By Ram Karki
๐๐ข๐ง๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ค๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ง, ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ง๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ก๐๐ซ, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐-๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฆ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ง ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ข ๐.
When I got up this morning, I saw on Sukbir Rai’s (known on his Facebook as Lorung Rai) Facebook that it was his 43rd birthday. His family and friends have started wishing him a happy birthday. I also usually write a quick happy birthday on Facebook when I see somebody having a birthday. In contrast, because of Sukbir’s unique connection to the struggle and survival as a child, a minor Bhutanese, and a refugee, I thought of writing a short survival story about him as a small Bhutanese refugee child.
I still see in Sukbir a small boy half naked in a malnourished state of health some 33 years ago, accompanying his mother, Chandra Maya Rai, father, Tawkey Rai, elder brother Bhim Rai and younger brother Buddhiman Rai, struggling to survive, looking for a safe place after undergoing brutal torture, harassment, loot from the Bhutan security forces before being forcefully evicted from their home in a small rural village named as Pinkhwa of Sarbhang district in Southern Bhutan end 1990.
As a small boy, Sukbir was one of the 91 most vulnerable, tortured and raped Bhutanese who formed the first organised group of Bhutanese who started taking shelter at Nepal’s Maidhar, which later transformed into a large UNHCR-aided Bhutanese refugee camp.
Sukbir, as a minor child, together with other kids, namely Sudan Thulung, Meena Thulung, Nar Maya Khatiwada, Lila Guragai, Khina Basnet, Surja Khatiwada, Santey Subba, Mangali Karariya, Budhey Monger, Buddhiman Rai, Sabitri Khatiwada and several others, were the first group of children who started the open-air class in Maidhar during the early period of the Bhutanese refugee camp in Maidhar. This class later converted into a makeshift school as the number of students increased due to the sudden influx of the evicted Bhutanese in the camp.
I vividly remember how Sukbir, along with his other friends, used to collect coins thrown by the bus passengers and pilgrims in the bed of the river mai and helped his mother buy food for the family.
His mother, Chandra Maya Rai, was the assistant to Indrawati Rai, whose job was to look after the general welfare of the campmates, especially the women who were sick, raped and pregnant. Besides fulfilling her responsibilities, Chandra Maya Rai brought up her sons, Buddhiman, Sukbir and Bhim. Still, unfortunately, she could not save her elder son, Bhim, who initially survived in Maidhar but could not survive later at Beldangi, where he died while I was carrying him on my lap to the only operational health post there.
After struggling in refugee camps for decades, Sukbir and his family resettled in the USA in late 2000. He now leads an everyday life with his wife, children, and mother in Tennessee. His younger brother, Buddhiman, lives with his wife and children a few meters away. Unfortunately, his father, Tawkey Rai, could not be resettled due to his absence during the process. He is still awaiting a family reunion in the Beldangi camp.
During my visit to Tennessee, USA, in 2020 and 2022, I visited him. I felt proud of him; he was happy, healthy, and prosperous. However, I felt sad because he was still away from his father. I hope he gets to reunite with his beloved father very soon.
Minor Sukbir and his family survived the torture and inhuman eviction in Bhutan, survived several days of walking in the wild jungles of Assam and West Bengal while running to stay alive and finally survived the most dangerous period of the Bhutanese refugee history at Maidhar, but despite surviving all such life-threatening stages of their life elder brother Bhim has to die later in an improved stage at Beldangi 1.
Once again, I wish Happy Birthday to one of the rare heroes of the Bhutanese refugee community who was forced to struggle to survive since childhood and overcame all those life-threatening situations. The USA understood his sufferings like thousands of other fellow Bhutanese refugees. It thus offered a dignified place to spend the rest of his life with honour and dignity.
Thus, please celebrate your birthday as a proud citizen of the world superpower, the USA, Sukbir. Congratulations! (Ram Karki, One of the three founders of Bhutanese refugee camp in Maidhar in Februay 1991)
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