Feast for PM leaves man Rs 6,000 poorer

RABINDRA UPRETI, MAHOTTARI, OCT 15 -It was indeed a night to remember for Bisun Sada. Hosting the country’s prime minister was something he had not imagined in his wildest dreams.
As someone from the Musahar community, one of the lowest Dalit groups, entertaining the PM of Brahmin descent in a society still rife with caste-based discrimination was a matter of honour for Sada. He did his best to keep his guests happy and made sure they enjoyed delicious and more importantly a bellyful feast.
The PM and his retinue, however, were not the only guests Sada entertained on Saturday evening. There were villagers who crowded his humble hut in Manaharwa village in Phulkada VDC-6 to greet the premier. A separate mess was arranged for them. “The prime minister was visiting this poor man’s house and to host him I had to do everything I could,” said Sada, beaming with joy.
Like any genial host, Sada had only pleasant things to talk about before his guests, skirting any sign of distress and difficulty he had while entertaining and accommodating the guests. It was later learnt that he had to borrow Rs 6,000 from a local moneylender to make the affair a success. “I needed the money immediately so I had to agree on a high interest rate,” he said. “My sons have gone to Punjab to earn. I will ask them for the money and repay the moneylender.” Living a hardscrabble life, earning a land owned by someone else, Sada has no other income source. The loan he took to entertain the PM, his entourage and the villagers is going to burden him for some time. But he expects to pay up the loan and not take too much time in doing so, lest he should be weighed down by interest.
from The Kathmandu Post