Devendra Dai: One Who Secures the Deerwalkers
The first person we see when we enter our college is our guard dai, Devendra Limbu. Whenever I see him wishing good morning with that happy face I feel as if my entire day is going to be jovial. Devendra Dai is never seen with a tired face! I wonder how a person can stay at the side of a gate the entire day and still greet the visitors with a smile. People find happiness in places, going here and there, but there are some people like him who spread joy just by staying in one place. Devendra Dai is from Dharan and currently he is staying at Satdobato, Lalitpur. He came to Kathmandu 3 years ago in search of employment. When asked what he used to do before coming to Kathmandu, he said that he never realized he had to work until he moved to Kathmandu. He said that after coming to Kathmandu, he worked as a guard in Om hospital. And through G4S Company, he was brought to Deerwalk. He has been working here for 4 months. Speaking about his childhood, he mentioned that his childhood was fun. He used to have many friends with whom he used to play football. Recalling one of his childhood memories, he shared that once he, along with his friends,went to a riverside to bathe and it was raining heavily. The river was then about to sweep them away. Fortunately, they were saved. He said, “That incident was a narrow escape and it will always remain as the nerve-racking moment of my life.” According to him, he shared a healthy relationship with his family with no major issues. He elaborated, “I am very lucky to have such a wonderful family where everyone loves and is ready to do anything for each other.” He has five brothers and four sisters. His parents are in Hong Kong and his elder brother is in Moscow. He said that he doesn’t want to go abroad because his health condition prevents him from facing any challenges in the foreign land. Our Dai has studied upto grade 11. He said that he really wanted to continue his studies, however, his fate wanted something different in his life. Many people believe that if we want to do something nothing can stop us. But, it is not necessarily true in every case. Everything was fine in case of our Dai. He never faced any financial difficulties. His parents were capable enough to give him education. Furthermore, he also wanted to study. However, due to Maoist Revolution, the civil war in Nepal, he couldn’t. He said, “We slept those nights with the fear that we wont wake up the next morning. We feared to go outside of our home.” He sadly expressed that a normal citizen had to lose many things during those times, including the dream of education. Though he couldn’t achieve his first dream, he never lost hope. He said, “Difficulties, failures, broken dreams are considered negative , but they are the factors that keep us alive. They give us a new hope to do better and believe in ourselves rather than on anybody else.” Now he has a dream to see his 6 years old son as a reputed engineer. He said, “I will not let my son be guided by fate like I was. I will make him strong enough to fight back and meet his goals even if the world denies to be in his favor.” When asked about his days in Deerwalk, he smiled and replied, “It is the best place I would ever get. I am happy that I got Deerwalk as my work place. But, I do not feel good to be asking students to show their identity cards every time. I am afraid they might consider me irritating.” He added that the friendly environment, caring and happy faces of Deerwalkers make him not only do his job, but enjoy and love what he does. He works from 6 am to 6 pm. When asked what makes him sad, he said, “The fact that the place from where I started my journey is still the same and has not seen any improvements.” He then added, “I left my studies due to fear, but you guys should never take your education for granted. Whatever you are doing, keep on striving to reach your goal, your dreams. One day, you all will certainly kiss the sky of success.” Dai, we salute your smile which gives us strength to be active the entire day! Your life will be a source of inspiration for everyone. We all like to thank you for being here at Deerwalk.