I do not remember month and particular day, as it was a lazy Saturday, normally we do, all the cleaning work on this day, like bathing, washing clothes, sun drying our beds and blankets including the carpets. But, it was already well past 2:00 pm, so almost all the work have already finished for the day, and all we have left was free time for ourselves, including room nannies, who used to be busy like bee on this day.
And just then, there was an entrance of entourage in Bal Mandir. It sure was an unexpected visit, I mean very unexpected visit from royal palace. It was non-other than but the then queen Aishwarya RLD shah herself; she was there with all the crew that normally followed her, I bet without her consent at times, maybe most of the times. But I would never know the truth behind it.
To my knowledge, it was her first visit inside Bal Mandir for inspection, just she and no other official from NCO following her. Although I do not remember today exactly, but I must have jumped on my toes, the movement I saw her in the statue yard or lets say it in the kitchen garden where we were playing at that time. Because I was her guide that day to show the rooms or where she wanted to go and what she wanted to see.
At one time, when she was visiting young childrens rooms [ younger than 10 years old ] she was very curious, “why all the children were kept in children rooms and not mixed up with small and big children in one room ?” She meant to mixing about children 8 or 9 years olds, in a room with teen age group; so that the big ones will take care of small ones.
Okay, at the toddlers room, she spent bit longer time, than in other rooms; mostly asking questions about the children. She took keen interest in couple of children there and just gave her heart completely for two, one boy and a girl.
When we were out from the toddler’s room, one of the ADC of the queen, pulled me from back, for this he inserted his finger on my skirt belt and then he just pulled me away from queen. Suddenly, from the front row, I was place at the last in the mix of crowd and they just walked ahead of me leaving me back. Then, I get lost in the group, which have become very big behind her and following her. Everyone wanted to take a good look of her from close and greet her and touch her.
You see, I don't have a royal tongue and I was talking to the queen with the same kind of language as I usually spoke with. The kind of language, we spoke in Bal Mandir had a dash of it or whole mix of tamang and gurung way of talking. In these language, without intending it sounds so disrespectful. Its very direct and impolite too. We grew up hearing all that and adapted without knowing it then, how impolite our language have become and how direct we were then and on top of that; we use very crude or rude language there which completely lack the respect to our fellow. Those language lack respect to those, we were talking to, senior or junior. It was the plain truth.
She may have noticed it, but did not put it in words and did not even pointed it to me. I just walked with her and answered what all she asked me. She was checking in and out of all the rooms and asking me questions relating to every rooms. I have forgotten almost all of that now, but I do remember, I was responding all her queries. Not a housemother, out of four, was around to escort her. They must be behind my back, with the whole crew, but I have no idea. As I was on the front row with her, showing her around.
I do not exactly remember, who took charge after that to guide her. Chhaya didi, must have been allowed to escort her after that, to show remaining rooms. By this time only girls room, pre teens and teenage girls room had left to show her, mostly on the second floors. Because, later in the evening, she was talking about her experience with how she spoke with queen, when she asked her questions. It really surprised me, when she said that she had used the word ‘your highness’ while speaking with her. I do not remember using that kind of words, when I spoke with her, when I was guiding her. Ok now it makes sense why that ADC may have pulled me away from her. Was that the reason I was pulled by her bodyguard and then pushed back in the following crowd behind ? however the real truth is something, I may never know, but I can always guess, and try to find the answer right ?
Did the housemothers joined the entourage ? I have no idea, was they embarrassed after that for not jumping on their toes to give her a proper visit ? No idea again.
Needless to mention, the next day, two major dailies of that time, The rising Nepal [english] and Gorkhapatra [Nepali] gave the news in big headlines, about the visit and also the news, that she had picked up two children, for education sponsorship. Although, I did not used to read news much then, but some big boys, who were in the last years of schools [ ninth and tenth grade] used to read it and then, they got the glimpse of the bigger picture of what had happened a day before in Bal Mandir.
Everyone in the Bal Mandir, specially room nannies, housemothers and male staffs were talking, that the two children were very lucky, that the queen herself picked up them and selected, to take the complete responsibility for their education. Although, she did not check the real truth about the background of the children who were about four or five may be or may be younger than that, she went by the pure instinct, while choosing for two. She sure did helped them a lot, but by the time these two were in school, I was already out from Bal Mandir.
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