Dal Bahadur Gandharva is a Kathmandu immigrant from Chitwan. He has been selling bead necklaces at Basantapur since he first arrived at Kathmandu, 35 years ago. Gandharva is grateful for the second chance that life gave him; he had narrowly escaped death during the 2015 earthquake. “I was sitting opposite to Maju Dega, with my eyes set on six youngsters. All, but one, was keen on climbing the stairs to the temple. But all of them eventually agreed.” Gandharva had just walked a few paces away from Maju Dega when the ground started shaking. Chaos surrounded him. “The incident for me was a near death experience. It made me realize that life is uncertain.” The six youngsters who he saw ascending the temple were trapped in the rubble of the Maju Dega shrine; all of them died. “If I had not moved, I, too, would have dead.” remarked Dal Bahadur.
Souls of My City: Harmonium man
