A little hero from Tutung

KATHMANDU, Feb 7: There is a shoe shop at Ram Bazaar of Kaski district where a man works to support his nine-member family.



Until seven months ago, shop customers would occasionally see a second person, a boy, assisting the man in his monotonous, low-paying occupation, fetching leather, soles and nails. That’s what the boy would probably have been doing today and for years to come.



The reason he is not to be seen in the shop these days is a courageous deed on June 25 last year that catapulted him to national fame and changed quite a few lives. [break]



Thirteen-year-old Kamal Nepali, the unlikely rescuer of two-and-a-half-year-old Aradhana Pradhan from a 60-foot deep gorge, is now a student at Xavier International School in Kathmandu.



That heroic deed, which made experienced rescuers question their own skills during the 22 hours before Kamal pulled Aradhana up, allowed him to escape a life similar to that of his elder brother Salom. Salom cobbles shoes today like his father Nil Bahadur, 48.



Kamal’s heroism fetched a family that hardly made Rs 6,000 a month a bonanza of Rs 600,000 from generous organizations and that in a matter of weeks. The family´s fortunes changed dramatically. It allowed Nil Bahadur to renovate a decrepit house that he bought in Tutung village three years ago with money that remained after selling his ancestral home at Ram Bazaar to clear his debts.



For Nil Bahadur, who used to frequent Pokhara city and mend shoes at odd locations to make ends meet, setting up two new shops has been nothing less than a miracle.






Kamal´s family converted to Christianity three years ago, seeking divine intervention for escape from crushing poverty. The family sees the hand of god in their new life.



"It was a blessing from Jesus Christ," says Salom. "Who would have thought that my younger brother would one day study in a school in Kathmandu? And how could he have mustered the courage to risk his own life to save the little girl?"



Nil Bahadur is no longer Pokhara´s wandering shoe-repairer. He can afford to work at his own shop. And he doesn´t need to look for customers. They come looking for him.



"With the money people showered on us I cleared my remaining debts, bought new clothes and kitchenware, replaced the creaky door at my home with a new one, and bought new mattresses," said Nil Bahadur.



"Most importantly, my two sons have set up two new shops and I recently got Salom married in style," he added.



WONDER BOY



For his classmates, Kamal is a special kid. Despite being overage for a grade one student, his short frame makes him look younger.



On a wall at the school hostel superintendent´s office hangs a letter of appreciation from the Nepal-New Zealand Friendship Society that conferred a bravery award on Kamal.



"My classmates admire me for being brave and often ask how I did it," Kamal said. That he has narrated the story innumerable times to his spellbound classmates was clear from the breathless spontaneity with which he narrated it to myrepublica.com.



"Elder brother came home and told me there was a girl trapped in a gorge. He asked me if I could help. I said yes. An acquaintance took me to the stop on a bike. A policeman there said he would not allow me to risk my life. Later, he changed his mind. Uncles [rescuers] strapped belts on me and lowered me into the gorge. Sister! sister! I shouted. She moved. Uncles dropped a bag from above with a pack of fruit juice. I made her drink it and tried to place her in the bag. But it was too small. Then uncles dropped a rope. I tied her to it. Uncles pulled her up. I pushed from below. She was rescued."



Fearless Kamal did not worry for a moment what he might run into inside that gorge, apart from Aradhana.



The same fearlessness has helped him adjust in school where students are required to speak English, something he is not good at.



"Learning is okay," said the spirited lad. "Not easy, but not tough either."






School hostel superintendent Maxwell Masy said he receives special tutoring in view of his "different" academic background.



An excellent gymnast, Kamal participates with zeal in martial arts and football games in school.



"He is a leader and takes initiative in making his classmates behave, especially when they are required to stand in queues," Masy said.



When Kamal was in Tutung for 12 days early in January during the winter vacation, curious neighbors and old friends came to enquire how the little hero was doing in Kathmandu.



"I am studying," Kamal told them with pride, "And I live in a hostel."



Kamal´s older brothers could not afford any schooling. This is not hard to understand, considering the size of the family. Kamal has three brothers, two sisters and a stepmother, apart from his own biological mother.



Xavier International School has pledged to take responsibility for educating Kamal till his graduation, said the school´s deputy co-ordinator, Raj Poudel.



The boy suffers from a chronic infection in his right ear, for which he receives free treatment at Miteri Hospital at Baghbazaar, Kathmandu.



Kamal does not have any specific plans for the future. But he does intend to complete his formal education. "I don´t know what I will become in future. But I know one thing for sure. Education will make me a thulo manche," he said.



THE NEPALI FAMILY






Kamal´s brother Salom may be in no position to dream of becoming a thulo manche. But he definitely has his eyes fixed on becoming rich.



The Salom Shoe Shop at Ram Bazaar has so much business these days that Salom has hired two extra hands to assist his father.



"We have spent all the money that Kamal´s brave deed brought the family. But we now have three shops," said Nil Bahadur, who runs Salom Shoe Shop.



Salom’s new shop is also at Ram Bazaar. It is called "Brave Boy Kamal Nepali Shoe Shop".



"Everybody knows about Kamal," Salom said. "I thought his name would attract the customers."



(Tracking Heroes is a regular column that features stories of people whose selfless, often heroic, deeds made a difference and inspired people. Our objective is to track people making headlines for their deeds, and update our readers on what they are doing now.)