There is a narrow alley leading into the house connected to the micropark in Panga Dobato, Kirtipur. If you go a little further, you will see a small hotel. When we reached here around 10 am on Saturday, some customers were sitting here sipping tea.

Known as the Gorkhali Hotel, there are two tables and four benches in this hotel. On one side, tea is boiling in the diuare, on the other, food is sizzling in the pressure cooker. Januka Bhatta is busy in the hotel.

A picture of a smiling young man is hung on the wall, in two frames. He is 28-year-old Arjun Bhatta, a martyr of the Gen-G movement. It had been only 16 months since he left the country for foreign employment. He could not stay there due to the extreme heat and workload of Dubai. And, he returned last Ashar.

Shortly after returning from Dubai, it was his birthday, Ashar 17. He called his friends to celebrate his birthday. He was very fond of his family and friends with his cheerful nature. 'He would quickly mix with people of all ages. He had many friends,' says his mother Januka.

7 years ago, friends gave Arjun a brown dog as a birthday gift. Arjun himself named it, Lichi. He used to play with Arjun more. He would play, have fun and cuddle in his arms. Now Lichi also looks sad. Arjun, who loved him very much, is no longer in this world. Occasionally, he looks at someone outside. It seems that this innocent creature is waiting for Arjun.

Arjun, who studied till graduation, could not return and continue his studies. Nor did he get the job he wanted here. One of his brothers, Abhilakh, is here, while one of his sisters lives in Japan with her husband after marriage. Her sister even told him to come to Japan. 'Japan is better than Dubai, brother, first learn the language well and come,' her sister had told Arjun. He was excited by her proposal and the support of her family. He started studying Japanese and passed the language test. According to his family, he was planning to get married next Falgun.

The Bhatt family moved to the capital 25 years ago.

Arjun's original home is Phujel, Gandaki Rural Municipality-4, Gorkha. The Bhatt family had their own farm in the village. They had livestock. There was nothing they could not afford, enjoying their neighbors, relatives, and the village environment. But Arjun's father Chitra Bahadur says that he came to the capital thinking about the future of his children. 'I did not want to leave the village where I grew up and move to a foreign city, but we came here to see if my children would have a better education and future,' he says.

What did Chitra Bahadur do when he moved to Kathmandu with his family in 2057 BS? He sold vegetables. He worked as an office assistant in a school in Kirtipur. Later, he started a hotel business. The Bhatt family's early days in the city of dreams, 25 years ago, were very turbulent, when Arjun was only three years old.

That news from Kalimati...

Arjun had also told his family about joining the movement that the Gen-Gs were going to do. 'It is a movement for young people up to the age of 28, we should also go to change the country,' he had said repeatedly.

On the morning of last Bhadra 23, Arjun joined the movement with his friends at home, telling his parents. The movement that started from the family home against political unrest and corruption took a different form when it reached Baneshwor. The police not only used water cannons and tear gas, but also started firing bullets. By evening, 21 people had lost their lives in Kathmandu alone, including Arjun's friend who had gone from Kirtipur with him.

There was outrage everywhere after the large number of casualties. Arjun also became restless after his own friend was killed. The next day, his friends from Kirtipur gathered and decided to go on a protest. His mother Januka tried to stop him by saying, "Don't go, father." But he left Kirtipur with his friend. "He had left without even eating the food he had cooked, saying he would be back in an hour," Januka remembers Arjun saying that day.

A curfew had been in effect in Kathmandu since the previous evening. There was panic everywhere. Arjun's mother Januka watched him until he reached the end of the road after he left home. Arjun was walking with his friends, carrying the Nepalese flag on his shoulders. His brother Abhilakh was also in the group.

It was around 1 pm when Arjun left home on 24 Bhadra. An hour later, a phone call came home with bitter and unexpected news. 'Arjun was shot in the head during the demonstration in Kalimati.' Januka's body went cold. She tried to go to the hospital in a semi-conscious state. But the curfew stopped the car.

Arjun's friend, who wanted to meet his son, took him to the Bayodha Hospital in Balkhu on a scooty. The hospital was crowded. He was not even allowed to see his own son. 'I had also gone to Kalimati with my brother. Since I was 500 meters away when the bullet hit, I couldn't see my brother being shot,' Abhilakh said with teary eyes. 'I came to know later that my brother had also been shot while running to the hospital. I had to lose the brother I went with.'

Abhilakh and Arjun are only two years apart. 'We were more like friends than brothers,' he says. 'We used to play games together, sleep together.' Arjun, who is more interested in video games, mostly played PUBG. That is what Abhilakh remembers the most. 'We both used to sit on the stairs of this house and play PUBG,' Abhilakh says, pointing towards the stairs.'

On the other hand, Januka's mother misses Arjun a lot during meals. 'He used to be so engrossed in games that he didn't even know when it was time to eat,' he says. 'Sometimes I would feed him food.' Arjun would come home in the evening after having fun with his friends all day and calling out 'Mommy.' Even now, Januka remembers this. 'I wonder if he will come and say 'Mommy.' When the doorbell rings at night, when someone's voice comes, it feels like his son has come,' Januka says with emotion, 'Anyway, he is my youngest son, raised with love.' When can I forget?'

Januka has been told by doctors that she needs to have surgery as soon as possible as a tumor has grown on her cheek. She is thinking of going to a government hospital as it costs a lot to go to a private health facility. 'But it will take time. If the tumor is not treated on time, it will spread from the ear to the head,' she says.