It was early morning of 11.11.11. The very first morning in Biratnagar. Priti and I were picked up at 7:30 from the Swagatam hotel to go on filming trip for UNDP. It was nice warm November morning, unlike a Kathmandu one. Latif and Guna tagged along with us from UNDP office out there. Latif is head of UNIRP and Guna, ex-water system engineer, now works under Latif on various projects.
Wonderful road, empty road, no traffic jams like in Kathmandu, and speed of 80 kilometer per hour. Most prominent trespassers were bicycles, rickshaw-wallas, and tractors. It was rare and for-a-change kind of view for us.
UNDP hired us for “One Day on Earth Project , 11.11.11.”. This year’s theme was to film ex-combatants who are being supported by United Nations Interagency Rehabilitation Programme (UNIRP) to reestablish their life as civilians after being forced to leave Maoist Military camp. It is one of the missions headed under UNDP and under it, ex-combatants receive training like tailoring, cooking, or certain amount to open a retail shop, depending upon the interest and capability of the individual. 4008 combatants expelled from camp in 2010, fall under VMLR (Verified Minors and Late Recruits).
The day earlier, we went to UNIRP office to meet Latif and his team for next day’s project. This was my first encounter with everyone and even the notion of the project that I was going to film on 11.11.11. Everyone started to explain what they do. Related and unrelated, both. They kept using unfamiliar words/works they do for UNIRP. So, more than half of the things were flying over my head, due to delayed flight and hunger as well. At the end, or also I would rather say, at the 11th hour, I received handful of reading material. We had to check in hotel, read all those papers and prepare question and rush to field very early morning! Wallah!! What a fab job!! Thank you UNDP for not giving me all these materials in prior for study, although I kept asking about it for weeks. They also warned that the ex-combatants we meet might go aggressive if asked sensitive questions. That is what we had to keep in mind while compiling questions.
Our first destination was Ramganj, Sunsari. A remote village of Musars. They are rat-eaters, or musa-eaters as we say in Nepali, hence termed Musars. A simple villagers, who work at somebody else’ land all day, to meet their two meals a day need. Interviewed a boy who owned a retail shop. He received financial help of 40,000 from UNIRP. He said he was doing well and his father seems to be happier with the support he received. Priti gelled very well with Tharu women and kids. She spoke to them in Hindi while they kept replying in Maithili. It was pretty hilarious situation. If Latif had to explain the situation he would say, “It was pretty hilarious Priti.” He immediately got fond of our names, Nikki-Priti. He used word “pretty” to describe every situation just to tease Priti.
After an hour of filming, we went to the Training center near Itahari. That too went good. We stopped by Gorkhali Departments for lunch. It was only famous store in Itahari. Not just for Itaharians, but also for its neighbor districts like Dharan, Biratnagar, and Inaruwa. Clean and healthy ambiance, grocery store, ice cream parlor, nice food court, etc. There Latif asked our drive to take photos of him, Priti and me together. He asked us to stand on either side. C’mon!! How would 4 feet 9 inches tall girls look on either side of 6 feet Afgan man? Not to forget bulky too. Photo looked pretty hilarious and odd.
Third destination was another remote place called Dangighat. It is on the way to Jhapa pass Khursane from Itahari. We interviewed a very polite mother of two kids. I think she was as young as 22. Her husband is still in camp as combatant in Bharatpur. She received 7 weeks tailoring training from UNIRP. And now she has one-man tailor shop of her own at her bamboo house.
In route to different destination, we would talk about several issues that these ex-combatants had faced after they were expelled. They were promised a fairy tale life by whoever, which of course never came true. But yet their hopes for it are still alive.
Latif never missed a chance to flaunt his new Ipad. Sometimes to check mail, to take our photos and once in a while to interview us and himself. We recorded a nice video on it. Hopefully he will send us the photos and videos when he returns from Nepalgunj next week.
Finally, we went to Inaruwa, to catch a last interview with a young cook, one of the VM (Verified Minors). He was quite interesting and confident. He was recruited by best hotels in Biratnagar and Morang immediately on completion of training. Even his recent owner confirmed, his business rose after this boy took command in his kitchen. He had tons of stories to share and my camera battery was dying. Bummer.
I had checked out of hotel morning so that I could stay with Nikki Chaudhary’s family after that shoot. We all came back to our respective places. Refreshed. Relaxed. Had dinner. Then I downloaded all the films on my computer. I reviewed them in tit-a-bit and started panicking. Priti freaked out. We had some major problems in filming. Darn, I am so dead. I immediately called Latif in middle of his dinner. I told him I had this stupid problem and I need to re-shoot all of them. Tomorrow, I need to do it Tomorrow. He asked to come see him next morning. I was too impatient and worried. I rang him again and asked if I could go see him right then. In 10 minutes, I was there. He could immediately figure out I was worried. And worried beyond extent. I showed him footages on my camera. I thought I would outburst. But he was quite, calm and experienced guy. He has gone through all kind of problems, he said. He told me stories on the worst thing has happened to him and he managed to come out of them with cool head. And he would take care of everything and easily get permission if I had to reshoot. Also, I could cry or scream then and there, to tone down my panic. I went back home with all his kind words and console.
Priti was tired and asleep. I couldn’t sleep, so, I turned on computer watched all the footages. And as I kept watching my mood started lifting up. Because I saw less and less flaw. At the end of the footage, I knew only the first part, the Ramganj one, had problem. I texted Latif late night explaining the situation, and went to bed happily. I carefully ran my fingers into Priti’s hair and said, everything is all right, we have done our best. Of course she didn’t hear that because she was under sound sleep. Inside my mind, I planned few things on how to start movies and what the flow should be.
