The Man from Nuwakot

Published28 October 2015

Reading Time 2 mins

Author Stories of Nepal

Location Nepal

"One day a man came to me asking for help. "Sir, I am sick and I have no money to return to my village in Nuwakot." He showed me a bad cut in the right side of his abdomen. When I saw his condition, my heart hurt. I didn't have any money but I told him to wait for a day. I gave him a place to sleep in my house and the next day I collected money and gave it to him. He left. After a few months, I was walking down Basantapur and someone came and tapped in my back and it was the same man. He was very happy to see me. This time he was with his wife. He told how his infection had taken all his money. He and his wife looked tired and hungry so I took them to a nearby hotel. They ate like they had never eaten before. My eyes welled up. I gave them bus money to return to their village. After that, I would think about this person every once in a while, until recently when he showed up again at my house. This time he looked healthy. He told me how he had not been able to find my house and how he had been searching for me for many days. He told me, 'Dai, if I had not found you then, I don't know what would have become of me?.' He then took out neatly folded money and before he gave it to me, I told him, 'Thank you but I will not take your money. I did not help you for money. Spend this money on your children.' As, I said this, he started crying in happiness." (This story was told by Sanjeev Manandhar - in the picture, who helped a man from Nuwakot, Met Sanjeev Dai in Naag Pokhari, Kathmandu)

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.