King Mahendra was implementing the Panchayat system in 2017, after destroying democracy in the country. I was born in Darunga, Darlam Danda Village Panchayat Ward No. 8, Palpa. The village was reached after crossing two hills from the district headquarters, Tansen. There was a settlement on a wide, flat plain at the top of the hill.

If you walked from the village towards the valley, you could reach Ramdi, the border of Syangja and Palpa, in 1 hour. It took 2 and a half hours to walk from Tansen Bazaar. The village was very beautiful. The mountains were visible.

There was a main road from the side of the settlement. At the bottom was a lower secondary school. It took 10 minutes to reach the school from my house. I studied there until the 8th grade. I don't remember the school giving homework or wearing a uniform.

There was no running water in our settlement. There was a water source on the northern side of the settlement on the hill. Water was brought in jugs from Pandhera, about 15 minutes away. Mother and sisters would carry jugs filled with water on a doka. I would carry small jugs on my shoulders. After bringing water in the morning, I would go to school.

There were few households, there were fields a little lower down and fields in the valley. Most people did not have enough to eat from farming throughout the year. Those who grew enough food for the whole year were called "kaan" (a type of food). They were cows and oxen. After returning from school, I would go to graze the oxen. I would take them to Pandhera and water the oxen. I would return home after grazing in the evening. I would go to cut grass with my brother. My brother would cut more grass than me. Sometimes my hands would be cut off while cutting grass. On Saturdays, I had to be a shepherd all day. 

My childhood was middle-class. Going to school, helping with household chores, and so on. The village had its own regular system - farming, raising cattle, growing food, and making a living. There was nothing to buy except salt, cloth, and oil. Everything was produced in the village. Even though Ramti was close, there was no market. 

A fair was held during Baisakh and Maghe Sankranti. The nearest market was Tansen. My father used to bring household goods from Tansen. My mother brought me only 1/2 pair of clothes. Sports were playing Dandibiyo and Gucha with my brothers. We used to fly kites during Dashain and Tihar. If my elder father saw me flying a kite, he would chase me away, considering it an unnecessary task. I saw a car when I was in 8th grade. I saw a car for the first time when I went to Tansen Mission Hospital for treatment after I had diarrhea and was in a coma.

I used to cut my friends' hair since I was a child. I used to weave a headscarf with bamboo straws. My father used to shout that the straw would cut my hand. I used to weave a headscarf with bamboo straws. I did not have to plow because I was forced to. Sometimes I plowed because I wanted to. My brother and father would plow. We would also hire a farmer. 

My family used to grow enough food for 11 months in a year. For 1 month, we had to eat and drink by the potter (by pouring water). Even though my father was not educated, he understood the importance of education. I studied in Tansen for 9th and 10th grade while staying in a dormitory. My uncle and brothers also studied there. Padma Public Multipurpose Secondary School was in Tansen. 

It was two and a half hours away from the village, so it was not possible to study by coming and going every day. Since the days were short, we had to stay in a dormitory because it would be night on the way. We had to cook rice ourselves in the dormitory. I, on the other hand, only wanted to go home. My brothers and I would leave school together after 1 pm and go home. We would get lost on the way and reach home by the evening via Srinagar. My father would scold me for leaving the dormitory. My mother would feed me rice. I had to walk to school again before it was light. 

I was an average student. But when I left school and started walking home, my studies deteriorated. After 1/2 months, I got used to living in a dormitory. I had to read thick books on Sanskrit and English. Sanskrit studies were tough in our time. I had to memorize Sanskrit verses, write paragraphs. I could speak in Sanskrit in general.

There was a Sahuji (pasle) named Narendraraj Shrestha in Tansen. My father had asked me to borrow money from him there. Sahuji would lend me money without my father's letter. Both my father and Sahuji believed that I was honest. I started improving my studies while staying in the dormitory. My studies got difficult again until the test exam before taking the SLC. After passing the test, I returned to my village and did my master's degree (primary level teacher). The SLC exam was held only 3 months after the test. My father had taken me to teach in the village school. The salary was 160 rupees. When I had to prepare for the SLC, I taught classes 1-3. The SLC exam was not as expected.

My classmate was Madhav Ghimire (Home Minister of Khilraj Regmi's interim government). He later died in a Muglin road accident. He and I both came third in the test examination. The news of the publication of the SLC results came from Radio Nepal. The radio said that Madhav Ghimire of Palpa Padma Public had come third in the board. Madhav had studied a lot of tuition. I taught in school. I only got second division (class). 

After SLC, many of my school friends left. I have little memory. Most of them are still in the village. 1-2 of them must have got jobs. Now, there are not many school friends in Kathmandu. I keep meeting the teachers who taught me.

I was not sure what to do after SLC. There was no one to take advice from. I wrote a letter to a relative living in Kathmandu from the village and asked him what I should study. He replied that I could study education in Tansen and become a teacher. The same Narendra Raj Sahu from Tansen advised my father to study Health Assistant (HA). He told his father, "Son, you have to study hard. After completing your health assistant studies, you can become a doctor. Even if you don't, you will definitely get a job." My father told me the same thing. When I was allowed to go to Kathmandu, I also said yes. I took a bus to Kathmandu. Later, I did my MBBS.

My school life was spent according to what my teachers at school and my parents at home said. I was disciplined. Many people called me straightforward. I used to get angry just to get angry. When I got angry, I would sit with my head down. I didn't fight. I was a pure vegetarian.

I had my maternal uncle's house in the barangdi of Palpa. During Dashain, it was customary to go to my maternal uncle's house and wear new clothes. Even though I was excited during festivals, I was not very outgoing. I used to move slowly at my own pace.

I used to use my left hand. My mother used to shout that I should use my right hand. I used to use my right hand to show them. I used to use my left hand underground. I used my right hand to hold a pen and eat. When I played, I turned my left hand out and used it as well. That benefited me. Now both my hands are equally used for work. Now I play tennis and golf with my left hand. I sew with my right hand in surgery at the hospital. I can use scissors with both hands in surgery. If I have to do something, I have a habit since childhood of doing it without saying anything and showing it with results.