“I spent half of my life in the hills. I was an agriculture technician appointed by the government office. And my duties involved helping farmers with their crops, giving them guidance on how to plant seeds, how to use fertilisers and how to protect their crops from pests. My first posting was in Lalitpur. And then Kathmandu and Bhaktapur. From there I went on to Dolakha and surrounding districts. I remember Taplejung very well as I lived there for 9 years. I must have provided my services in almost 45 wards there. All the villagers knew me. I never felt I was away from home. It has been a few years that I have returned to my village and it feels good to be with family. Sometimes, late in the afternoon, I come out to the fields to watch the sunset and it still feels strange not to see any hills around. But in my heart, I know they are not too far.” (Nagendra Mishra, Tilathi 6, Saptari)