When the communists of Nepal were once again caught in a frenzy, I suddenly arrived at Naxalbari, the historical birthplace of the Indian communist movement. Standing on the land where the movement launched by Charu Majumdar, Kanu Sanyal and the Jungle Santhals in the 1960s had created bloody history, the chest of my memories opened beyond the political turmoil that the name Naxalbari evokes.

This is the reason why those involved in armed movements in India are still called 'Naxalites', the tradition of rebel consciousness that began from here.

The Naxalbari movement officially began in 1967 when Charu Majumdar, Kanu Sanyal and Jangal Santhal, who had separated from the CPI (Marxist), formed the 'Siliguri Kisan Sabha' in Naxalbari. Initially, this movement, which was relatively peaceful and organized, turned violent a year later with the slogan 'Eliminate the Class Enemy'.

In the latter half of 2028 BS, the Nepali Communists, influenced by the Naxalbari movement, launched the 'Eliminate the Class Enemy Campaign' in Jhapa district. During this campaign, communist cadres accused them of being feudal lords and killed some civilians. The rebellion caused losses on both the state and the rebels. This incident later became known as the 'Jhapa incident' in Nepal's political history.

For communists, Naxalbari may be the center of the Naxal movement. But for me, Naxalbari is a different world. Of personal memories, travel, childhood, and cross-border relations.

Naxalbari was a weekly market for Ilam, Jhapa, and surrounding settlements in eastern Nepal. On Saturdays and Tuesdays, there would be a crowd of people filling the market. I have also joined that crowd many times. Sometimes holding hands with my parents, sometimes with my brothers, and sometimes with my friends.

The daily routine of people in places like Salakpur, Sulubung, Bahundangi, Nakalbanda, Kakadbhitta, and Dhulawari in Ilam was linked to Naxalbari. Shopping, treatment, cinema, tea drinking, reconciliation, Naxalbari has become a strong memory in everyone's memory.

Even though I was close to Naxalbari, I had not been able to reach it for years. I passed by Naxalbari many times when I went to Siliguri for work. However, I had not set foot here for a long time. Now, since there is a direct journey through the magnificent bypass of the Asian Highway, the compulsion to reach Naxalbari was also decreasing. The neglect of this place was born unintentionally. But, on Saturday, after many years, when I set foot in Naxalbari, I felt that it was no longer as youthful as it was in the past, it seemed old and tired.

The same market, the same streets, the same smell of the old Sidra Bazaar, the noise of the fish market, the noise of the Phata company, everything was the same. The old Ghunguni shop (a snack made with chickpeas and peas mixed with chiura) has the same appearance. But the taste has changed. The sweetness and aroma of hot Ghunguni were no longer there.

Naxalbari was not just a market for us, it was also a source of healthcare. Many Nepalis living on the border were born in the hospital in Naxalbari. When I saw that old hospital, I felt that even though time had passed, its existence and appearance still stood with the same identity. The tempo (auto) station, Panighatta turn, bus park and old video hall were all found in their old places but in a completely different form.

When we were students, we used to go to Naxalbari to watch movies in the video hall. Sometimes on foot, sometimes on bicycles. We did not have the means to ride a rickshaw. I still get excited when I remember the freedom, ease, and carefreeness of that journey.

When I was sick, my Bengali brother would come home in a tempo. That intimacy, that openness, that trust are rarely found in today's cross-border relations.

Times have changed now. It is mandatory to show an identity card to cross the border. The security forces deployed on both sides of India and Nepal look at every visitor with suspicion. The need for border security may be relative to the times, but for those who have grown up in an open border culture, this strict security has become a distance in the community-level relationship between Nepal and India.

There was nothing like this in the past. We used to go to Naxalbari openly, and people from there would also come to Nepal easily. Marriages would happen. Social relations were strong. How happy, how easy those times were. Borders were a matter of line, there were no barriers in human relations.