
with his friends at the office of   Nepali Ekata Samaj for help. The 
officials collected subscription from different areas, from different people 
and paid the hospital bill. Now he is living with his brother’ rented room 
and getting recovery and after some time again he is going to join in the 
same job.
I asked him why again you are going to join there? He replied after long 
breath and with tearful eyes in sorrowful voice “what to do sir? How I can 
go without money at home?  My children are waiting there for new cloth; 
landlords are wating for their payments of principal amount with interest. 
Now I have nothing except my empty hand”.
		……………..		…………………..

Like Dhaba’s boys they also shared narrow rented room. Usually rooms are 
very dark, narrow, suffocative and lacking fresh air neither there was fan. 
When four to five people shares one room then  there is easy to bought one 
common  fan.  Usually they sleep in the morning it will be cool than 
afternoon. In the afternoon some of them work in Dhaba too for extra 
earnings.  Prem Ballav Joshi remarks, “Most our men blemish their own fate, 
not country’s rulers, not their exploiters. When they got salary usually 
spent a small part of their earnings for drink once a month and enjoyed, 
shared their uncomfortable life and sorrow and anexities. But still we are 
unorganized that is why we are not safe wherever."

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