Mon, 29 Apr, 2024

Kedar Dai: Truly a Deerwalker

By Shreha Regmi

A person who just never gives up on his life, Kedar Khadka was born in the Ghyang village of Dolakha on 28th Asadh, 2035. Currently working as a driver at Deerwalk Services, he also helps in cleaning the area, maintenance and the checking of the other activities. On the whole, Kedar dai is an all-rounder. When asked about his childhood days, his face turned a little bit dim. He had a complete family, a mother, two elder brothers and a father. But at the age of nine, he lost his father and had to face a lot of difficulties at a young age. His family wouldn’t have enough food to survive on, his mother couldn’t afford the education fees and this compelled the three brothers to take a big step in their life. All three of them went in search of jobs to support their family. At the age of 8, he stole Rs.50 from his mother and escaped from his home. He had a friend and they planned to run away to Kathmandu in search of jobs. Kedar dai already knew about the city as he had come the previous year with his mother. He was a very smart boy. These two little kids bought a blanket and sat on the hood of the bus and were on their way. The bus didn’t take them so they walked 5 hours from their village to Charikot and after arriving there, they ate chatpate for Rs 5 each. Then they got into another bus with only Rs. 36 left. When the conductor came to the seats asking for tickets, they didn’t have any so they offered Rs. 26 to him. But the conductor refused and took them to the police station and these two little kids had to spend a few nights in jail until some people from their village came and bailed them out. He then bought specs with the remaining money and went home. Just for the sake of feeding his family, he did every kind of job from a laborer to working at Deerwalk. After coming to Kathmandu, he first washed dishes and helped in a momo store. He earned a total of Rs.300 per month, which was later raised to Rs.350. Since it was not enough, he started working as a laborer and earned Rs.50 a day. He complained to us about the pains he faced while working as a laborer and said that he never wants anyone to face that hardship and wants to forget that moment of his life. He then worked as a tempo driver, but had to stop after vikram tempos got banned. He then worked as a taxi driver. Since there were new rules coming up, he left his taxi and began to work as a driver for the Annapurna Post upon a friend’s advice. He earned a total of Rs.7500 per month and worked for a total of 6 months. Finally, he joined Deerwalk in 2067 with the help of his big brother. According to him, coming to Deerwalk was the best decision of his life. He is very much satisfied with his work and does not have a single complains towards it. He said “There are no people who are satisfied with what they have. People always beg for more. So, the same goes with me. But I am very satisfied with the work I have.” He says that he will work in Deerwalk till the end of his life. He said “My license will get expired at the age of maybe 62 or 63. Till then I will work as a driver. And after that I will still continue to work here even as a helper.” He works till midnight, but he has no complaints regarding his hours. He is happy to do his work and wishes to continue as it is. Asking him about the most memorable and the happiest day of his life, he happily said that the day he got married was the most memorable with all the bajas and music. He and his wife, with their two children, a daughter, who is 13 years old and a son, who is 11 years old, live in Handigaun, Chabahil. His 98 year old grandfather and his mother still live in his village. He dreams of making both of his children an IT or Engineering student. Despite being busy all the time, he gets to spend the weekends with his family. On the other days of the week, he is around the Deerwalk premises and sleeps in the worker's room. Kedar dai has no future plans of opening his own business. He wants his kids to receive the best education and do their best. He proudly shared his daughter coming second in her exams and hopes they do well at every step. He advises us to study well and love the people around us. He loves Deerwalk and DWIT and receives love from them, which makes him very happy. He says “Life is full of ups and downs. But every time you face them, don’t just give up. Stand up, wipe off the dirt and move on. Be strong!!”