Everything is a pile of ASH

"I don't know what strikes my mind at times. I go mad at myself and start being the real me, not listening to anyone but myself. Dude, there's a long story! Very long, longer than you might have ever imagined." With a peg of hard drink, popular at that time, the OLD DURBAR (OD), he started saying, "It was an amusing evening. We, four of us—me, Bikash, his to-be fiancée, and she, my best friend—finally embarked on a short trip after a prolonged gap in our plans."

I looked at him in glee, eagerly waiting for him to start his story. He took another sip of the drink and began, "After much planning, we decided to go on a three-day trip out of the valley. We didn't have many days, so we planned to spend a day traveling, a day visiting, and a day returning. Our destination was the capital, the valley of temples - Kathmandu. I had been to the capital many times before, but I had never had the chance to visit and explore Pashupatinath, a UNESCO World Heritage site listed in 1979 AD. We were all staying in a hotel room in Tilganga, near the Pashupati area. We were tired from the seven-hour bus journey due to traffic caused by landslides along the way. As we rested, we talked about our hectic and busy schedules, going to work in the morning, coming home exhausted, unable to communicate or spend time with our families. These were common challenges we all lamented about."

Bikash started, "I've had enough of living this life at such a young age. I don't know how I'll cope when I start my own family. My first priority is taking care of my family. They're the ones who brought me to where I am today. Whatever I do and however much I do, I will always be indebted to my family. I'm not sure if I can give them the love they expect from their beloved son. I'll try my best and leave no stone unturned to serve them." As he spoke, I glanced at his to-be fiancée. She was smiling and replied, "Bikash, when I'm a part of your life, you'll be a part of mine. When we are together, we are also a part of our family. Together, we'll make our parents proud." Bikash hugged her with tears in his eyes, and the atmosphere shifted.

After a moment of silence, I broke the ice. "What about me? My life is messed up too. I work as an Assistant Academic Director in a college that offers bachelor's degrees, even though I just graduated myself. You can't imagine what I go through at work. I'm always focused on providing opportunities to students that I didn't have as a bachelor's student, but circumstances... Someday, I promise I'll make my parents proud, and I'll also make the college I'm associated with a better choice for every individual." My best friend Sofiya started teasing me, "Then I'll pursue a second bachelor's degree in the same college where you'll be the academic director." Everyone laughed, and so I did. Things changed, and we all did our best. We achieved significant milestones together. We dreamed together, planned for a corporate business, and already assigned our roles. Back in college, others used to call me "the man of dreams," and it always made me happy. I used to say, and I still say to those who call me 'The man of Dreams,' that if we don't dream, we can never turn those dreams into reality. I also tell them what my brother Santosh, who is a doctor, once said to me, 'Life without dreams is like a bird without wings. But don't forget to set deadlines for your goals and dreams, so you can work towards them.' We were a group of people who loved to dream, and we were making efforts to make our dreams come true."

The evening turned into a memorable night. The sky above us was clear, full of stars twinkling like diamonds. The city lights illuminated the valley. We were in a small open rooftop restaurant, and the view of Pashupatinath at night was breathtaking. We enjoyed our drinks and food, cherishing the moment. I looked at everyone around the table. We all had different stories, different dreams, but the same passion and determination to achieve them. And me, I am the man with dreams, the one who believed in turning dreams into reality, no matter what. As we all know at the last EVERYTHING IS A PILE OF ASH.”