Dear King! When we are drowning in the memory of our love, it feels like the mind is like the Karnali river – flowing continuously. Our love—the river flowed through Kathmandu, Nepalgunj and Lucknow. The love between you and me keeps beating in the memories of these three cities.

The exciting scenes of that time are still fresh in my eyes. When I remember the love affair between me and you (Ashitshamsher Rana – we call each other love/king), those old days flash like a picture on the screen of the mind. It seems that our generation was lucky to make the most of love, where sitting together was not just talking. Heart to heart, heart to heart. There was no 'today-meet, tomorrow-date' like now. 

When I completed my SLC in 2042 at the age of 16 from St. Mary's School in Jaulakhel, at that time there were only government colleges in Kathmandu for higher education. There was no private college as it is now. Daughters of the elite families of that time went to Isabella Thoburn (IT) College, the first Christian women's campus in South Asia, located in Lucknow, India. 

The route to Lucknow was — directly from Kathmandu by air via Nepalgunj or by night bus via Nepalgunj. Cheap TwinOtter tickets of Nepal Airlines Corporation were not available to fly. There were no private airlines except the corporation. Nepali society was not as open then as it is now. At that time, leaving home for daughters to study in India was another big mountain to climb. Our journey from Kathmandu to Lucknow was a symbol of courage and patience at that time. 

When going to Lucknow, you had to stay at Nepalgunj for one night - either on the way or on the way back. Hotel Sneh was the only safe haven to stay in Nepalgunj. Japanese and American engineers and technicians who were building a bridge over the Karnali River to connect the Far West with the rest of Nepal under the East-West Highway used to come to the hotel to stay. Later we 8/10 girl friends who used to commute from Kathmandu to Lucknow stayed there. Where was the era of deluxe buses like now and π local buses used to be night buses with thin seats that could be folded only half back. However, we used to enjoy the 10-12 hour journey through Muglin, Naraigarh, Butwal on a road of more than 500 kilometers and reach Nepalgunj. This was the only way to go back and forth between Kathmandu and Lucknow during festivals, winter/summer holidays. Our vehicles were Tanga, rickshaw, local jeep, bus. 

Dear King, 

I remember – that hotel in Nepalgunj was run by your father Prithushamsher Rana. I was already aware of your relationship with the family of former Prime Minister Devshamsher Rana, who was exiled by his own brother. You grew up in Mussoorie/Dehradun, living with Jijubbua Devashamsher's family. 

Not only in Bardiya and Nepalgunj, but also in Kathmandu because of the father's land, it was going back and forth - yours. My father Manmohan Mishra and your father Prithushamsher Rana were also close friends. He was also present in the Praja Parishad. I remember that I also went to your family in Nepalgunj with my father when my father was staying in the Panchayat.

Not only there, but also in Kathmandu, our Mishra family and the Rana family used to have family meetings from time to time due to family ties. I used to see you in Nepalganj when I was going back and forth between Kathmandu and Lucknow. Even before that, it is remembered that there was a thin meeting through family relations in Kathmandu. However, those meetings were limited to acquaintances only. The color of love could not be filled. In other words, there was no corner of my mind that you would become my future lover and husband. 

After completing SLC in 042 I passed Intermediate and BA in Political Science from Lucknow. Then I went to Delhi to study fashion designing course for one year. After completing my studies in Delhi in 2047, I started working as a Protocol Officer and Women's Rights Specialist at the American Embassy in Kathmandu. Julia Chang, a Chinese-American businesswoman and diplomat, was the ambassador at the US embassy at the time. At the time of the rise of democracy, I had to go outside Kathmandu from time to time with the embassy official to meet various people. 

In those days after I started working at the American Embassy, ​​I would occasionally go outside Kathmandu for visits with the embassy staff. Those trips were special. However, that one trip to Nepalgunj seems to be the most special and unforgettable so far. In other words, it became the 'turning point' of my life. 

is around the year 048. I had booked a room at Hotel Sneh for a few days stay. There was an embassy program. You gave me a surprise. Even now, the day when Nepalgunj came down seems like a fairy tale.

