7. Nepal: The mystery of Hari

Hari is a handsome nineteen year old. He is tall, has a ready smile and speaks both Hindi and English much better than the other Nepalis. He is a porter and is doing this job for the first time in his life, but he stands out among the Nepalis.

My first interaction with him was on the bus to Arughat Bazaar. Finding the seat next to me to be empty he jumped in. He talked about his parents being farmers, his brother studying in Kathmandu and the financial pressure of this on the family. He also said that he dropped out of school after SSLC (10th grade) to work and support his parents. He talked to me about wanting to find a job in the US so that he could earn more. Before long, our guide Tika, came along and sent Hari to the back of the bus. Turns out Hari was just not "senior" enough to be sitting next to a "tourist".

In Baseri Hari was in and out of Tika's house, he was often found playing the drums - "maadal" in Nepali - and occasionally dancing with others. At times he would insist that we, the tourists, dance - he would press us more than the other Nepalis. I often wondered if he was doing this to show that his dancing was indeed superior to ours.

A couple of days later Gopal comes up to me to say that Hari's grandfather has passed away and that he might have to leave the group. Sure enough, that evening Hari was missing. Later that night Hari was back! Not only was he back he was drinking "rakshi" - the Nepali vehicle for alcohol - along with the other porters. The next morning I asked Gopal about Hari's grandfather. This clearly opened the floodgates.

Gopal's story: Hari appeared for his SSLC (10th grade) exams but failed (as an aside, his failure was nothing to be ashamed of. Most of porters had not even studied until 10th grade). He then ran away from home to escape work and his parents' nagging. Hari was not interested in any kind of work and that he could not hold a couple of jobs that were arranged by relatives. And, in Gopal's mind, Hari did not respect his grandfather's memory when he came back before the funeral and started drinking with his mates.

As we trekked on, Hari was one of the few porters who would have a bath from time to time. We would see his clothes hanging on the clotheslines next to ours. One of the days the line was just not long enough and he had to take his clothes off the line. I noticed he kept a diary. He was writing in Nepali but from time to time he would note down a new english word he heard. He would ask us what it meant and would write that down too. Of all the porters he was also the only one who complained of a hurting back and light-headedness at altitude.

Hari's case intrigued me tremendously. I was uncomfortable with him. Towards the end of the trek, well after he had been dispatched, I had my answer. Hari alone among the porters was like us and unlike the other Nepalis. He was conscious of how he looked and how he spoke and carried himself. He was keen to show himself in a good light. And most of all, he was interested in the money that portering gave ($5/day) to the point that he would rather be carrying 60lbs bags of rice than be present at his grandfather's funeral.

Haven't we all sacrificed time with family as we pursue our careers? Haven't we all embellished our past to look good in front of others? Haven't we all attempted to imitate another person who talks or dresses better than us? Weren't we tired and light-headed at high altitude?

So Hari, in a very subtle way, was a mirror to my own self.