The grief of losing six family members in a single tragedy weighs heavily on the heart of Ramsewak Yadav. But more than the untimely deaths of his wife, a son, two daughters-in-law and two grandchildren, the root of his anguish lies somewhere else: his orphaned five-year-old granddaughter, Sanju.

The 58-year-old schoolteacher at Paroha Rural Municipality in Rautahat district has been left alone at home with an infant, who believes that her parents are soon returning home with a baby brother. 

Sanju’s father Chandrakishor, mother Sharmila Yadav, two-year-old sister Aarushi, grandmother Sumitradevi, aunt Lalitadevi and cousin Saroj were killed on August 13, when a car they were traveling in got trapped in floodwaters. Sharmila was heavily pregnant at the time, and the family was headed to a healthpost.

Ramsewak tries to keep a happy face around Sanju these days. He has not mustered the strength to tell the girl that her parents, sister, grandmother, aunt and cousin are all dead, that she will never see them again. 

“How could I ever explain to her that the people dear to him have died?” he says. 

Sanju trots outside the house whenever she hears a passing motor, expecting the arrival of her parents. She walks in, a pensive expression on her face. She asks her grandfather when her parents are returning home with a new brother, to which Ramsewak has no answer. 

The presence of friends, relatives and neighbours at home is helping Ramsewak cope with his grief. For Sanju, though, the grief period has not even started. Ramsewak fears for the day when he will have to tell her the truth.

“What did I do to deserve this fate? I had never imagined such a cruel thing could befall a person,” he says.

18 blackbucks swept away by Babai flood

Recent flood in the Babai river has swept away 18 blackbucks (Antilope cervicapra), locally known as Krishnasar, from the Khairapur region of the Krishnasar Conservation Area (KCA) in Bardiya.  

The blackbucks were caught in the floodwaters and they are now said to be stranded at Panditpur area in India, conservation officer Purusottam Sharma said on Thursday.

Five years ago, the KCA had constructed a 10 km-long fence and a wildlife flood-safe zone, but the infrastructures have proved inefficient in times of major flood. The 2014 August flood in the area had swept away 40 blackbucks. (PR)