DYING HOPES, a short story
Kukhri ka, kukhri ka, kukhari ka, kukhari ka…… Suk Bahadur
Damain’s mobile was ringing continuously. Suke was feeding grass to his cattle,
and his hands were stained with cow dung. So that he did not approach to pick
up his phone.
“For god sake, someone picks up the phone. I am feeding
grass to cattle," shouted Suke from the cowshed. His wife, Sunmaya, rushed
to her husband’s coat to get the phone that was hung on the pillar of the main
door. The coat had many pockets. She rummaged through most pockets, but the
mobile was still blaring continuously. Finally, Sunmaya found the mobile in a
small pocket of the coat.
“Hello! Who is there? Who do you want to speak with?” Asked
Sunmaya.
“It is me, Aama. Your son Dammar”.
“Where are you, my dear son? We were desperately waiting for
your call. We were so worried about your wellbeing.”.
“It’s all right, Aama. I have a good piece of news for you.
I have already reached Russia. It was not that easy to reach here, but luckily
I came in contact with a very good agent, and after traveling through five
countries, I finally landed in Russia.”
“God bless you, my son," said Sunmaya emotionally. When
Suke realized that his wife was speaking with her son, he ran to wash his hands
and asked his wife to give him the phone.
“Where are you now? Did you reach Malaysia?”
“Well, no, Baba, not Malaysia; now I am in Russia. At the
last moment, our agent changed his mind, and he managed to send us to Russia.”
“What? Russia! Don’t you know a bloody war is going on in
Russia? Why did you go there?”
“Our agent said that most of the owners in Malaysia don’t
pay their salaries on time. However, we get a good salary, and most
importantly, after one year, I will get full-fledged Russian citizenship. After
that, I can bring all of you to Russia.”
“But it is dangerous to be in Russia. I heard that some
Nepali boys have already been killed fighting against the enemy.”
“Do you think the life we experienced in our homeland was
good either? While fighting as a Maoist soldier, I lost two of my elder
brothers, and you have also lost two of your younger brothers. After making so
many sacrifices, what we got in the end was nothing. We believed in the
doctrine given to us by the Maoist supreme leaders, took the arm, and followed
them. Now they have become prime ministers and ministers. Their family members
are well-settled at home and abroad. But what about us? Like me, so many former
Maoist fighters have been abandoned by these shameless leaders. The situation
is such that we cannot even speak about our frustration and their cheating.
They will not hesitate to put us behind bars for no reason. They showed us
fabulous dreams and handed over guns in our hands to fight against the state.
They said they wanted to dethrone the king, and the problem would be solved.
They also said that once they reached power, they would get land and property
from the rich and distribute them among the poor. Now we see what they are
doing. They are no different from other politicians. They were doing politics
with us, and even now they are doing politics with us, and this is the
reality.”
“I understand, my son, I understand. We are poor villagers.
We don’t know any politics, and we are not educated either. We simply trusted
these Maoist leaders, and that was our mistake. But still, I want you to drop
the idea of joining the Russian army and come back home. We have little land,
and we will work hard.”
“Baba, you know everything. Didn’t we work hard when I was
at home? Sometimes there is no rainfall, and other times there is excessive
rainfall. When everything was all right, pests would destroy the crops. Working
abroad is not a choice for people like us. It is a compulsion.”
“I agree with you, son. But being a father, my heart does
not allow you to risk your life in a country where so many Nepalese boys have
already perished in action.”
“While serving in the People’s Army, I fought with the
fellow soldiers of my own country. I fought hard, and on many occasions, I could
have been shot dead, but I survived. One day, everyone has to die. Moreover, if
I die today in Nepal, what will I get? Nothing. However, at least if I die here
fighting against the Russian enemy, my family will be paid enough to have a
comfortable life in Nepal.”
“Don’t talk this way. Your life is more important to us than
any wealth in the world. What will we do with that money without our son? We
will be more than happy to be together with you in Nepal.”
“Now it is too late, Baba. It is not possible now. Tomorrow,
I and over a dozen Nepalese boys will go for the physical and medical tests.
