During the episode “Harayeka Barsha haru” (The lost years) from the Hamro Katha YouTube series, Prakash being amused by himself and his destiny says, “Mero buddhi k bhako hola hai?” (“What could have happened to my mind?”), which is what we all have said to ourselves on numerous occasions. The episode unfolds the reality of how uncertain one’s life can be.
Prakash had gone to Kathmandu from his home in Jhapa when he was around ten. He was on a job hunt at that age and worked briefly in a carpet factory only to be removed for being underage. He was lost and never returned home until the Herne Katha team discovered him out of nowhere. Prakash never got to know what a normal youth would be like. The early onus of supporting his family caused him to disappear into obscurity.
Despite being not that far from the capital city, he was unaware of the world. The look on his face tells the story of someone who lost the most productive phase of their life.
He has no idea about how the world works, what education, relationships, society, career, or finance are – nothing. All he knows until now is to feed cattle and follow the lead of his personage. That’s what he did to feed himself all these years. He is just a boarder.
Prakash’s story is just a representation of how people are bound to find work and make money at an early age in our country. I am sure there are more of those Prakash who are still living life the way they are forced to.