Kata ko Kuro kata

Today is Fau. After many years, I am back in kathmandu. Now, I am not expected to resort into lola charging extravaganza, even though ghari ghari hanam hanam jasto ta lagchha kasai kasai lai. Fau purne always reminds me of Bhawana. Oh! My god! Bhawana---Bhawana---Bhawana. Just a casual thought of her, as always, takes me to a wild but bumpy ride. This terrace "Chhat" has witnessed number of priceless moments I shared with Bhawana. It was in the faupurne like this one, I held her hand with immense devotion and before she could measure my gazing bhang dazed eyes I ----. Well, I will come back to this later.

Lonely sun seems to be descending fairly quietly over the western skies just like on that day. Fagu in Kathmandu was always rough, especially for young females. Ek mahina aghi dekhi lola varera taruni mathi "charge" garthe ma pani---aru lai matrai ke bhannu. Dashain aaunu bhanda ek mahina aghi dekhi "nauratha" lagthyo, kojagrat purne ko parsi palta dekhi "panchak" lagthyo hamlai, although juwa (gambling) sadhai fukeko hunthyo hamro hadigau ma. By the way, I always used to think what's up with this jhoor name "hadigau"? hamro tol ma hadi sadi paune ni kaha ho ra feri? Hadi sadi gamala samala ghaito saito kinna bhane kalo pool chheu janu parthyo. Actually, the correct name of our tole was "Harigram" rey. So? Sounds soooo like a village in Sarlahi---Anyway, Harigram slided to "harigam"-"harigau" and finally to the exotic "hadigau" rey yesssima---! Katai kasai lai bhanna man lagdainathyo "ma hadigau ko bhanera". "ke khana bhanni?" "ke nai thiyo ra hadigauma?" My friend used to "yo mu** kuiya tole"

Hamro Hadigauma hadi sadi nabhayeni aru nikkai kura thiye. Like what? Oh! The list is longer than dhobikhola but let me mention some features from good old hadigau here. We got more bhusya kukkur than people, just a bit rain and our bumpy pitch navako but hilo ra fohorle kalo bhako streets were like skidding arena, you could walk any day under the light and see kids and stray dogs blessing the streets with their droppings. Ususally, stray dogs were kind enough in taking care of kids' dropping but not always. Bhusya kukkur ni sochda hun "sadhai ta abamu** ke thekka lya chha ra?" Behind the huge peepal tree kisnamandir, sarbada seeds paya always rocked. If you wanted to talk "manpari bolera whether in Newari or Nepali", you got the town. If you 're one of those bhatti ma tilla hune but for "ijjat" ko lagi Star-beer bottle chyapera hinne love-rejection struck jadya, hadigau was for you. At nights we could hear many pashpati and gujeswori bhaktas singing tukre ustad songs on the streets skidding over kids' and dogs' aftermeal digested stuff. "Nabhani deu mero ooth ko laali chori lagyo bhanera----hamko tumse pyara kaunhamko to tumse haihe kanchhi----paani ta khani kholako pani ta khanefuskela tuna cholako fuskela tuna---hame tumse pyar kitna ye ham nahi janate---then one high class jadya would add oho! uu ooo uu yee heee I lab u mor thyan aai kyan se---oouu-o---uuyeyee---yee laal ranga kab mujhe chodega?

Chhimeki tole ko nam baru dadhai lagne khalko thyo "Maaligau". Hadigau bhanda ta khatara chha ni haina ra? Hunata, "Hadigau" was not the only name we got. There were some other alternative names available to us such as kotaltole, nyalamatole---but who the hell would give a damn about nylmatole and kotaltole? When I meet a guy from Rolpa, he says "hi I am Vadra Jung Sahi from "upallo kot, Rolpa"you say "I am Deep from Nyalmatole? To me these alternatives were worse than hadigau. Oh! There was another alternative too. Guess what it was? "Bhuteswor"! yeah, right! of all "swors" we got bhuteswor. Others got Gyaneswor, Baneswor and we got Bhuteswor. Yasai ta diusai taxi aauna aana kani garne hadigau ma tyasma ni nam ferera bhuteswor rakhyo bhane kun taxi aauthyo hola? Diuso dada haru ko jag jagi raati bhutharu ko. Rati ghar aaunu paryo bhane kun taxi aaune bhuteswor? Usai ta tangal naghe pachhe muskil le ek dui wata batti bhetinthe batama. All those street bulbs were the undeclared targets for guleli masters. Ani, how would you invite your young love to your tole? "Bhare rati "Bhutesworma" aauna hai?

