Life in backyard of death - Worry over son's future and father's last rites at relief camp

Children eat food at the relief camp opened at Tingling Primary School near Mirik
on Thursday. Picture by Suman Tamang

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Tingling, July 2: Tingling Primary School is situated on a picturesque hilltop with a lush tea garden surrounding the two-storied building.

Inside the school, there is only the uncertainty of the future.

All the residents of Limbu Gaon, which was worst-affected by the Wednesday morning landslide, have taken shelter at this temporary relief camp. While the school in Singubli tea garden operates from the ground floor, there is a hall on the top floor.

Archala Thapa, who was sitting on the floor covered with only tarpaulin sheets, was worried about her five-year-old son Suhant's education.

"He used to study at Marigold School. The school was run by Subash Allay and his daughters Soney Allay (Thapa) and Sushma Allay (Thapa). All of them have died (in the landslide). I don't know where to send my son," said Archala.

Marigold is an English-medium school with classes up to IV and according to Archala, around 50 children study there.

The killer landslide not only swept away the Allay family, including his wife Bhagimaya, but also the dream of Archala, who works in the garden.

As is the practice elsewhere in the hills, most people even in villages dream of sending their kids to English- medium schools.

In another room, Maya Sharma wants to perform the last rites of her family members but in the cramped school, there is no space.

Eleven people in Maya's family - father Ram Lal Sharma, brothers Krishna Prasad Sharma and Mahesh Sharma (Subedi), and the siblings' wives and children - have died or are missing in the landslide at Limbu Gaon.

Maya and four of her sisters, Kumari, Laxmi, Manisha and Sanjana, are married.

"Eleven people from my family are not with us. While my father and four other members have not yet been found, the bodies of six persons were recovered. We have to start the last rites, but we are at a loss how to go about performing them in this place," said Maya.

According to Nepali Hindu tradition, the son has to be confined to a place for 13 days and he cannot touch any of the family members. The son also has to cook his own food for 13 days.

"Since both my brothers have died, we sisters want to conduct the last rites," said Maya.

In another room, Mamata Thapa, 34, is spending the night with her 21-month-old daughter Priyana.

"We just have a tarpaulin sheet over the cement floor. We all need mattresses as it's difficult to spend the night," she said.

Apart from Tingling Primary School, relief camps have been set up at the garden's hospital, crèche, tea garden office, assistant manager's bungalow and also at Soureni Community Hall.

Altogether, around 600 people are in the relief camps.