Customs Office Employee Missing After Flood in Rasuwa, Family Performs Rituals

Kaski. Govinda Bahadur Adhikari of Samaveshi Tol, Pokhara-14, working at the customs office in Timure, Rasuwa, had planned to come home this Teej. He intended to celebrate Teej with his sisters and gift them new clothes he had bought. On the evening of August 25, he shared his joy with his family and sisters via video call, asking, 'How is this color?' His dream of gifting new clothes to his sisters and celebrating the festival with his family is now forever unfulfilled. Adhikari, 47, a driver at the Timure Customs Office, went missing in a devastating flood in the Bhote Koshi River on August 26. His condition since being swept away in the flood remains unknown. According to his colleagues who managed to save their lives and return, Adhikari was with other colleagues working at the office before the flood. Fifteen employees of the customs office went missing in the same flood. Adhikari, who was transferred to Timure from Pokhara Airport Customs Office about six months ago, had visited home twice during this period. His family members hoped he would return home safely again, but there was no news from him. Adhikari was in contact with his family until the morning of the day the flood occurred. After that, his family lost all contact with him. The family repeatedly called his mobile. They inquired in various places and searched in hospitals and morgue facilities. Initially, they thought it might be due to difficult terrain, and the family had not given up hope of his safe return. However, after returning to Pokhara on Thursday following a direct observation of the incident site, the family's hope ended. After not receiving any information for a long time, the family performed funeral rites on Friday according to Hindu customs, making a effigy of Kush, and began mourning rituals at the Seti River in Ramghat. His son, Binay Adhikari, said that his father was in contact with the family until the morning of the day the flood occurred, but communication was not possible thereafter. 'We prayed a lot for my father to return safely. But we couldn't get any information. After reaching Timure yesterday and returning in the evening, seeing the situation there, there is no room for hope that father will come now,' he said with a gloomy face and a low voice. Binay said that after his father went missing, the family searched in various hospitals and places hoping to find at least the body. When a picture of a body in Dhading looked similar, the family went there to identify the body. However, upon seeing the body directly, it was confirmed that it was not Adhikari's. 'We went after seeing the picture of the body found in Dhading, which looked similar,' Binay said, 'but based on the tattoo on the hand, it was confirmed that the body was not my father's.' Madhav Baral, Chairman of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, Kaski, who is a neighbor and close friend of Adhikari, said that silence has prevailed in Samaveshi Tol since Adhikari went missing. He said that the locals also joined the continuous search after their helpful, friendly, and social friend went missing. Despite searching in hospitals in Pokhara, Chitwan, and other places for the body or any clues, no information was received for a long time, he said. 'Although he went to Timure for his job, we used to talk almost daily. Even though he was far away, he was always concerned about his neighborhood and community. He was the first to come forward when someone was in trouble. Such an unimaginable incident involving our friend has caused us deep pain,' Baral expressed his grief. Adhikari, who was active in social work, was equally interested in music. As the joint secretary of Samaveshi Tol, he played an active role in solving the problems and development works of the locality. His other special identity was the sweet melody of his flute. His art of mesmerizing everyone by playing the flute, especially when friends gathered, has now become a memory for the locals. According to his neighbor Ghanshyam Pandey, Adhikari never missed playing the flute when he was at home. 'As soon as friends gathered, he would mesmerize everyone by playing the flute. When he was at home, the flute was always with him. That's why we have placed a flute along with the Kush effigy. We have kept another flute at home in his memory,' Pandey said. Adhikari, whose permanent home is in the former Mijung VDC of Tanahun and now Bhanu Municipality-5, has been living in Samaveshi Tol, Pokhara-14, for the past 15 years. He has a mother, wife, one son, one daughter, three sisters, and one sister. Twelve people from Pokhara are still missing after the devastating flood in Rasuwa on August 26. The families of those who have not been heard from since the incident still hold a faint hope that their loved ones will return. Assistant Chief District Officer of Kaski, Chitrangat Baral, said that three people who went missing after the flood later came in contact with their families. He informed that the condition of others remains unknown so far.