Behind the red scarf lies a wrinkle-faced woman with dark eyes, slightly pointed nose and a sandalwood tika on her forehead. The tip of the scarf covers her mouth. Maili,a 60-year-old woman from Kavre, has been tailoring near the Dabali at Hadigaun. It has been two years since she came to Kathmandu. However, she started tailoring there from the past year. “Since childhood, I have been tailoring with my parents and family in my village. We were family of three daughters including me, my father, mother and our only brother. I did not marry. I used to work with my brother. He had a son and a daughter. He passed away. I could not bear the loss of my only brother. I did not want to stay in that place. So I came here,” said Maili. She often takes clothes and gifts when she goes back home for festivals. “When I was a child, I used to carry a radio. It was fun. Now I am not bothered about the past. Life moves on,” said Maili.
Souls of My City: Life behind the red scarf