After that, we will go for some paperwork, and we will get temporary Russian
citizenship. After one year, TR will be converted into a permanent
resident."
“We have heard that Russian officers send Nepalese to the
front to die. That’s why many Nepalese boys have been killed.”
“This is not true, Baba. Russia is the most powerful country
in the world. Can’t you see the whole world is fighting against Russia, and
still all of them are scared of Russia? Russian military strength and its rich
stock of natural resources make Russia a formidable nation, unsurpassable. Do
you think Russians are not dying? More Russians are dying, and only a few
foreign soldiers have died until now. The Russians are brave, and I am proud to
be a part of the Russian army. Now Russia is my country, and I don’t mind dying
for Russia. If I am alive after the war, we will live together in Russia. Even
if I die, no problem, Baba. My death will be much more ceremonious in Russia
than in Nepal. Now I am not afraid of death. I will fight for Russia along with
my fellow Nepalese, and we are happy here with the Russian soldiers, who are
also young boys like us.”
“We heard that the Russian army doesn’t pay salaries, and
they just lure international recruits for citizenship and other benefits. They
will cheat on you.”
“No Baba. This is not true. This is only Western propaganda.
They are spreading all the lies to discourage people from joining the Russian
army. The Russian army is the most professional and well-organized in the
world. We receive three months of rigorous training before we go to the front.
Mostly, we replace the Russian soldiers who are fighting in the front. Later,
new soldiers will come to take our places. I see everything is systematic
here.”
“If everything is okay, then why does our government ask
Nepalese not to join the Russian army? There must be something wrong with the
Russian army.”
“Nepali politicians are the puppets of foreign governments.
The fact is that foreign governments decide to make or break the government in
Nepal. So, the present government will speak the language as it has been
dictated.”
“We don’t understand this politics. You know all such things
better. Being a father, I want to see my children grow well and stay safe. Now,
when you say you are in the Russian army, how can I control our emotions? Once
again, I request that you please come back and don’t join the Russian army.”
“Well, Baba I should disconnect the line now. I have been
called by the training officer. I will call you whenever I have time. Take care
of yourself and give my love to my brother and sister. Give my respect to Aama
as well.”
Dipesh and 17 other young Nepali boys looked very happy. All
of them successfully passed the physical test. Out of 17 Nepalese young boys,
12 stood first in the physical test. They even defeated young Russian boys in
the physical test.
We heard a lot about the Gurkhas of Nepal, and today we are
fully convinced about the strength and stamina of Gurkha boys. All of you have
amazing physical strength and agility. It is simply astonishing indeed, said
Major Dimitri Ivanov, the recruiting officer. All of the senior recruiting
officers agreed with Dimitri Ivanov.
After receiving three months of rigorous army training, all
17 Nepalese soldiers were sent to the frontlines to fight against the Ukrainian
soldiers. Dipesh, Hikmat, and Parsuram were attached to the 17th Russian
infantry division. They were fighting face-to-face with the Ukrainian soldiers
at Bakhmut, Ukraine.
More newly recruited soldiers joined the frontline battle,
and the previous batch was relieved. Even after four months of fighting, Dipesh
was still fighting on the frontlines, and he was alive. However, all seventeen
Nepalese boys who joined the army had already been killed. Though Dipesh knew
he could be killed at any moment, he did not regret his decision. If he
regretted anything, then that was spending his quality time fighting as a
Maoist soldier. He was angry with the Maoist leaders who used them as a ladder
to success in politics. Now all those senior and even junior Maoist leaders
hold lucrative posts and amass wealth that is enough for their generations to
come.
Dipesh came out of the reverie as he felt a sudden pain in
his right chest. He looked at his chest, and there was a tiny hole from which
blood was oozing out. He was hit by a sniper. Dipesh put his palm on his chest
to stop bleeding and lay on the ground. His eyes stretched, he looked beyond
the horizon, and his face stiffened, but there was no sign of regret on his
face. With the last gasp of breath, his dream of getting Russian citizenship
and giving a better life to his family also died out.
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