Thu, 28 Mar, 2024

Deepak Dai: A Companion to the Deerwalkers

By Asmita Subedi

Deepak Gurung, a name familiar to the Deerwalkers, is a hardworking and ever smiling man. He was born to a middle class family at Nuwakot, Urleni where he had had a really tough childhood. He is currently staying at Aarubari, Kathmandu with his wife and a son. He joined Deerwalk 13 months ago as a guard but now he serves as a driver for Deerwalk Services and DWIT. Along with driving, he works every day from 7 am to 11 pm handling either water supply or cleaning the compound or doing other maintenance tasks. Earlier in his childhood, he had to struggle a lot and could manage to study only up to SLC. Being born in a remote village, as an elder son to a lower middle class family, it was difficult for him to handle study and assist in household chores at the same time. He spent his childhood grazing and managing fodder for cattle. He had to shift from his village to Kathmandu and then back to Rasuwa to complete his education. When interviewed, he said that it took him 3 hours to reach his school from his village. Though it was tough, he managed to pass SLC from Rasuwa district. His family could not afford his further study. So, he had to stop his education though he had a great desire to carry on. He says that he still has a desire to study and learn, but now there are several barriers and responsibilities that bind him and he has no time to study. Moreover, he always had a dream of being in the Nepalese Army and serving the nation, but to his dismay he got rejected in medical check-up due to some defects in his eyes. Then, he left his house for the sake of earning money and gathered experiences of several jobs like a water carrier boy, a laborer and a porter as he moved on in his life. Luckily, he got to learn driving while working as a porter and later on, worked as a driver for 2.5 years. Being struck by a family problem, he had to return to his village, Nuwakot.  He came back after 6 months and worked as a security guard in G4S Security Services Nepal (P) Ltd. There he came to meet Dr. Rudra Pandey who was highly impressed with his labor and dedication towards his work, and offered him work at Deerwalk. After the job offer at Deerwalk, he resigned his job at G4S and joined Deerwalk formally on Baisakh 20, 2070. Currently he is satisfied with his life. He has a small family with a lovely wife, with whom he got married 3 and half years ago, and a 1.5 years old son. He expressed his happiness with a bright glow and a smile on his face. He is grateful that he is loved and respected by every member of Deerwalk and DWIT, from employees to students. He says that he is satisfied with all the services and facilities given to him. Hidden part of him is that he loves to play almost every game. He loves playing football, table tennis, volleyball and basketball. He says students at DWIT are friendly and helpful, and he considers them as his own friends. He shares a special bonding with the students playing basketball, football and table tennis. He loves travelling as well. He is glad to get to travel to several places and enjoys those joyous moments of travelling with members of DWIT and Deerwalk Services. Bidish Acharya and Bimal Gaire from Batch 2016 said that he is like a friend to them and they enjoy talking and playing with him. No matter how life challenges, one must never stop struggling and thinking big. Remembering all that he had to face in his childhood days, he has always been eager to earn money and be well-settled so that his son would not have to stop his study as he had to. He hopes to do a good job bringing up his son and he is striving for his son’s better and brighter future. And, he also thinks big; once his dreams come true, he wishes to return to his village and stay and work in his birth place for the rest of his life. Cheers!! And Best Wishes to him!!