Days of Glory

"When I was 5, my father returned from India with his family and squatted in a piece of uncultivable land by the Tinahu river. But he left for India again. School was a far-fetched dream. I had to...

Published13 January 2015

Reading Time 2 mins

Author Stories of Nepal

Location Nepal

"When I was 5, my father returned from India with his family and squatted in a piece of uncultivable land by the Tinahu river. But he left for India again. School was a far-fetched dream. I had to work. I remember I started at a very early age. My very first job was as a maid boy for this contractor running errands. I did that for four years. After that I found work as a laborer working on trucks, loading and unloading stones from the river. Though it paid a little extra the job was very strenuous. This labor lasted for 6 years. Then, the government had decided to extend the highways so I found work as a digger and worked for several years on the highways. I still wasn’t earning much. Life was very rough. But I was persistent and kept toiling. I also had no choice. I needed to feed my family. But I believed that my days of glory would also come. After working at the highways, I worked in farms harvesting crops for other people. By this time, rickshaws in Butwal were making good money and I was eyeing one. After four years of working in the farm I finally bought one. There was something about the rickshaw that attracted me to stick to the profession. After driving the rickshaw for 9 years I bought another and in the next six month I added another. With every penny saved, I would eventually add one. Now I have seventy in the fleet. I don't drive now because I don't have enough strength. I let all my rickshaw for hire. If you see one in Butwal that reads 'Shrestha Rickshaw' on the back, that's mine and it has my mobile number too."_x000D_ _x000D_ - Roop Lal Shrestha, Nursing Tole 4, Butwal

Join the Archival Journey

Receive weekly dispatches from the field—stories of resilience, tradition, and the changing landscape of Nepal delivered quietly to your inbox.