भाग २ · नारायण मिश्रको संस्मरण
विराटनगरमा ‘मामपाका’सँगको भेट
जब हामी विराटनगर पुग्यौँ, माहोल नै अर्कै थियो। गाउँबाट पैसा कमाउने सपना बोकेर हिँडेका हामीलाई त्यो सहर ठूलो मात्र होइन, बिरानो पनि लाग्यो। अब कहाँ जाने, कसलाई भेट्ने र काम कसरी खोज्ने भन्ने प्रश्न हाम्राअगाडि थिए।
त्यहाँ गाउँका एक जना चिनिएका, नाम चलेका मान्छे थिए। हामी उनलाई उपनामले ‘मामपाका’ भन्थ्यौँ। बिरानो सहरमा कम्तीमा उनलाई त चिन्छौँ भन्ने भरोसा थियो।
तर मामपाकालाई भेट्दा आफ्नै गाउँको मान्छे भेटेजस्तो सहज लागेन। कुनै राजाको अगाडि पुगेझैँ भयो—बोल्न पनि आँट बटुल्नुपर्ने।
कोठा अँध्यारो थियो। चुरोटका ठुटैठुटा थिए। उनका लामा कपालमा लिखैलिखा देखिन्थे। अनि आवाज! फिल्मको खलनायकले बोलेझैँ गहिरो, सुन्नेबित्तिकै सातो जाने खालको।
हामीलाई देख्नेबित्तिकै उनले त्यही गहिरो स्वरमा सोधे—
“किन आयौ यहाँ? घर जाओ।”
पैसा कमाउने रहरले घर छाडेर हिँडेका हामीलाई फर्किने कुरा सुन्न मन थिएन। हामीले भन्यौँ—
“हामी पैसा कमाउन आएका।”
उनले सम्झाए—
“स्कुल गएर पढ। यस्तो काम नगर।”
त्यो स्वर र ती शब्द अहिले पनि झलझली सम्झन्छु। त्यतिबेला हामीलाई काम चाहिएको थियो; उनले पढ्न भनेका थिए। हामी पैसा कमाएर ठूलो हुने सपना देखिरहेका थियौँ; उनले हामीलाई स्कुल फर्काउन खोजेका थिए।
आज सम्झँदा उनको खलनायकजस्तो आवाजभित्रको त्यो सल्लाह अर्कै सुनिन्छ।
हामीले आफ्नो कुरा राखिरह्यौँ। हाम्रो बिन्ती सुनेर अन्ततः उनले मलाई काम गर्ने ठाउँ मिलाइदिए—हिमालयन सिनेमा हलको उल्टोपट्टि, कलेज रोडमा रहेको ‘बाजेको होटल’ मा।
त्यसरी पैसा कमाउने मेरो यात्राले पहिलो ठेगाना पायो।
घरबाट हिँड्दा लगाएका तीन तहका कपडाभन्दा मनभित्र बोकेको सपना ठूलो थियो। अब त्यो सपना बोकेर म बाजेको होटलमा पुगेको थिएँ। काम पाउनु नै सबै समस्याको समाधान हो भन्ने लागेको थियो।
तर होटलमा मेरो प्रतीक्षा गरिरहेको जीवनबारे मलाई केही थाहा थिएन।
बाजेको होटलभित्रको अर्को दर्दनाक कथा—क्रमशः।
PART 2 · A MEMOIR BY NARAYAN MISHRA
Meeting “Mamapaka” in Biratnagar
When we reached Biratnagar, everything felt different. We had left our village dreaming of earning money. The city seemed vast and unfamiliar. Where would we go? Who would we meet? How would we find work?
A well-known man from our village lived there. We called him by his nickname, “Mamapaka.” In that unfamiliar city, knowing at least one person gave us something to hold on to.
Yet meeting him did not feel like meeting someone familiar. It felt like standing before a king—we had to gather our courage just to speak.
The room was dark, with cigarette ends everywhere. There were nits in his long hair. And his voice! Deep like a villain in a film, it was enough to make us nervous.
The moment he saw us, he asked in that deep voice:
“Why have you come here? Go home.”
We had left home determined to earn money. Going back was the last thing we wanted to hear.
“We came to earn money,” we told him.
He tried to guide us:
“Go to school and study. Don’t do this kind of work.”
I can still hear that voice and those words. At the time, we wanted a job; he wanted us to study. We imagined growing up by earning money; he wanted to send us back to school.
Looking back now, the advice behind that intimidating voice sounds very different.
We kept pleading our case. Finally, he helped me find work at a place called “Bajeko Hotel,” on College Road, opposite Himalayan Cinema.
My journey to earn money now had its first address.
The dream I carried was bigger than the three layers of clothes I had worn when leaving home. With that dream, I arrived at Bajeko Hotel. I thought finding work would solve everything.
But I knew nothing about the life waiting for me inside.
The painful story of Bajeko Hotel continues in the next chapter…
← Read Part 1 / पहिलो भाग पढ्नुहोस् · Part 3 is coming / तेस्रो भाग आउँदैछ।