Senior citizen surviving on stones

Jagadish Bhattarai

PALPA: Incredible it may appear, but Bal Bahadur Sunari of Bakamalang VDC-5 in Palpa has been surviving by dining on stones for the past 15 years.

Supposedly in his eighties, the angular toothless person grinds stones and eats its powder when he gets hungry. He, however, does not intend to set any world record - it is a sheer compulsion of the poor old man. "Without strength for work, I collect Chiuredhunga to eat," Bal Bahadur, who lives by himself, said. He takes shelter in a forest hut and has no utensils. "I like the rock. It has also got medicinal value," he shared. His family members live in the village, though. Bal Bahadur laments that he was cast out by his kin.

Having lived in the forest for long, he hardly recognises his relatives, who come to visit him. "All we can do is sympathise with him, seeing him at this old age. He refuses to accept it when one offers clothes and food items," said Ram Prasad Khatri, a local. Bal Bahadur does not know how old he is. He got his hand fractured when he fell off a cliff some days back.

"Even my own people turned their back to me when I cannot contribute significantly to fulfill the family needs," he laments. "I pass the night sitting by a fire."

According to Min Bahadur Ale, a local, Bal Bahadur cannot afflict pain on others. "I would persuade the old man's relatives to take him home if I knew them," he regretted.