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By Narayan Prasad Mishra

Decades ago, there was one hospital popularly known as Shanta Bhawan in Kathmandu. The hospital was founded by the United Mission to Nepal in 1954 as a Christian missionary hospital. The old Rana palace named Shanta Bhawan was rented for this purpose. That building was named Shanta Bhawan after the name of its owner Shanta Shumsher JB Rana, son of Juddha Shumsher JB Rana who was the prime minister during the Rana regime. It was situated at Sanepa, Lalitpur in the Kathmandu Valley. Dr Bethel Fleming, a dedicated missionary medical doctor from the USA was the founding doctor of the hospital who gave her life to the service of the sick Nepali people. She was considered a mother of missionary medical services in this country. Though the area is still called Shanta Bhawan the building is no more existed there. During that time Nepal had very few hospitals. Even in the Kathmandu Valley, there were not more than 4/5 hospitals. Shanta Bhawan was one among them. The hospital had a good name and fame nationally and internationally due to the very efficient, dedicated service of its doctors. Needless to say, the hospital was a centre of attraction to all Nepalese for good health services. Some decades ago it was amalgamated to the Patan Hospital. It is known as the Patan Hospital now.

File photo: Shanta Bhawan Hospital

Around the year 1970, the hospital opened its separate pediatric wing. During that time there was a paediatrician Dr Liane Nitsche. She was from Germany. She was single and had dedicated her life to her patients. She was not only competent but also very compassionate, kind, delightful, and beautiful. She was loved by all who met her.

A few years after the establishment of the pediatric ward, a seriously sick a 2 or 3-year-old child was admitted to the hospital. The child was a girl. Her name was Laxmi. She was very tiny, looked much younger than her age. Rather than looking at a human child, she looked like a very sick skinny baby monkey with just skin and bones. She was diagnosed with chronic tuberculosis. Dr Nitsche took care of her. Meanwhile, a very unthinkable, mysterious, strange thing happened there. The family members who were there during the admission disappeared from the scene. The hospital administration tried its best to find them. It seemed that the name and address given for the guardian were not correct. The hospital and the doctors did not know what to do. All of them were in a very difficult situation.

Dr Nitsche, being a very dedicated, compassionate physician was very much worried about the child. She gave special attention to her. From her own, she even managed a caretaker for this patient. After almost a year of care and treatment, Laxmi’s tuberculosis was cured. It was a great joy for the doctor and all concerned. It was a miracle.

At the same, there raised a great problem. Laxmi was ready to be discharged from the hospital but where would she go? No one claimed the child. There were no family members, no relatives. There was only one organization named Nepal Bal Sangathan (Nepal Children’s Organization) where the child could be sent. Placing the child there would not be easy. Many bureaucratic hurdles were sure to be encountered. Even if she was accepted there Dr Nitsche had doubts about whether Laxmi would get the proper care and attention she would need as a special vulnerable child who just recovered from a life-threatening disease. The doctor was in dismay. Her brain couldn’t work.

After struggling with much anxiety and fear she remembered her two good friends – me and my spouse Shanti Mishra — who she thought could be good counsellors for this problem. At that time I was the Deputy Registrar and Shanti was the Director (Chief Librarian) in the Tribhuvan University, the only university of the country. Both of us were known in the country because of our dedicated sincere services for the institution. To her credit, Shanti was well-known being the first woman professor, the first woman librarian and the founder of the Tribhuvan University Central Library, then the only one organized modern, model library of the country. Besides, both of us were known among the most foreign nationals and diplomats who were in services in the country, for our volunteer services wherever we were needed. Dr Nitsche had become close friends with us. We used to meet often for lunch and dinner.

The doctor met with us. After discussing the situation we reached to three points of conclusion. 1. To try to find out Laxmi’s family by different possible means; 2. To try to find a foster family; 3. For the time being Laxmi be taken by the doctor herself to her residence as she should be discharged from the hospital. Laxmi was discharged and started to live with Dr Nitsche.

