A year ago, my best friend, who is also my almost neighbour, asked me if I wanted to go pull the Buñga Dyah, also known as the Rato Machhendranath. Two of my other friends were also going.

t is about seven in the evening and we’re wrapping up our five-day spoken word poetry workshop with a group of women from and around the Lumbini Sanskritik Municipality. The usual restlessness to get home without it being ‘too late’ in the evening has been stalled for tonight; it is our last session together and we are walking back from the evening’s workshop, discussing family, husbands, friendship, writing and the poetry performance that is lined up the day after.

When I walk throughthe always open doors at work,I take off the heaviness in my heart,put on a smile,some kajal,