"See, she has gained weight but dances quite as well as she used to. Look at her pants too, that´s the fashion in town," said a woman around 50 called Rama ´didi´.
Rama didi later told myrepublica.com that she came from Dhunwakot in Gorkha district three days ago and had a lot of fun with relatives here who hosted her and in participating in the two-day Maoist picketing of Singha Durbar, the government´s central secretariat.
Rama didi explained how the Maoist protests gave them a chance to come to the capital on a bus hired by the party for a celebrations-like spell and reunion with kin living here. "I´ve been free following the paddy harvest and many more would have been here given the post-harvest lull," she added.
As thousands flocked to the capital from over 20 districts outside the Valley for the Singha Durbar picket, it became an occasion for them to renew kinships and friendships.
People visiting the capital for the ´Singha Durbar gherau´ were accommodated mostly in school buildings and guest houses while a good many made it to the homes of family members, relatives and friends. UCPN (Maoist)-affiliated district-contact committees based in the capital, local units of the party and sister organizations coordinated transport and other arrangements.
The protests held around the prohibited zone surrounding Singha Durbar were a mosaic of different groups building their own spheres and ´those living in the capital´ joined up by way of reunion. Meanwhile, they also created chances to discuss things in their separate lives.
Most interestingly, the red scarves were in abundance in most popular junctions of the city. After the protest, many slipped into nearby market places and shopped with friends. Unremitting flows of red heads were to be seen along Tripureshwar, Bhadrakali, Putalisadak and Bagbazaar.
A young couple from Makawanpur, Nabin and Nirmala Lama, were planning to go to the cinema and asked this scribe to suggest a good one. "We will try to get to the mass meeting at Bhadrakali,´´ said the husband while his bride bargained with an orange vendor.
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