Laxmi was happy with Dr Nitsche. She was not only having love and care, but she also had motherly love from her. Day by day she grew up. Her health improved very quickly. She became a cheerful charming girl. She started to call the doctor Ama (mother). She became a friend of Pragya, our only daughter. They got together often as the girls were close in age.

We tried our best to find a foster family but there was not any progress. They were also making an effort with full determination to find Laxmi’s family. We contacted several people and enquired about this every possible way. But all was in vain. The doctor and hospital staff also put their effort into it. Finally after months of dead ends one fine morning, a ray of hope appeared there. Someone gave the clue of the family to Dr Nitsche. She immediately phoned me for investigation. We were happy to help and headed to the place where we were told about.

We went to Jaishi Dewal (the place named after the name of the Hindu temple) in Kathmandu. We were aware of every corner of Kathmandu having grown up here. We knew some people around there. There was a small tea shop specializing in momos (meat dumpling love by Nepalese and tourists alike). When we entered the tea shop we were surprised to see a gentleman Shanta. Some time ago he worked in the library where we were his bosses. He happened to be the owner of the shop. This made us easier to enquire about the neighbourhood. He belonged to the same surname, the caste of Laxmi (caste system is still present in Nepal). To our delight and astonishment, Shanta knew Laxmi, her family and told them all about Laxmi’s story.

Laxmi’s house was located just in front of his shop but it was inside the courtyard which is called a choke in Nepali in Kathmandu. We were shocked to hear that Laxmi was an orphan. Her father died some years ago. Her mother passed away just a year back. She had an uncle (father’s younger brother) who was deaf and dumb. There were no other family members. In this pathetic circumstance of Laxmi’s dumb uncle, her maternal uncle came to live with them to take care of them. Unfortunately, this man too had a disability. He was missing one arm. They were very poor. They had no education. They had to work for others to meet their daily needs. Both the uncles worked doing chores and fetching water for many homes in the neighbourhood. No work meant no food for them. Often they would have to leave the child alone at home so they could go earn money for food. While living in this situation the orphan child got seriously sick. They took her to the hospital. They even thought she would not survive. They loved her but their extreme poverty did not allow them to care for her. They had no means to pay for her hospital expenses and they also had no means to take care of a sick child after bringing her home even if she survives. Thinking all about this they disappeared from the hospital. They prayed to God for her rescue. That was the truth of their leaving the sick niece in the hospital. It was such a painful story which was hard to hear. Hearing all about their unimaginable painful life and the situation we could not control our tears. We were so sad. Shanta took us to see the uncles in their house. Both of them were not at home. Asking us to wait, Shanta went out for searching them. He knew where they would be. He found them working for someone and returned with them. They requested us to help them relinquish the responsibility and obligation to their niece despite their love and affection. We assured them we would do whatever possible. We came back with a heavy heart. We did not know what to do.

We could not wait to see Dr Nitsche tell about the shocking saga. We went to see her and told her the whole episode. It was not easy for her to hear it. She became sad about it. After so many months of endeavour to discover Laxmi’s family, the hopes of returning the child to her family disappeared forever. Hopes turned to despair. How sad it was. More problems came into existence. How to help Laxmi’s family financially and how to comfort them! There seemed to be left only one option now — to try and explore for a foster family. That day we concluded our meeting with this thought.

We put our effort, strength and endeavour in this direction. Wherever we went, we went with this mission. We talked to everybody about it. We requested relatives, friends, officials we knew. Dr Nitsche also did not leave any stone unturned. Regardless of our wish and desire, nothing worked out.

Summer went and winter came. Then winter went and summer came. Many years passed. Laxmi was happier and cheerful. It seemed she completely forgot her family. She thought Dr Nitsche was her birth mother. At the same time, Dr Nitsche also became so attached to Laxmi that she hardly could think she was not her mother. They became one with two souls. It seemed that it would be impossible for them to be separate. The doctor loved her like her soul. They became mother and daughter. The doctor then decided to adopt her! Her wish was communicated to us and requested to get the legal work done for this purpose.

