"I worked as a helper in a gas plant in Qatar but soon after my employer designated me as security personnel, I started to question my decision of leaving home. The heat was unbearable and the working condition was harsh. If I died for the sake of money, there would be no one who would rescue my family. So one day, I decided to leave.
When I returned to my village, I already had some loans in my head. I tried to look for opportunities for a livelihood but I could not find anything. After spending some time at home, I became desperate. Someone told me that if I had some money then I would get a visa to go to America. I borrowed this money and handed it over to this office in Kathmandu. And I waited for their call in the hope that I would get the American visa. I felt that would solve my problems. But every time I called this office in Kathmandu, they would say that my file was under process. I felt uneasy. I had given them a significant advance. Eventually, I lost hope and confronted the people in the office. “Please give me back my money if you cannot send me to America, or I will sleep in your corridor." I was lucky that I received my money back. I was lucky that I did not give them more money. Defeated, I came back to the village and started working in the fields, in the ancestral soil. And I have been doing that since.
Once in a while, I take on a contracting project of the roads which also helps me sustain financially. If I save enough money and if the villagers trust me with their resources, I plan to start a hotel here. The roads have cut through the district but it is difficult for travellers to find a decent place to eat and sleep. If that does not work out, I will go back to herding sheep. I plan to buy 400-500 sheep and walk with them. If nothing works out, I will stop making plans and will pursue the occupation of my ancestors. I know it is a sure shot. I will stop dreaming of foreign dreams. I will stick to my family on my own soil. I will walk with my sheep in the moors like a free man."
Tara Prasad Pun, Lukum, Rukum Purba
#TheFutureIWant
SON X UN