Topi is one of my favorite Nepali indie bands. Wait, every band in Nepal is independent. I mean, there are no labels here. Is there any? Anyway, you get my point. And their song ‘Rang Haru’ is my feel-good song, the song that helps me cheer up when I feel blue.
The band — the duo of Pramithus Khadka and Rohit Shakya — recently came up with their new track ‘Saas’ which is inspired by Khadka’s friend who had a lung transplant. It’s basically her story of what she went through until she finally found a kind donor.
“We went to the same school but never met. Years later, I was lucky to meet her in person. We talked a bit about family, life, her daughter”, he wrote on Facebook as he shared the song online. “She needed oxygen tanks to support her breathing then, she was waiting for a double lung transplant. She found a match thanks to a listed organ donor. She was able to spend more time with her loved ones, help others and raise awareness about organ donation. This is her story.”
“Aaram gardai gareko sirani,
Thorai aansu sosdai chha,
Kamjor hudai gayeko yo sarir,
Ferne anga kurdai chha,
Lakhau ma ek sambhawana,
Aaja mero bidambana.“
As soon as I heard the description (and the song), I realized it’s about the person I knew as well and to confirm it, I asked Pramithus. And yes, it is about her. I am not sure if I want to mention her name here as she is not around anymore. We never met but we used to talk on Facebook. She had been suffering from a progressive disease called scleroderma, which attacked her immune system and scar tissue filled her lungs, depriving her of oxygen. And after waiting for a year, she had the transplant in 2016 which gave her an opportunity to spend a couple of more years with her loved ones until she passed away last year at age 31.
She did read my blogs and one of the last conversations we had in 2017 was her suggesting me to have a health segment. “Could you also do health segments? There are so many young people in Nepal with health issues, both visible and invisible. I want people to open up and mostly connect”, she had said. “People take it as taboo to get sick which is very harmful and mostly end up having untimely deaths. So more like an awareness.”
A wonderful person she was. I just want to say one thing. Do not take anyone who loves you for granted, especially your parents and family. You’re gonna regret it when they’re not around. And be kind, be kind to everyone. Life’s too short to hurt others.
