Please meet two of our newest elders in Pharping!
First up is Sahrda Aama. As you may (or may not) remember, we already have a woman named Sahrda at the elder care home. She is married to Padmal Singh, the lovely man from India who had a stroke a few years back, and then a heart attack last year. In order to distinguish the two ladies from each other, Pushpa and Shaha have nicknamed the newest resident Sahrda Aama (recall that “aama” means” mother”), and Padmal’s wife is now Sahrda Didi (“didi” for “sister”).
Sahrda Aama was never married, and has no family that she’s kept in touch with. From an early age, she began working towards her retirement, and had a career as a projectionist in a movie theater. Eventually, she saved enough to build her own modest home.
Shortly after retiring, the earthquake of 2015 destroyed her home. There’s no homeowner’s insurance in Nepal (nor is there in any Third World country), and there was no way for her to rebuild.
Sahrda is up early, along with Bosu, whom you’ll meet next, and Saani. They all work around the property, keeping it tidy and clean. Sahrda isn’t especially social, but does sit outside from time to time with a few of the other elders. She’s quiet, and really doesn’t like smiling for the camera, so it took me a few shots to convince her to smile. Success!
This is Bosu, and I have to tell you it’s hard to get her to smile for a photo! She’s very self-conscious about her missing tooth.
Bosu is widowed with no children. She and her husband lived on the family property, along with his four brothers and their families.
After his death, she continued to live on the property, as is her right. Her late husband’s brothers, however, decided they didn’t want to wait for her to die to have the property for themselves, and didn’t want to have to buy her out. Instead, they forced her off the property. No, it’s not legal, but most folks just don’t want to go through the lengthy legal process to reclaim what’s theirs. If you’ve read the book, you’ll recall what I watched Mahti and her daughter endure during my first month in Kathmandu.
Bosu speaks a bit of English and was trying to re-teach me all the Nepali I’ve forgotten, to no avail. I don’t remember a single thing.
She has become best friends with Saani. They sit outside most of the day and laugh all the time. It’s wonderful to be around them, even though I can barely understand what they’re saying.
Just because I love this next photo, I’m going to share it with you. This is Saani and Bosu, just hanging out in the sunshine and laughing together. Doesn’t it make you smile all over? 🙂 (Warning to donors and partners: You may see this on this year’s holiday card!)
That’s it for me for this week! Next week, I’ll have a quick update on Padmal Singh — he’s doing really well, and seems much more engaged than when I first met him last year!
I hope you are all safe, well, and happy. Take time to hug a loved one today!
Cheers, all —
Alicia
