BORDERS

I was scared. We were scared. All were scared.  It was a scary and a panic  moment.  Me and my family  were visiting  Nepal via border crossing.  We were crossing  it legally  by taking all the necessary  permissions. Obviously, one's  patriotic felling arouses  when  you stand in a place  where  on one side  there is your family ,  your childhood, your past and on the other side  it's uniqueness, it's future,  it's unknown. Standing  there I was scared, happy, sad  and honoured. Two different  cultures  meet their.  It was insane. My father was not allowed  to cross the border as he was a civil servant. I , my sister, my brother and my mum were visiting there.  We all were panic and scared, internally. But  I  was extremely  scared for various reasons(I am an introvert ). Firstly, it was for the first  time  we are going out of our country, especially via a border crossing , to a unknown  country. Secondly,  No father ,  no security, no Nepalese currency.  But as we are visiting  only 1 kilometre Nepal border Bazaar  stretch,  Indian  currency  are well accepted  there.  Thirdly ,  we are unknown  to them and they are unknown  to us. And lastly,  I have read about high rates  of children's human trafficking in Nepal. That's  why  I  was  so scared.  My heart was pounding  when we all were  exchanging  lands.

There was a huge Nepalese  flag along with a sign board , in scripted, "Welcome To Nepal'' . I was happy. We all took a 'rickshaw' and asked the person to take us on a round along the Nepal border Bazaar. He was a humble, helpful and a mature person. I was pleased.  He too was pleased. The whole stretch  of the Bazaar  was full of clothes and spiritual stuff. No restaurants,  No  Groceries shop, No furniture shop. I founded  a bookstore and was quite  shocked to  see that , atleast in the lane full of clothes and stuff  , there stand a bookstore with clean and happy books placed in shelfs and even the books were waiting  for the customers like  me.  I bought 4 Fiction novels and a  pocket dictionary.  We even exchange  some currency  with the 'rickshaw ' person. Next we visited  a sovernier  shop were we bought some famous and ancient  Nepalese  things. There I found a person , full in black traditional  clothes, old , dull, scary eyes and was constantly  looking  at me. I was completely  terrified. Mum payed for our things and  we make an exit from the shop.

As it was the time for sunset , we preferred  to go back on our land. While in the meantime as we all are going back in the rickshaw,  I  was thinking  about the recent  earthquake  that has hit the Nepal just one year ago.  The after effects  were still visible.  Buildings being  constructed,  roads  being lade , air being dusty.Poverty is still the main cause  of  economic  deprivation  in Nepal. People  here are innocent. They are helpful, kind, resourceful and optimistic.  At  the border I can smell the air to as an innocent  boy. As I crossed  the border, I  pray heartly and humbly for Nepal . In those three to four hours , expect that 'rickshaw ' person,  I haven't  talked  to any Nepal person. But still  I  can see that  they are true to themselves, to their  country, to their gods. They don't need money  for  survival. They need themselves  as a whole for survival.