Every day thousands of people leave the country and fly abroad for better education, employment and others. Tribhuvan International Airport, the country’s core international airport, witnesses thousands of departures regularly.
The people from Nepal rely on TIA for their journey abroad. TIA is familiar with every soul that has stepped onto it. People who fly for a short time are excited while those who embark on a long journey carry hope, tears, heavy heart, excitement, nervousness, fake smile as well as worry over being distant from their nearest one.
TIA willingly or unwillingly plays a role as a mediator for separating and reconnecting people with their loved ones. As a mediator, TIA has to cope with a different moment that arises within its periphery. The nature of these moments depends upon the circumstances. Some moments are of happiness that are captured as sweet memories and some are like the nights that TIA wishes would pass soon. TIA interacts with the people whose dreams have been fulfilled and those whose dreams along with the dreams of their family have been shattered.
As the last point of departure of the country, TIA holds the last drop of the tears of the people who are leaving for a strange place and the tears of their families who visited to bid them farewell. The prayers made in a low voice by a person flying, can only be heard by the walls of it and are sieges within it. It acts as a witness to the family pouring out their wishes to the loved ones going abroad. It is aware of all the stories of its well-wisher who come with their loved ones. The prayers are kept with confidentiality to verify whether those who departed with a thrust of hopes have returned along with their dreams fulfilled or not.
It’s difficult to interpret some of the stories as they are so touching. The story of a people who have kept their foot for the first time in the city just to fly to a strange land with the hope of being adopted by the city of their own though being suffocated within its cage.
A torn shoe, borrowed luggage, used clothes gifted by relatives, a friend’s sunglasses and the loan hanging on the head, a person flies with all these along with the hope of fulfilling the demands of the family. An anxious mind wondering how to get accepted in a strange land and a depressed expression dreaming about a prosperous future left with a heavy heart. A father with a hope to get new shirts, a mother with a hope to get a saree of her choice from the branded shops, a brother to get a watch and a sister to get a cosmetic product from abroad bid a heartfelt farewell with the eyes full of tears and a hope to get their wishes comes true. A person whispers a prayer to be able to fulfil the wishes of the family at the ear of TIA. The TIA hears all these wishes, yet they remain unrevealed and hold the tears dropped at its surface without any grumbles.
The most awful time for TIA is witnessing the dreams shattered apart with the return of a person inside a coffin. A father, who learned to control his emotions decades ago burst into an uncontrolled tear, a mother who handles her entire family is unable to handle herself and pampered siblings who have no understanding of what has happened, have to mature at a young age to take care of their parents who have been devastated by the thunderstorm in the family. TIA has heard the dreams of the person in the coffin, the wish of the father to wear a new shirt, the wish of the mother to wear a new saree, the wish of the brother to wear a watch and the wish of the sister to have cosmetic products but will be never revealed and flew along with the dead soul and along with the lost hope of the family. It treasures the tears of the family flooded by the tragic event as something valuable.
TIA also witnesses the wishes of the children who just hate their motherland for no apparent reason and do not want to return. It keeps these wishes a secret so that the parents do not lose hope and are looking to get the support of their children in their old age. A drop of hopeful tears of parents are dissolved into the ground and the secrets whispered by their children before leaving the country are never revealed.
Moreover, TIA also holds the tears of happiness of the people who reunited there. It obviously might have felt overwhelming to see the dreams of the people come true, the dreams that the people whispered in the ear of TIA before leaving the land. TIA might have been delighted to see a person who has transformed on their return. Branded clothes, own luggage full of gifts for others, colourful sunglasses, a watch, a never-smelt fragrance and a proud face. The father feels inflated with pride, the mother waiting for her child will finally have a good sleep and siblings looking for a way to hug their loved ones will have a tutor for their school work.
Alongside, TIA also unrevealed the secrets of the people who betray their motherland for their benefit. The secrets of changing identity to fly to another country, the secrets of taking someone’s else benefit, the secrets of human traffickers, the secrets of breaching the laws of the country, the secrets of driving away the offenders, secrets of traitors of the country who have taken an oath and the secrets of helpless who have been trapped with a lure.
Tears of hope, happiness, worries, fear, sorrow, tears to just show up, tears for the motherland and tears to put the feet on the motherland, all of these tears have been handled with care by TIA. Similarly, the secrets of everyone that they whispered at the ear of TIA have been held confidentially. Wishes to return to the country, fulfil their family dreams, earn for the family, false assurance to the parents, pray to not return to the motherland and wish to erase the love for the country, all these secrets are kept without ever being revealed.
TIA is unable to wipe the tears of the people who visit it but swallows the tears of all without any objections. TIA is unable to fulfill the wishes of the people but hears and keeps it a secret without seeking any benefit. TIA might want to burst all these secrets to protect the country from being trapped by bad intentions. TIA might not want to see the parents unwantedly bidding farewell to their old age sticks. It might not want to welcome the coffins with a body inside, permitting people who betray their motherland. It might want to stop the people who unknowingly become the victim of trafficking. They might want to burst the secrets to control the people leaving their motherland. It wishes that the authorities who have been governing the country could work to encourage people, especially the youth population to work on their land as well as for their motherland.
TIA unwillingly keeps all the secrets folded within it and holds the tears as valuable.
