Fiction: A woman encounters, endures, and overcomes adversities during the birth of modern Nepal

Because he lived in Biratnagar, he was called Biratey-Kaka. His real name was Kul Bahadur Ghimiray. He was Chandraman Ghimiray’s own middle-brother. Though he had not been successful in amassing the same amount of wealth and property, estate and lands, houses and premises as Chandraman, he did have four or five bighas of land entirely under his own care, maintenance and cultivation. He had only one wife. They had been married by their fathers at an early age. His life had been spent with her. As for children, he had two daughters and a son. The elder daughter Asina had been married four years ago, his two-year-old grandson on her lap. The middle-daughter too was 17, but not married yet. The son Ramesh was a strapping lad of 14. He had managed to struggle through two books in the village school but shouldered the farm work now with great dependability.

The Patwari’s party arrived in the evening. The only persons that Kaka recognised were old Patwari and Akkharey Brahmin. On their arrival, the Patwari said, “Namaskar to you, Kaka-babu. Now we five guests have arrived here. Here is Maiya-saheb, your brother Chandraman Mukhia’s youngest daughter. We know her only as Maiya-saheb, Lord...

Read more