Upon entering Hotel Sneh's room, I was greeted with flowers. The fragrance of the flowers made my heart dance. I stood inside the room. Every flower kept reminding me of your presence. My pulse quickened. I was surprised as the room booked for me was decorated with colorful flowers. The fragrance of flowers touched my heart. 'Bhavani welcome to you' was written in flowers on the door. But, you had gone to Mussoorie then. I was sad not to see you. My eyes were searching for you. But you didn't see it. But, you arrived from Mussoorie in Tuplukk, and entered the hotel with a smile. I still remember your face then. We had dinner together that evening. That moment brought us so close – like an encounter between thirst and water. 

After the Nepalgunj work was over, I returned to Kathmandu. But, your absence started to be felt. Life alone seemed incomplete. We are not complete without each other. Every day, wind, sun, water started remembering you. You also started to feel restless without me. Our love contact was only limited to SDT calls on the telephone. I remember those moments spent on the phone all night. The monthly bill used to be 20-25 thousand. It wasn't just a matter of price. Spirit communicated every second over the phone. That dialogue was a symbol of the beating of the heart and the unconventional desire for each other. I used to stay up all night on the phone with you even though I had to reach the Embassy in Panipokhari at 8 am due to my job. Where we shared many dreams with each other. 

The distance between Nepalgunj and Kathmandu was only a few hundred kilometers. However, even that distance seemed to be thousands of miles when we did not see it in front of our eyes. To make our love deeper, more precious, then you started coming to Kathmandu by ship from Nepalgunj. Not in a year or a month or a week, but usually 2/3 days a week in Kathmandu. I used to ask my friends for advice on what kind of dress I should wear on the day you come. I used to look in the mirror and change my clothes.

There was a Chinese restaurant near the US Embassy in Panipokhari. At that time, you used to come in front of the embassy on a motorbike to pick me up during the lunch break. It was a spot to have lunch, laugh and have fun. 

Remembering those moments also makes the heart happy. Rum Doodle Restaurant in Thamel was our next 'destination'. Many famous climbers have left their autographs all over the wall. The bustle of foreign tourists, the tune of English songs made our meetings more exciting. That place became an ideal destination not only for food but also for small moments of happiness and laughter. 

Kathmandu in the late 40s was reveling in the old style. New Road's Vishal Bazar had an attractive gift shop on the ground floor. I used to send fishing rod and black glasses to Nepalgunj for you from that shop. You used to go to Karnali to fish. You used to buy gifts like clothes, music player, chocolate etc. when you went for a visit. The gift for us was the language of love exchange. 

Today's couples often consider love as a normal feeling. However, the impact it will make on life is going to be profound. Our love is not limited to personal attraction and romance. Our relationship was a 'blend' of reflections of Nepali society in the 70s-80s, educational-cultural contact with India, the changing lifestyle of Kathmandu, family thinking and the slowly taking shape of modernity. 

I was in a relationship with Raja for four years. After one year of engagement, they got married in 2052. The marriage ceremony in Kathmandu lasted for three days. The reception was held at the Bluebird Hotel in Thapathali. After marriage I went to Nepalgunj. After college life we ​​started reaching Lucknow every year on holidays. There were Gulati Kebabs, Aminabad's Chicken Biryani, and sojourns to the Clark Hotel were not just about food or entertainment. They were the ritual of keeping love alive. Love in our time was more emotional than today. I opened the handwritten 'love letter' you gave me a few days ago and told it to you. You have also turned all my old photos into a digital diary. Every now and then we get together and watch those old days on TV and drown in the sea of ​​memories. 

My love story is not just a personal love journey. Our love covers the Nepali society of the 80s-90s, women's studies-struggle, India-Nepal cultural relations, fashion and lifestyle development, and family thinking. It is a reflection of that time.

Our love was not just a momentary excitement. It was a long journey. Which took a deeper and more permanent form from the small encounters of student life to the promise of marriage and after marriage. With the passing of time, we realized that love does not grow old with age, but keeps growing like a new flower. Today we are more deeply in love, like soul-in-soul merging. 

Now our love story is not limited to us. Along with our son Devansh, we are reliving the battles of the past. We are showing him the golden evenings spent inside Bardia Park, the romantic streets of Lucknow, the intimacy of Nepalgunj and the pulse of Kathmandu. Devansh is our gift of love. In his eyes we see the fulfillment of our unfulfilled dreams. Love never gets old.