KATHMANDU, 

On the fringe of the historic Patan Durbar Square throngs a crowd of pani puri lovers. A big signboard reads Mangal Bazzar Hygienic Pani Puri in the Town in front of a stone water spout on the durbar square premises.

Maila Tamang—at a tender age of 10, he could otherwise be in elementary school—is busy preparing countless pani puris (hollow wafers, fried crisp and packed with a mixture of water, tamarind paste, chili powder, chaat masala and potatoes) for customers avidly waiting to savour the spicy delicacy.

His little hands work swiftly to prepare pani puri, mixing boiled potatoes and other ingredients to be stuffed into the puris before they are dipped in spicy water. Tamang hails from Khadichaur in Sindhupalchowk and is not sure about his own age. When dropped out of school as a fifth grader, his parents said: “You need not study.”

“A close friend urged me to accompany him to Kathmandu and I landed here,” he said.

Prior to working in Lalitpur, Tamang did odd jobs like a butcher boy and dishwasher in Banepa and Bhaktapur. He has been in the pani puri business for the past one year.

His family comprises his father, mother and two brothers. The elder brother works somewhere in Kathmandu as an unskilled labourer, while his parents are engaged in agriculture in the village with their youngest son.

Poverty brought him to the Capital with a need to support his family at this tender age. At six in the morning, he has to be at work. After cleaning the shop, he bakes puris. Around 10 am, his stall is equipped with all the ingredients of pani puri. Sometimes he attends to his shop until 11 at night. Tamang works seven days a week except when his employer shuts the shop once a month or two. “It depends on their business,” said Tamang, referring to his employer.

Tamang is unaware of and unconcerned about his future, or personal life. Asked whether he enjoys life in Kathmandu or in village, he said, “Life here is fine. But if I were in the village I would be roaming around and playing with friends.” Tamang’s employer pays him Rs 3,500 per month, which he saves honestly and sends back home. This Dashain, he is eagerly waiting to visit his village and plans to buy clothes for his younger brother. He also feels proud of his work. “I can

earn and buy things for my brother, and my parents are happy with me,” he said.

Asked what he would like to be in future, he said, “I don’t know it now. I would know it when I grow up.” He seems to be enjoying his work though it startles customers to see such a young boy working in top gear. Tamang doesn’t complain about his workload or misbehaviour of his employer. He is content to trade his future at Rs 3,500 per month.

The law provides for the protection of juveniles and employing a juvenile is an offence. But regulations are limited to law books. That is why Maila Tamangs toil to support selves and families everywhere in the country.