The lucky girl who defied death

This evening, I and an uncle of mine were sitting just outside of Bir Hospital where my grandpa has been undergoing a close medical observation following a serious stroke last week. It was a quarter to seven and we were having a chat about the fuel crisis in effect. Suddenly, we spotted a small girl who fell down while trying to cross the road in a hurry.

A red taxi carrying a patient was parked just in front of the main entrance to the hospital's emergency center. It was exactly when the girl took stepped down from the footpath to cross the road that the patient's relatives happened to open the door, and the door hit the little girl, making her lose her balance. To everyone's terror, another taxi (a white one) appeared on the scene, out of nowhere! Niether the girl was aware of that taxi, nor the driver got any chance to notice the girl who was still lying down, for the red taxi was blocking his view of that side of the road. The next thing I remember is the taxi driving over that girl!

We instinctively got up on our feet and rushed to stop the taxi. Several other people who were nearby and had witnessed that event rushed to the scene and together, we lifted the car by its front cowl. Someone then quickly rescued the trapped girl and ran into the ER of the hospital. Others called the traffic police and some even tried to give the dumbfounded driver a firsthand beating. We and a few others prevented them from doing so, and told everyone that it wasn't his fault at all.

We then went inside the ER and saw the girl being examined by a doctor. The girl seemed fine, there weren't any visible wounds or swellings on her body and she was breathing normally. All that was visible was a small bruise on her left knee. Later, she would be x-rayed and handed over to her family (running a small tea-shop just across the road).

I don't know if I'll ever be able to express or explain what I saw then and there. How she survived what could otherwise have been an unthinkable casualty is a total mystery to me. I hope she's already fast asleep at home by this time, and the driver too is feeling a great relief.

At about ten, we returned home, leaving another uncle and a cousin to stay with and take care of my grandpa tonight.

Rest in peace, Sanju

Rest in peace, Sanju. We’ll always remember you as an endearing family member, not as a pet. So loyal and thoughtful, you really taught us a lot!

A special bookshop gathering in Thamel

It was a special gathering of slightly over two dozen people that I attended at around 6 PM today at Pilgrims Book House in Thamel. I went there with two friends and a colleague. The host of the event was Stella Dupuis, a passionate researcher and an insightful writer from Switzerland. The gathering was held for a formal release of her latest book, "In the Belly of the Fish" -- a spiritual novel that took her roughly six years to complete.

Just two days before arriving in Kathmandu, she had made an online hotel reservation for her weeklong tour through our portal, http://www.kathmanduhotel-link.com/. When we finally settled on an alternative arrangement (owing to unavailability of the accommodation she initially wanted to book), she mentioned that she would be giving a short lecture today at the aforesaid venue and invited us to the event. She didn't mention the topic or the purpose, though. Anyway, I had decided right then that I would be there.

She gave her audience a brief insight into her new novel just before releasing it, along with some interesting encounters she had during her extensive research in India. She mentioned that the lead character, Maya, is on the experiences of a Yogini and her daughter. The story, narrated by Matsyendranatha (Macchindranath in Nepali) -- the lord of the Fish, is supposed to take the reader on a journey back and forth in time.

According to Stella, the message she wants to deliver is that if we believe in ourselves and try hard enough, we can get past our problems and achieve success, just like Machhindranath did.

Soon after releasing the book, her upcoming book was announced, which is said to be almost complete. When asked why she had chosen Nepal for the release of the novel instead of India where most of her research was based, she said that the idea was suggested by her guru (her chief guest today). The guru explained that there many myths about Macchindranath in Nepal and Nepalis (especially in the valley of Kathmandu) worship his different forms.