Rabina

Rabina
Manamaiju, Kathmandu, Monday, October 12th, 2015

With a twelve-year-old photo (seen below) in hand, I went looking to see if I could find Sabina or Debika.

From the details of the old photo, I knew that the building they sat in front of in 2003 was now gone. We asked at a small shop, showing the photo, and were told to go down to the furniture shop.

Down the way a bit, under a blue tarp, a man worked with a chisel on lengths of wood, creating tenon joints. We showed him the photo and he motioned to a small room-sized building a stone’s throw away made from corrugated metal. Someone under the tarp called "Oh, Rabina bahini" and a moment later, Sabina’s younger sister Rabina came out and greeted us.

She loved seeing the photo of her older sister—younger in the photo than Rabina is now. She let us know that Sabina was fine, but that she lived in a different part of Kathmandu now. I was struck with how much Rabina looked like her didi [older sister].

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Rabina and her mother Sanu.

Binisha, Binita and Bibisa

Binisha, Binita and Bibisa
Manamaiju, Kathmandu, Saturday, October 3rd, 2015

Between Abina’s house and Sanju’s, I happened upon siblings Binisha (in grey), Binita (in red), and Bibisa (in blue) in the pathway. Now whenever I visit Abina, Sanju or Chanda’s house, these siblings run over and we do the handshake thing where I spin them around.

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A group shot of some of the children from the neighborhood.
Seated, from left to right: Aruna (in stripes), Bibek (with HansaPlast on head), Binita, Binisha, Bibisa, and Pralesh (in green shirt).
Standing: Binita (in light blue tanktop), Sarmila (in pink), and Janus (in yellow).

Children relaxing on Krishna Mandir temple

Children relaxing on Krishna Mandir temple
Patan, Nepal, Saturday, October 10th, 2015

Two friends enjoy a snack on Patan's Krishna Mandir temple (built in 1637).

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Sarita, Raj-Kumar and Teelok

Sarita, Raj-Kumar and Teelok
Kathmandu, Saturday, October 3rd, 2015

Walking back from Manamaiju, I spotted these three playing a game where they would stand atop the small brick wall, jump up and then kick a small rubber toy (imagine 30 small rubber-bands tied together, this is the toy). I believe they were trying for both distance and style points.

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Anisha, Surej and Sushma

Anisha, Surej and Sushma
Beside Manamaiju temple, Manamaiju, Kathmandu, Saturday, October 3rd, 2015

When I walk past Manamaiju temple, I often see Sushma playing on the tiled area that surrounds it. On this day, her brother Surej was with her, as well as her friend Anisha.

As I take the photo, almost directly behind me is a stepped pit area with a spigot in the bottom. I believe it was used in the past for washing laundry, although right now the spigot doesn't seem to be providing any water.

Next to the stepped pit is Manamaiju Secondary School where (every day but Saturday) you can hear the sound of children rolling out over the metal gate. When school lets out at 4pm, the main street of Manamaiju is filled with students in uniform, walking in twos and threes and fours, carrying their backpacks, and talking and joking with each other.

The yellow wall seen on the left is the exterior of Manamaiju temple. The railing that surrounds it has scores of tiny shallow bowls that can be used as lamps during festivals. All they require is a bit of ghee [clarified butter made from the milk of a buffalo] or oil, and a small piece of wick.

Just to the right of the temple, you can see a home that was partialy broken apart in the earthquake and is now being disassembled for it's parts. The last couple of times that I have passed, a lone man standing atop the corrugated metal roof has been throwing down bricks for re-use. 

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The house as it's being disassembled. You can see how the walls are made of brick, with the floors and roof being supported by lengths of bamboo.

Arinshrestha

Arinshrestha
Manamaiju, Kathmandu, Tuesday, October 6th, 2015

Two-year-old Arinshrestha helps her mother Asmi build their new house.

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Bua

Bua
Manamaiju, Kathmandu, Saturday, October 3rd, 2015

The house where I first met the Maharjans was a beautiful three-story home. The front entry, like many in Manamaiju, was two wooden doors set like a cabinet. The doorway itself was small, so I'd learned to duck a bit as I entered. Inside, stairs carved from thick pieces of wood lead to the second floor, and then on to the third.

The family room was on the second floor, and had at least two windows with ornate wooden frames that looked out onto the courtyard below. It was up to these windows I would jokingly call "Oh, fupu!" [Are you there sister-of-father?] when I wanted to see if anyone was home.

I believe* that the building’s walls were brick—a little over a foot thick—with large pieces of bamboo used for the floors; the walls may have been insulated with straw. When you were inside, you felt both warm and in a place of quiet. The exterior walls of the house sealed with layers of clay-mud which sunbaked to a smooth, warm caramel.

This is the house where ama [mother] and bua [father] raised their six beautiful children—four daughters and two sons.

The house was destroyed in the April 25th earthquake, and now the family resides about ten meters away in a new house that is gradually being built from red brick and concrete. Only five months since, I am happy to hear so much laughter and see again their smiling faces. The three grandchildren play with each other, the two elder boys taking care of the youngest, Arpita, who is just three.

The shell of the old house remains, some of the walls still holding fast to contain the mass of rubble inside. [Edit: I looked at the house again today, and I think it is actually a neighboring house. I now think that their old house is totally gone. –Jack, 10.08.2015]

I'm not sure that houses like this will ever be built again here, but in the end it did the best job possible—it kept this wonderful family safe, and I am so grateful it did.

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* the exact structure of the house is a bit of supposition on my part.

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The remains of a house that stood right next to their old house.

Celebrating the end of exams

Celebrating the end of exams
Baundeshwor waterfall, Jhor Mahankal, Kathmandu, Monday, September 5th, 2015

Third-year students from the Shankarapur Academy celebrate the end of their exams.

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Samira

Samira
Phutung, Kathmandu, Monday, October 5th, 2015

On the long walk back from Baundeshwor waterfall, I saw Samira sitting in front of a shop and we joked back and forth. 

“Mah teemro photo kitchu?” I ask her.
[Would you like your photo taken?]

She smiles widely and nods.

After taking the photo, I squat down with my notebook and ask

“Tapai ko naam ke ho?”
[What is your name?]

As I start writing it down, I confirm with her

“Sarmila?” 

“Samira!” she corrects me, and then spells it out for me as I write it down. I laugh.

You tell 'em, Samira!

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Sarmila and Binisha

Sarmila and Binisha
Phutung, Kathmandu, Saturday, September 26th, 2015

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