DEBENDRA BASNET

Phulkumari Chaudhary of Tilkuligad became a widow after her husband Sher Bahadur Chaudhary, who was working in Saudi Arabia, reportedly died of natural causes. She feels burdened as the responsibility of taking care of her children has entirely fallen on her shoulder. 

Happier times disappeared from her life all of a sudden when she was informed of her husband´s death. 

Barely able to speak, Phulkumari choked when she shared how Sher Bahadur had promised her of building a new house for the family after coming back. "We had dreamed of a happy life together but all our dreams got shattered and now I am left to deal with all the troubles," said Phulkumari. "I have no idea when I would be able to clear all the loans we had taken to send him abroad," she added. 

Already neck deep in debt, Sher Bahadur had flown to Saudi Arabia taking additional loans. According to Phulkumari, they end up borrowing additional Rs 200,000 when they already had to pay back Rs 300,000 from their previous dealing.

After Sher Bahadur left for Saudi Arabia, he used to call Phulkumari regularly. The conversation easily went on for hours and those were the times when they shared sweet talks regarding happy future. 

After three months in Saudi Arabia, they could no longer keep in touch after Sher Bahadur was sent to jail. He was arrested for parking his vehicle on a prohibited area.

The Saudi authorities freed Sher Bahadur after some of his Nepali friends furnished the bail money for his release. Phulkumari´s happiness knew no bounds after she learnt that he was out of jail and was planning to return home on leave. Three days after his release from prison, Sher Bahadur again went out of contact and Phulkumari never heard from him since. A month later, she was jolted by the news of the arrival of her husband´s dead body at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. 

Sher Bahadur was found dead at his apartment, a day after celebrating a farewell treat with some Nepali friends. "During our last conversation, we had discussed his return to Nepal. He had said he would come with lots of gifts for our children and other relatives. But the news of his death came as a shock to everyone," said Phulkumari. 

She is now raising her three children all by herself. As she is not educated, she takes up any kind of work that could sustain the family´s hand-to-mouth living. Although she is confident of managing the daily expenses through such works, she feels overwhelmed when she thinks about the huge loans that she owes. "I don´t know how I will pay back all the money we had taken as loans. I think it will remain a burden on my family the rest of our lives," said Phulkumari. 

Narayani Giri of Shaudichour is caught in similar plight after her husband´s death. Every day, she leaves home in search of work hoping to clear the debt incurred while sending her husband abroad for employment. Her husband, Bishnu, had died while working in Malaysia. Unlike Phulkumari, Narayani has not yet seen her husband´s body. Before his death, Bishnu was working as a security guard for a private company in Malaysia. 

"Before going abroad, we had taken loan by keeping our home as collateral. Most of the money was used up by the time of his visa processing. Now that he is dead, I have to pay back all the money," said Narayani. Although the company he was working for had promised to pay 16,000 Riyal per month, he was only receiving 14,000 Riyal. 

"He was planning to return after a year and buy a small plot of land. We were happy just talking over the phone but our happiness didn´t even last for seven months," said Narayani. 
The family has learnt that Bishnu had died due to deep injuries to his head. Although the company has said that he had died in an accident, Narayani and his relatives believe that he was murdered. 

"My youngest son goes to UKG and my daughter is growing up. While their future depends on me, the burden of paying off all the loans also rests on my shoulder now. I would never have let my husband go abroad if I had the slightest premonition of what lay ahead," said Narayani. 

The family of Mohan Wali of Tulsipur is grappling with similar predicament. After his death in the US, the whole responsibility of dealing with the loans he had taken has come upon the shoulders of his family members. As per his closest family member, Wali had taken a loan of Rs 2.6 million.

"We believed that he would pay back the money after reaching the US. But since he is no more, we are left to deal with all the trouble," said Wali´s nephew.

Published on: 28 January 2015 | Republica