Never trust an artist for they will make you believe in something that’s not real. That’s what Adarsha Mishra had been doing for last couple of years. The standup comic made us all believe that the funny man was a happy man even though what he had been going through was devastating. Yep, he is a conman.
Who would’ve thought that behind that happy and funny face hides a helpless son’s distress that has been struggling to achieve a goal — to keep his father alive. But he failed. He failed because he doesn’t come from a family that has strong political and influential connections. His father, Binod Mishra, was an honest man — a headmaster at a school who always taught his students to be kind and honest, and always be a good citizen while he himself was fighting against a corrupt and unfair system that is neither kind or honest and doesn’t care for its citizens no matter how good they have been.
The last few weeks had been some of the toughest ones for the Mishra family as Binod sir, a kidney patient who needed dialysis on a regular basis, also caught covid, making it even more difficult to recieve the needed treatment in the middle of this pandemic. To make things worse, National Medical College — where he had been getting dialysis from for the last four years — denied him the treatement, referring him to Narayani Hospital where the conditions were no better as the two dialysis machines for the COVID infected patients were out of order.
Binod sir breathed his last on Tuesday morning.
There could be a whole different story for him if he could get that kidney transplant that could change his life. His wife’s sister was ready to donate her kidney but according to Adarsha, it could not go as planned as his aunt’s Indian nationality barred her from being eligible to donate the organ.
But that seems to be just a misinformation conveyed by the hospital management. “As far as I know there is no law that prevents a foreigner to donate kidney if they are the sibling of your mother. If that was the reason why this transplantation was denied then there a sure and certain case against the authority who denied this transplantation”, writes lawyer Rastra Timalsena, who is also a YouTuber.
MeroAdda, a law related online portal, further clarifies that any close relative — regardless of their nationality — can donate an organ.
Adarsha has been speaking up about the hospital management and the government lately, trying to expose them and making people aware of what’s going on.
The most heartbreaking video from him came on Wednesday as he announced his father’s death. An emotional Adarsha told the world what his father meant to the society and how he had always been someone who always tried to do good for everyone.
“A lot of people have now been saying that wherever Adarsha’s father is, he is happy knowing that he is known by his son’s name — Binod Mishra, father of Aadarhsa Mishra, but it’s not like that. You might not know my father but he is way more popular than I am. I have appeared on television but still the people in this area know him more than myself. I am still known as Binod Mishra’s son.”
“If you go to a shop and tell them that a medicine is needed for Binod sir, nobody will ask for money. That’s the kind of trust he had built.” He continues speaking proudly of his father who had such a major impact in the society.
The ten-minute video has Adarsha talking about his father, the institutions and people who are to be blamed for his death, his mother’s depression and the commitment to fight against the injustice once he is done with the rituals.
It is one of many stories that take place every single day in all corners of the country but most of those voices remain unheard. Adarsha has a voice and I hope that the people responsible are brought to justice; and I hope we keep raising our voice against the corrupt system and not just for a day or two just because it’s what’s trending on social media.
Rest in peace, Binod sir!
