An unforgettable vacation - The Chautara Attack.
14 yrs ago, on this day Chautara (Sindhupalchowk) was attacked. I must have been 14, my sisters 12 & 9.

We were there for vacation after final exams, to spend time together as a family since dad was posted as there as district head. It was after dinner & I was playing TT while dad & army uncles were playing badminton in the office front yard. Exactly 8.55 pm, we heard guns firing.

I was rushed into a building nearby by dad’s bodyguard. My sisters were in the toilet. What an impeccable poop timing. Mom was alone in the quarter unaware of what was happening. She was watching TV thinking it was just one of the demo-firings that happened once in few weeks.

Well, it was not. We were surrounded by Maoists & we’re getting ruthlessly attacked. Someone was sent to fetch my sisters & Cook dai was sent to the quarter to fetch my mom. And, my badass mom came with a rifle in her hand because she thought, well we would need it right?

We stayed in the building sitting on the floor, crouching all night so at-least the bullets wouldn’t hit us through the windows. As soon as the firing had started, Dad had to rush to lead the firing defence. He didn't get to say a word to us.

The office was less than 100 m away from the building we were in & dad was in the office terrace with a mike - commanding the police force what to do, where to fire & so on. Bombs blasting, guns firing & my dad’s commands through the mic were all that could be heard that night.

The very first one to get injured was dad’s bodyguard, the dai I was playing TT with when the firing started. Lucky, he was only hit by a splinter of the bomb in the head. It could have gotten real worse.

We along with few other people, stayed in that building all night waiting for it to end. I don’t remember being scared for my life, or being scared of the noise, the firing, nothing. I somehow was sure that all of us in that building were safe. Maybe because we were together.

All I was worried about was the voice in the mic, for I knew that at any moment, that voice could cease. Soon we got few more casualties brought into the room. One was hit by a bullet in the leg. The others, I don't even remember now.

I didn’t panic but it just reminded me of the real dangers that lay outside surrounding my dad. This was not a training session, shit was real. The Maoists were there, not to scare but to kill.

Even though the night was filled with noise of gun firings & bomb blasts, all I felt between the pauses when dad wasn’t commanding, was dead silence. I folded my hands, praying all night, & only when I heard my dad’s voice every now & then, I could breathe with a sense of relief.

No words are enough to describe how it feels being in that spot, where you know your loved one is out there in the worst danger you can imagine and all you can do is wait for the shit-storm to pass. All I could do was pray hard all night till I couldn't feel my hands anymore.

All of us were waiting for it to end. But it didn’t end soon. Continuous 9.5 hours or so of riot. As the sun rose, the firing started to get thinner. Maoists had given up & were leaving the area.

When the morning was all clear & sunlit, we walked with dad & uncles to each police & army post in the perimeter. To my surprise, like in movies, some were singing songs boosting up their courage & motivating self. I felt so happy , so proud to see the smiling singing heroes.

Army uncles asked us if we were scared all night. My dad didn’t. I knew he knew that we were not. He has always known his daughters well. Instead of going home to rest, I & the middle one were hungry for more adventure instead.

We tagged along with dad & uncles to search all the areas for bombs & dead bodies left by Maoists. They had managed to carry heaps with them, I guess to hide the real number of casualties. The ones they couldn’t take, they had buried. Only few lay dead, left on the ground.

Unfortunately, few civilians also lost their life hit by Maoist bullets. I feel terribly sorry for all the innocent blood that was shed that night on both sides. Fortunately, there were no officers dead from the night. Few were injured but with no life threatening injuries.

And I don’t know if I can ever fathom how blessed we were/are as a family to have survived that night without no injuries & no trauma. We went along with the rest of the day as if nothing had happened.

Now as I recall that incident, I take it as a reminder of how fragile life is, what a blessing it is to get to see a brand new day, & to know your loved ones are doing okay