As I was working in the government office for some time before joining the university, I had some idea about the work, protocol, and procedures of government offices. That time Nepal had a panchayat rule, a democratic party-less political system with the king being its supreme head. I thought the Office of the Chief District Officer, Kathmandu would be the proper place to go and enquire so I went there and met the officer. After the meeting, I came to know that the only way to give the children to a foreign national for adoption was through Nepal Bal Sangathan (Nepal Children Organization). That also must be the orphan children only living and staying with them. Laxmi, not being a resident of Bal Sangathan and also still having living relatives posed an almost impossible situation for the adoption to occur. He, therefore, advised me to go to Bagmati Zonal Commissioner’s Office for help. I was in great distress. Some other day I went to that office and the answer was negative. They said as there was no law they would not be able to do anything even if they wanted to help. I was very much dismayed. I went home with that disturbing news and told to Shanti, my spouse. That day we both were so upset that we did not feel like eating or doing anything. We felt as if the door was closed for this forever. We did not know how to tell this terrible news to Dr Nitsche.

Dr Nitsche was completing her term in Nepal with only a few months remaining. How could she go back to Germany without her daughter, her soul? If she was unable to take Laxmi to Germany what would happen to Laxmi? Who would take care of her little girl? Many questions were there. Dr Nitsche and her two friends me and my spouse were very sad. We both had many sleepless nights. Dr Nitsche was willing to live in Nepal permanently for the love of her daughter. But the law of the country would not permit her to stay. What a great the problem it was. It seemed that there was no other hope except praying to the Almighty.

With heavy hearts Dr Nitschke, me and Shanti would watch Pragya and Laxmi play together. The children being so young were carefree and fortunately too young to recognize what was bothering their parents.

Me and Shanti did not lose hope. Courage, determination and perseverance were the mottoes we lived by. We spent countless hours discussing the next step. We decided to try to meet with someone at the Ministry of Home Affairs (Administration, Security, Intelligence). There we met an officer who knew us since he studied at the Trivhuvan University where we worked and was impressed by our works and services there. He remembered his fine memory of study in the library. After hearing about their mission he said that they already knew about this type of adoption problem. There were some discussions on the matter to formulate practicable laws and rules. He promised he would do whatever he could to solve the problem for which we had been trying to find a solution for so long. He gave his telephone number and asked us to keep in touch. He was such a nice and genuine person. It was an exception to find someone like him in Nepal’s government offices. Me and Shanti came back with some joy and happiness. We were thrilled to finally have some hopeful news to tell Dr Nitsche.

Me and Shanti kept close contact with the officer. The officer was trying his best to get the new adoption regulation passed. After a few months, he called us and informed that he got the regulation but for some reason, it would be temporary adoption only for 10 years. He would work for another regulation, law for permanent adoption. That was great happy news for all concerned. After this, I went on numerous trips to various offices including the municipality office, the ward office for getting the recommendations to meet the requirements of the Home Ministry. I filled out the adoption forms and submitted them to the office. Miraculously, Dr Nitsche received the approval of the adoption before she completed her period of stay in Nepal. Dr Nitsche became the first foreign national in Nepal to adopt an orphan out of Nepal Bal Sangathan. After some years the law for permanent adoption also came into existence. After completing the necessary documents, Shanti and me got the permanent adoption papers for Dr Nitsche and mailed them to her. By the grace of God, the abandoned child went to the hands of a doctor. Miraculously they became mother and daughter. Miraculously the adoption law came into existence. They left Nepal with happiness and peace. It seemed that there was an unseen hand at work.

Dr Nitsche visited Nepal three times with Laxmi. Laxmi is married now. She is working as a nurse in Germany now. Pragya, Laxmi’s playmate is working as a medical doctor, is an internist and paediatrician at Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, USA. Dr Nitsche and Shanti Mishra are no more with us now. The story of an example of an ideal doctor, whose life was to the patient, who was dedicated to her profession and who was so kind and loving to her patient without any selfish motive, always gives the inspiration to all and especially, the medical practitioners. One could see, hardly such a person in a developing country.

 The writer can be reached at: narayanshanti70@gmail.com

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