The suave child also had a word of advice for the villagers: “Don´t eat poisonous mushroom.” [break]
Gurung, his wife along with the child had reached Chaukidada for the 13th day ritual of the child´s dead parents. The army chief had taken custody of the child after both his parents died after consuming poisonous mushroom over a week ago.
Villagers envied Praja for his new found life. Ironical that the death of his parents turned out to be a blessing for the poor child, Praja now has polished mannerisms and looks clean and tidy. He also seems fearless.
“Look at Chowkman! He is the same kid with dirty black nail and ears filled with earwax. It took doctors four days to clean him up,” Gurung told villagers.
Gurung also asked the villagers not to consume wild mushroom and to maintain cleanliness. “Be careful, keep your homes and village clean and eat healthy food,” he suggested to the villagers.
“He may not even recognize us when he grows up,” said Praja´s grandmother Sansari, 73. “I wish he returns to the village as a great man in future.” She, however, said she would not give Praja´s six-month old brother to anyone´s care.
When news about Praja´s arrival spread in the village, the entire village had gathered at a local school to have a look at the child. “He has totally changed. Had he stayed in the village, he would have looked like one of us,” said Maya Gharti, a local.
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