Here in the Terai cafe, we are literally tipsy! Menu is equipped of strong beers /Spicy stuffs and conversations are scattered, one of my childhood friend “Bijju” came back from gulf country as a migrant labor after 3 years, he threw this party tonight. What’s left is to sing and playfully generate some beats by hitting the surface of wooden table, rhythmically.
It’s colorful and its loud, this is my Terai and it’s our way. Typical smell of incense sticks burning nearby a goddess’s picture, ringing bells of cycles outside and sounds of pedestrians, this terai cafe will now glow in its twinkling decorative festive lights.
” Dhaki wali chaudi” Girl with a bamboo basket in her head is our favorite song since childhood, I call it our friendship anthem. We sang it without any regards of the probable disturbance our jam-up might cause to fellow neighbor drunkards of nearby tables.
Bijju, full name Bijay Mandal was at Qatar for three years, his first baby angel was just couple of months when he flew and now his Gudiya can talk, walk and cry for her demands. Cheers for Gudiya, bottles added Tyang Tyang Tyang.
Saroj Shah, Nick Name Bantha (Short guy) works at Nepalgunj since last year, his portable clothing store was previously a massive success in every weekly market but terai revolution & embargo eventually made it an epic failure.
Suresh Yadav, a village committee secretary of a political party is a full timer politician. He is rising very quickly in mainstream politics and frequently travels Capital city for his active involvement in protests and movements.
We all are class friends, during school days we shared a same desk and now our adult life brings us into a same table for tipsy celebrations. These guys have been coming to my doorsteps in every Dashain Tika and parallel festivals whereas my presence in their respective festivals is very frequent. Saroj is married to our school class mate Usha, they both flew away as they felt in love as Usha’s family found hard to accept their relation. Bijju married earlier and probably that was my best dance performance ever in the front row of Janti crowd. Saroj is getting married sooner this winter, I have promised for a weeklong vacation and volunteer for his marriage arrangements. We all are from different communities, castes, speak different languages and look different but still a bond which underlies inside makes us so close, you know ?
After a successful drunk singing contest in our table, whole the cafe audiences are gathered around us. Come folks, request a song, Song on demand is now on. I am the singer and fellow drunkards requested for some songs, I tried singing some lines and the clappings were exciting. Back in the crowd, an old man with a glass in his hand requests me an old Nepali song, Pokhiyera Ghamka Jhulka a song by Narayan Gopal. I am not a professional singer and absolutely not when I am drunk, I had that song in mobile and played it, he enjoyed a lot with some nostalgia mixed within, ordered a glass more and then left after emptying the glass.

Bijju’s getting back to his foreign work within 2 months; there is a damn powerful melancholy behind his smiles. Saroj wishes to reestablish his clothing store and expand it but is still skeptic for his return upon investment, situation is volatile for him.
I work at capital city and frequently visit village as my family lives there and our ancestral roots lies in the village since a century. I wish for the sustainable peace without any racial or ethnic discrimination.
Suresh has a political ambition; he is a good hearted guy so we all wish him good luck for his upcoming good deeds and visions. With love we call him Neta Jee, the leader.
Terai cafe revolves around positive vibes, friendship and harmony. Marginal utility of beer, disbalanced the economy of gravity for us. Going home was injurious for our social health. Bijju has a “Gwali” cattle house behind his home where we four can go and sleep, Bijju’s wife will make some special bed arrangements for her drunken husband and his friends. That night, we ate some chapattis and mango pickles; we laughed and remembered childhood issues and events. Suresh failed explaining federalism and its benefits to Bijju, Bijju simply finds no relevance for any of the mentioned political changes till it won’t create a suitable and favorable environment for him to stay with his family and earn peacefully without going to desert.