Ghatastapana is a national holiday in Nepal. Cherishing fond memories of each of the seven camps for Bhutanese refugees in eastern Nepal, I drive to Goldhap camp. A place once familiar looks strange. People used to throng to greet me, Namaste, the little ones calling “Father, Father!” The food distribution centres were crowded; opposite, old men sat in the “kiosk”, sharing their woes. The youth coordinators would be after me to see their activities.
Now I am alone. The area has been levelled and fenced. The JRS school boards stand as monuments of history. Our disability centre stands in the middle of the razed ground. As I enter, memories of every face that once welcomed me choke me, and I cry. The emotions frozen within all these years melt and flow down in tears.
I pass by the Kirati temple and the temple of Shiva – the symbols of my people’s faith in God during their 20-year exile. They never stopped hoping that God would lead them either back home or to a country where they would prosper. I go to our Blooming Lotus English School and climb onto the stage. Where are the hundreds of children at assembly?
As my hands cover my face, the students march in my memory chanting their favourite slogan, “We are born for greater things.” And I hear a voice saying, “I have observed the misery of my people in exile. I have heard their cry and have come to deliver them from this land to a prosperous country. Let my people go to celebrate joyfully the festival of life.” An echo of the words God spoke to Moses in Exodus. Should my people’s moving make me sad? No. The founder of JRS, Pedro Arrupe SJ, once said that as long as there is one refugee in this world, it will remain an unjust world.
The Bhutanese longed to return home but 16 rounds of ministerial talks between Bhutan and Nepal failed to make either repatriation or local integration possible. The only way ahead was resettlement to third countries. The process continues smoothly. Out of 107,000 refugees, more than 53,600 had gone by the end of September 2011. As the number of refugees shrinks, camps are being merged. By mid- 2012, there will be only two camps left.
The coming years will be challenging. We need to maintain the quality of our services despite budget cuts. The words of Robert Frost, “…I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep,” flash across my mind as I go to the office. The student statistics are still on the blackboard where, in a corner, someone wrote: “I love this school and this camp, all my teachers and friends, because I have passed class X from this school.” What a testimony! If our education has instilled such confidence, then we have achieved our goal and in humility should thank the Lord for this wonderful service.
Courtesy: http://www.jrs.net/
Father Amalraj, while reading your article, it reminds me the whole history of our 20 years life in the refugee camps in Nepal. When our people started leaving for third country resettlement, the only precious and most valuable property they could carry, especially our youngsters, with them was the education certificates, the intellectual property, which have been immensely useful for their resettlement in the alien but advanced countries. What I am trying to say is that not a single refugee can forget the highly commendable services rendered by the CARITAS-Nepal in the field of education sectors under your and Father Varkey’s charismatic leadership, though the situation was/is most hazardous in the refugee camps. Today, the students holding their education certificates from the CARITAS-Nepal run schools in the refugee camps are most competent people in the countries of their resettlement. All the refugee communities really and sincerely appreciate and admire your most meritorious services in the refugee camps.
It’s true, the situation is still highly challenging while we talk in terms of rendering the quality education in the refugee camps. Nevertheless, I am still optimistic that our children will continue to go to the schools, and attend their regular classes even if they are in the process of resettlement in the third country because education is the highest wealth – the more one could accumulate, the more one becomes competent and settle easily in any country – no matter whether s/he could go back to Bhutan or not. We had our dreams and we really made our promises, but we could not compromise with the decision of our destiny. But still we are not the losers. If the good human beings like you continue to guide us and support us, we will certainly achieve what we could not do so far. We have a dream Father, and we have a dream that we shall overcome someday.
Thank you for writing such a wonderful article and reminding us all about our role and responsibility. We all know that the roads ahead are rough and tough, but I am sure results are going to be certainly easy and smooth. I am always optimistic.
Father Amalraj,
Thanks for your write up. It brings things back.
Lakshmi Prasad Dhakal
Amsterdam
Dear Fr.
Thanks to you and Fr Verkey for what you have done to all of us.
Thank You for the writeup and what you and Fr Varkey have done for us.
Refugee life was really a sad life. Everyone wished to get out of it and prosper. I was also not an exception. I also wished the same as many did. But, even after 4 years being in the united stated my heart flows to the same camp where I was raised. I dream about the school I went to for many years. I always wish that this reality be a dream and dream be a reality.
Good I like this piece of writting