Dubai and Yam [केटो जो विदेशियो]

Yam (right) and Dinesh

‘दुबई जाने चक्करमा छु हो सर,’ केही क्षण अघिसम्म उल्लासमय लवजमा गफिएको यामले अलि निराश स्वरमा अचानक त्यसो भन्दा मलाई कताकता चसक्क गरेजस्तो भएको थियो।

‘यो देशमा टिक्न नसकिने भइयो,’ प्रश्न सोध्नै नपाई उसले भनेको थियो।

केही बाध्यताले, बाँकी आफ्नै लापार्वाहीले २६ बर्षे याम रिनमा चुर्लुम्म डुबेको थियो जसबाट उत्रिन उसलाई विदेशिनुको विकल्प थिएन।

जिउदै छु प्रिय यतै भौतारिदै छु
के गर्न सक्थे अझ पछारिदै छु
एक्लिनुको पिडामा हारको पनि पिडा थपी
जसोतसो गल्लिमा लतारिदै छु

त्यो गजल यामकै हो। इन्टरनेटमा केटीहरुसँग च्याट नगरेको र म्यानपावर नधाएको बेला ऊ कापी पल्टाएर गजल कोर्न थाल्छ जो मुख्यत, भन्नै पर्दैन, निराशाले भरिएका संघर्ष र पीडाका गाथा हुन्छन्।

इन्टरनेट जालसाजीमा परेपछि विदेशिने चक्करमा लागेको याम फेरी फस्यो। थाइल्यान्डमा पानी जहाजमा काम लगाईदिने भनि उसलाई लगिएको थियो, मलेसियामा अलपत्र छाडियो। जसोतसो नेपाल फर्केपछि आफूलाई ठग्ने दलालको कठालो समाउन ऊ भारतीय शहरहरु पुग्यो तर नसकेपछि लत्रेर काठमान्डू आयो। ऊ थप रिनमा डुब्यो।

‘मेरा गजलजस्तो निराशावादी म छैन,’ एकछिन पनि उसले भन्यो– ‘आशावादी हुनुपर्छ, रिन मुक्त होइन्छ। सक्छु भन्ने लाग्छ। हारेर त के गर्ने? जित्नकै लागि जन्मेको हुँ जस्तो लाग्छ। समयलाई च्यालेन्ज गर्न चाहन्छु म। म यो रिनबाट उत्रिन्छु। तर फेरी अचम्म लाग्छ गजलमा किन त्यस्ता शब्द ओकलिन्छन्? वा भित्रि मनमा म त्यस्तो रहेछु कि? थाकिसकेको? आफैलाई ढाट्न त नसक्नु पर्ने।’

बाँकी यहाँ । From the article विदेशिन आटेको केटो.

The coincidence is as I am working on this entry Discovery Channel is airing a program on Burj Khalifa that details how it was constructed and how the filthy rich residents of the building decorated their interiors (often by screaming at Asian migrant workers who did the real job).

28 July 2012: I was in Dubai this week. Here’s my FB status (slightly amended): Walking on Dubai streets reminds me of similar moments in the Indian capital Delhi (Heat and dust of Delhi). It’s almost impossible to walk for long in 42 degrees Celsius temperature.

For me the most noticeable thing about the city was its unbearably hot temperature. It could be felt! Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in world, came second. The glittering malls third. The efficient Metro system fourth. Loads of Nepali speaking passegers in almost all metro train rides fifth.

In 2008 I had written a story about a man who was trying to go to Dubai to earn a living. He had suffered many setbacks (some of them because of his own foolishness) and struggled a lot to live a decent life in Nepal. He was in debt. He had no hope of paying that back. He wrote poems and gazals. His poems reflected the suffering he went through. But they were also optimistic. I hadn’t mentioned the full name of the boy in the story. His photo wasn’t published. Sketch wasn’t particularly revealing. Some readers thought the piece was a work of fiction created out of my imagination. Skeptics said a man couldn’t have gone through so much setbacks in relatively younger age (26) and yet remain so much optimistic.

Two weeks after the story came out Yam flew to Dubai. After working there for a couple of years he went to Abu Dhabi. We continued to keep in touch though not that often.

When he knew that I was coming to Dubai he wanted to come to see me. One evening he drove from Abu Dhabi and came to Dubai. We met in a Nepali restaurant along with other Nepali friends. We ate momos and took a long walk. Yam was happy with life in UAE. He smiled a lot. He looked satisfied.

[This entry was rewritten in May-June 2013.]