A Black Day of My Life

By HP Timsina

Kathmandu, 17 February 2019

Life is full of ups and downs; the day, night, summer, winter, clean and cloudy sky with wandering black clouds, the swollen stream, now I have realized and intimated them. However, when I was in my teens, I would always think that the days would come and go as expected, as no stuff and hindrance had to be experienced. Due to the educated family, how life would be led was obvious, as there was a complete scaffold of my family. The days passed at my own discretion. Who could be at bay from this materialistic world? I thought, and I started dreaming western world. With my paved cornerstone, I intended to go to a foreign country. I charioted with all prerequisites and reached New Delhi from Kathmandu. But how could time ever be the same and favour fate? The stormy day, in my mid-thirties, brought an explosive volcano and turned my chariot, like a Titanic, into an iceberg. What and how did I have to cope with it?

Five years ago, in December 2017, I went to New Delhi, India, to apply for a visa application for Canada. Though I had visited India many times, I had never stayed in New Delhi. It was my second visit to New Delhi. When I landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport, I departed for the residential area in Pahar Gunj and was accommodated in a hotel. There I came across a cluster of Nepalese fellows who were all there to apply for different countries, taken by agents. I spent the night with them. The following day, the plan was to visit the Canadian embassy. Since I was an early bird, I woke up early and got freshened up. After a while, one of the friends knocked on the door of my room. I unlatched it, and he requested me to go out for tea. I agreed, and we went to a nearby teashop. While we were taking sips of tea and talking about further plans, we noticed that two strangers sitting by us were silently paying their heads towards us. With no moment, they inquired as if they were kind and helpful men.  We talked and shared everything about why we were there. After knowing our objectives, they revealed who they had been. They convinced us that they were good agents and had a good connection with the Canadian High Commission. They worked with a sure shot visa and pushed the flight through the airport setting.  At first, we did not believe what we had heard that many youths were being duped. To convince us, they showed us some recent visas of Canada, including Nepalese candidates, and secondly, we had to pay no penny before the visa. Therefore, we, with no risk, were convinced. We then decided to apply through their channel, handed over our passports, and the required documents after a while. They departed with the words that they would make a call as soon as they could get a visa for us.

As I had heard “Man proposes, God discloses” with the same faith, I started wandering like a cloud with many rhetorical questions posed in my mind, yet I kept on waiting for their call patiently. I went to visit Central Park. As I was communicating with nature, I got a ring on my cell. The call broke the fortitude of time as I got a message,’ You’ve got a visa, we are coming to see you. I could not help being overwhelmed and shared the message with my friend and my family in Nepal. Time flew away..When the agents arrived and showed the visa in the passport, my happiness transcended. The cloud caused a heavy rain of congratulations. Then they advised us to manage money and buy tickets as soon as possible. ‘Fortunate!’ I felt myself, and pushed myself ahead. I collected some money, and we both bought tickets for two days later on Turkish Airlines. We packed our luggage and waited for the time to arrive.

Almighty time, my beliefs continue in motion. The day filled with bliss arrived. When it was 11 am, the agents phoned and asked to be ready with a minimum of $1000 in cash in their pockets and arrive at the gate of Central Park at 10:00 pm. As scheduled and informed, we caught a taxi at 9:30 from PaharGanj and reached the given spot on time. They had a car standing by at the location. We were welcomed in, and the car moved ahead. They then informed us that we would first go to their boss’s house, and after arranging everything, we would depart towards the airport. With no suspicion, we followed them. After around half an hour, we reached an unknown stop. I was bewildered. They asked to change the vehicle, which was standing there with an amber light. We got in a luxurious vehicle and proceeded dubiously.   

 Time and situation stirred the dream of the ocean. After 15 minutes, one of the men asked for our family’s contact number, arranged money, the payer, and the pocket money we had. We were being driven on an unknown road with less light. We had a doubt, felt uncomfortable by their unnecessary questions; our hearts started pounding, our bodies shaking and sweating. I whispered to my friend ‘ I have a doubt, we are being kidnapped,’ He admitted that he also had a suspicion. Oh, my God! What to do now? How to overcome the situation? If we raise any sceptical questions, they could be cruel and might show guns and accelerate the vehicle, I was puzzled. Do or die, Gorkhali BHAI. We decided to get out of the car shortly, and to dodge them, I asked them to stop the vehicle for a while to piss. What the physical world could do before time. Fortunately, the vehicle stopped on the side with no parking lights. Immediately, I made a call to the police and informed them of what was going on and gave him the agent’s contact number. The waiting vehicle called us with a blunt horn to get in soon. However, we refused and asked to drop our luggage. Meanwhile, the man got a call. Not a single round the second hand of the watch had made, the stranger in the car ordered his driver to drop the baggage. The car accelerated swiftly.  And we caught a taxi and got back to a hotel for shelter. I threw my language towards the corner of the room and lay down in the bed. I could hardly think. I did not believe my eyes, my mind and heart as if I was unconscious. I was doomed. I could not remember what time I fell asleep, unnoticed.

 The following day, the clock on the wall struck seven. I slowly opened my eyes and lightly rubbed them, keeping on watching towards the ceiling. Thank god, we were saved, I felt myself. We were cheated with a duplicate visa and kidnapped for ransom.  I lost my dream of going abroad from the very day, in tribute to the great poet late Laxmi Prasad Devkota by recalling his immortal creation that “हातका मैला सुनका थैला के गर्नु धनले, साग र सिस्नु खाएको बेस आनन्दी मनले” The day is A BLACK DAY in my life, as the day went beyond plan and expectation. The horrible moment still sometimes flashes back and hurts me rancorously.