Saturday, we went on tour to Dharan with Nitesh and aunty. It was a pleasure to see the places, where we had never been to.
And I am back home today, after quick re-shoot at Ramganj.
Wonderful road, empty road, no traffic jams like in Kathmandu, and speed of 80 kilometer per hour. Most prominent trespassers were bicycles, rickshaw-wallas, and tractors. It was rare and for-a-change kind of view for us.
UNDP hired us for “One Day on Earth Project , 11.11.11.”. This year’s theme was to film ex-combatants who are being supported by United Nations Interagency Rehabilitation Programme (UNIRP) to reestablish their life as civilians after being forced to leave Maoist Military camp. It is one of the missions headed under UNDP and under it, ex-combatants receive training like tailoring, cooking, or certain amount to open a retail shop, depending upon the interest and capability of the individual. 4008 combatants expelled from camp in 2010, fall under VMLR (Verified Minors and Late Recruits).
The day earlier, we went to UNIRP office to meet Latif and his team for next day’s project. This was my first encounter with everyone and even the notion of the project that I was going to film on 11.11.11. Everyone started to explain what they do. Related and unrelated, both. They kept using unfamiliar words/works they do for UNIRP. So, more than half of the things were flying over my head, due to delayed flight and hunger as well. At the end, or also I would rather say, at the 11th hour, I received handful of reading material. We had to check in hotel, read all those papers and prepare question and rush to field very early morning! Wallah!! What a fab job!! Thank you UNDP for not giving me all these materials in prior for study, although I kept asking about it for weeks. They also warned that the ex-combatants we meet might go aggressive if asked sensitive questions. That is what we had to keep in mind while compiling questions.
Our first destination was Ramganj, Sunsari. A remote village of Musars. They are rat-eaters, or musa-eaters as we say in Nepali, hence termed Musars. A simple villagers, who work at somebody else’ land all day, to meet their two meals a day need. Interviewed a boy who owned a retail shop. He received financial help of 40,000 from UNIRP. He said he was doing well and his father seems to be happier with the support he received. Priti gelled very well with Tharu women and kids. She spoke to them in Hindi while they kept replying in Maithili. It was pretty hilarious situation. If Latif had to explain the situation he would say, “It was pretty hilarious Priti.” He immediately got fond of our names, Nikki-Priti. He used word “pretty” to describe every situation just to tease Priti.
After an hour of filming, we went to the Training center near Itahari. That too went good. We stopped by Gorkhali Departments for lunch. It was only famous store in Itahari. Not just for Itaharians, but also for its neighbor districts like Dharan, Biratnagar, and Inaruwa. Clean and healthy ambiance, grocery store, ice cream parlor, nice food court, etc. There Latif asked our drive to take photos of him, Priti and me together. He asked us to stand on either side. C’mon!! How would 4 feet 9 inches tall girls look on either side of 6 feet Afgan man? Not to forget bulky too. Photo looked pretty hilarious and odd.
Third destination was another remote place called Dangighat. It is on the way to Jhapa pass Khursane from Itahari. We interviewed a very polite mother of two kids. I think she was as young as 22. Her husband is still in camp as combatant in Bharatpur. She received 7 weeks tailoring training from UNIRP. And now she has one-man tailor shop of her own at her bamboo house.
In route to different destination, we would talk about several issues that these ex-combatants had faced after they were expelled. They were promised a fairy tale life by whoever, which of course never came true. But yet their hopes for it are still alive.
Latif never missed a chance to flaunt his new Ipad. Sometimes to check mail, to take our photos and once in a while to interview us and himself. We recorded a nice video on it. Hopefully he will send us the photos and videos when he returns from Nepalgunj next week.
Finally, we went to Inaruwa, to catch a last interview with a young cook, one of the VM (Verified Minors). He was quite interesting and confident. He was recruited by best hotels in Biratnagar and Morang immediately on completion of training. Even his recent owner confirmed, his business rose after this boy took command in his kitchen. He had tons of stories to share and my camera battery was dying. Bummer.
I had checked out of hotel morning so that I could stay with Nikki Chaudhary’s family after that shoot. We all came back to our respective places. Refreshed. Relaxed. Had dinner. Then I downloaded all the films on my computer. I reviewed them in tit-a-bit and started panicking. Priti freaked out. We had some major problems in filming. Darn, I am so dead. I immediately called Latif in middle of his dinner. I told him I had this stupid problem and I need to re-shoot all of them. Tomorrow, I need to do it Tomorrow. He asked to come see him next morning. I was too impatient and worried. I rang him again and asked if I could go see him right then. In 10 minutes, I was there. He could immediately figure out I was worried. And worried beyond extent. I showed him footages on my camera. I thought I would outburst. But he was quite, calm and experienced guy. He has gone through all kind of problems, he said. He told me stories on the worst thing has happened to him and he managed to come out of them with cool head. And he would take care of everything and easily get permission if I had to reshoot. Also, I could cry or scream then and there, to tone down my panic. I went back home with all his kind words and console.
Priti was tired and asleep. I couldn’t sleep, so, I turned on computer watched all the footages. And as I kept watching my mood started lifting up. Because I saw less and less flaw. At the end of the footage, I knew only the first part, the Ramganj one, had problem. I texted Latif late night explaining the situation, and went to bed happily. I carefully ran my fingers into Priti’s hair and said, everything is all right, we have done our best. Of course she didn’t hear that because she was under sound sleep. Inside my mind, I planned few things on how to start movies and what the flow should be.
Saturday, we went on tour to Dharan with Nitesh and aunty. It was a pleasure to see the places, where we had never been to.
And I am back home today, after quick re-shoot at Ramganj.
