York: the Town, Railway Station, Rivers and a Plate of Momo

A cyclist passed by as Dinesh Wagle posed for camera at the Millennium Bridge over River Ouse in York. Pic by Bishnu Pariyar

It was a friend of mine who asked me if I wanted to go to York and, through that question, encouraged me to go to the place where he had spent 10 years of his youthful life procrastinating and photographing the walled city and, in his last years there, taking time out to earn a PhD from the University of York in Environment and Politics. He connected me (Thank you, MP!) with a young and energetic man who, like my friend, had recently finished his PhD from the same university and was living in York along with his family.

This man, Bishnu Pariyar who SLCed and +2ed from the Budhanilakantha School, hosted me in his apartment and took me around the town while I was in York. A huge Thank You to you Bishnu. The best part of my stay in York was the excellent daal bhat that his wife cooked for us. Also memorable were the conversations Bishnu and I made while exploring the town. This included a joke from Bishnu about ‘vacancy’ notice that he noticed years back on a building and went on to respond to that! All in all, I found an interesting character and a determined fellow in Bishnu. My interaction with Bishnu and his friend Amit in Edinburgh helped me understand how and to what extent the schooling in Budhanilakantha impacts and influences its students- their thinking process, their decisions and their behaviors. Also, thanks to Shivaji for letting us take an impromptu shower in your bathroom!