Bir­tamod­e, Bride and the Bandhs

Our blogger, home (East Nepal) to attend his sister’s marriage, finds himself stuck in series of Bandhs

By Deepak Adhikari
Saturday Blog

It was 11 am. The preparation was almost ready. But, I was a bit restless. Now, becoming a brother of a bride is no cricket. It almost happened to be an impromptu wedding. They say, marriages are made in heaven. But, this one was solely decided by our father. I sent my brother immediately towards home and boarded an Agni bus just two days ahead of Wednesday’s big day.

The travel turned out to be travail as we anxiously waited two hours for the jam at Naubise, Dhading to open. Another day, we heard news of Tilanga bus plunged into Trishuli River. That sent a chill down our spines. We thanked God for saving our lives. Most of the travelers onboard that bus was from Jhapa. My neighbor here at Birtamode said one was her kinsman.

Not only bus mishap. Our journey was also marked by Ilam attack. As soon as people tried to forget the Ilam incident, it was followed by Danabari and later Shantinagar. We silently heard an idyllic Ilam turning into a death field. I hope, Benupraj Bhattarai, the brilliant and roving Kantipur reporter depicted the event over the blog. I haven’t been able to read all the stuffs. Birtamode’s Internet Paradise has become my second home where I communicate with my colleagues in Kathmandu, reply mails and am currently jotting down this blog. Its another Bandh here at Birtamode ( Mechi) and only few shops especially the medicos are open. Tomorrow they have called for Koshi Bandh. My travel to Kathmandu has been adjourned due to the blockade in the highway. There’s no authentic info. As the rumors abound, my anxiety grows.

The aura and ambiance of marriage is still lingering at home. Relatives are still here. My beloved sister has returned back. Her incessant weeping made all of us ponder over what made her wail. Everyone came up with their own guess. It was a low key celebration. But, most off the relatives turned up to grace the occasion. On the very day, I was so very busy, people were commenting: Behuliko Daju Huna Sajilo Chha Ta? ( It’s tough being a bride’s brother). I nodded with a smile. It was indeed tough. I was handling the food section of the ceremony. I, having experienced serving hundreds of customers at McDonald’s, was at times unable to provide efficient service. Nevertheless, we did it.

At 4 pm. Everything was over. We bade goodbye to one of our loving family members to her second home. That she was leaving and that almost brought tears in my eyes. I asked my mates to leave me alone for a while. But, the mantra that “life goes on” again worked. She came back yesterday (Behuli Pharkaune function), smiling, with her tenderness. The groom (Jwain) turned out to be an epitome of a gentleman. Let’s see what life has in store for her. I wish her for a successful nuptial life!