Hadigau ma aago lagi ranthyo. Tyo pani raati ma. Our tole was like a fort for fire engines-damkals. We could see a house or a property burning, but all we could do was either scream or cry or take a look and enjoy if the burning property was not yours. People would be heard screaming ye damkal bola damkal bola---. What for? Damkal aaye ni ke? Nibhauna sakne haina. First of all phone, in our tole, was like the doctor in a village health post. "muskil le bhetine". Ek dui jana thiye phone walaharu---asadhhe fuleka tara. By the time one would find a phone and make the connection with the "Judhdha Barun Yantra" in Basanta pur Newroad, half of the property would be burned down. Then we didn't have precise address system. So, the caller would say "la dai chhitto aaunu paryoyaha hadigau ma aago lagyo ke---la dai chhitto hai" then he would hang up the phone. After all, why would he want to waste time over the phone and miss the spectacular fire show? Judhdha Barun yatrahadi gau ta haadi gaukahile Tangal tirakahile Bisalnagar tirakahile nyalma tole ma aago lage bhimsenthan tira---kotal tole ma aago lage nyalamatole tira sidhai hannidai janthyo. We used to run toward the siren to run behind the fire truck and if lucky find the truck grab wherever and enjoy the free but extremely risk ride completely ignoring cursing hauled at us. We would also volunteer the direction to the lost fire engine. We were kind enough.
Then fire engine would make to the closest possible position to the raging fire. Kaha bhitra galli tira athawa bari tira aago lagya hune kunai kunai galli ma ta saikal lada ta jiu bangai bangai lanu parneajang ko damkal ke chhirthyo? Then they would try to run the hose to the fire and we would step on the hose for a momentary bumpy lift. The joy of being pushed by running water inside the hose was awesome. It was a free ride but a lot of people didn't like us having that fun. Ke garne? But we had to do that. Otherwise what's the point of running behind the fire truck? What's the point of being happy seeing the fire truck? Well, after pulling the hose to its last inch, the pulling firemen would look at each other in dismay. Fire was still 500 feet away. The hose was not long enough "pipe pugena pipe pugena"people would scream. "Arko tira bata tannu parchha---aghinai oota tira bata tannu parne--", we would run to arko tira. "haina force le hanne yaha bata ni bhyauchha" some would argueall in chaossomeone starts shooting water aiming at the fire but the water barely reaches there. Water is wasted. Fire still going on. "damkal ma pani sakiyopaani ka chha?" one damkal guy would ask? "Thulo pokhari bata tannu parchha" we and many others would suggest. After a few minutes of galfati tanker runs for water and we chase the tanker for free ride again. By the time fire engine comes back, either the fire is over or is out of control.

My good friend Amrite says, "damkal ta tya gyarej bata niskiyo ki khasi dhalchha re tya---aba yiniharule yaha bata gayesikhasi ko masu ra bhat khanchhakya moj".

Transformer pani padikiranthyo hamro hadigau ma. "dwangga" garyo ki first response was always "la ma$%#@! Transfarmar chet". Usaita pothole-infested hadigaule streets tysma pani sadhai kasai le kasaile kei na kei ko lagi bato khani ra hune. Either the drain or sewage was blocked, or new "dhara jadan" or what ever---if the work is not done the same day, all they had to do was to live the khaldo as it is. One night, birami liyera hospital hineko tyaksi jakkiyechha khaldoma. Balla balla lyako taxi tyapani khaldo ma. Birami ko aaiya aathha badho chha---thenjust then jadya laureate of hadigau, "radhesyamdai" approached the ill fated taxi and after thoroughly inspecting the scene our swinging villu radhesyam dai responded aiming at the taxi driver, "thukka ma*&^%$, yasto birami liyera hinya taxi ni yasari khaldo ma halna hunchha? Beiman!"

Oho! Kaha Bhawana ra mero bich ghateko tyo fauko din ko ghatana lekhcu bhanekokata ko kuro kata pugechha. Well, next time.

***
[However it was, I always love hadigau. One of the best places in Earth for me. I miss the place every single day].