Sanjeev from Fiji visits provenance of family line, meets relatives in Nepal

Bhaktapur, Nov 10: “Though I was born in Fiji, Nepal is my ancestral home- my true provenance - I feel both proud and humbled to be the first member of my family in five generations to return to this sacred soil.” These heartfelt words from Sanjeev Kumar Gharti filled the hall of Rafat Sanchar Club in Bhaktapur with emotion.

Sanjeev went on to share that he intended to take a handful of soil from his ancestral home back to Fiji and place it in his family’s prayers' room. His voice trembled with emotion.

It was some 132 years back his forefathers had journeyed to Fiji in search of employment. His great-great-grandmother, Kalu Singh, had reached there in 1892, and since then, the family had settled and flourished far from their homeland.

At a family reunion programme held in his honor, Sanjeev expressed how truly fortunate he felt to finally stand on the land of his ancestors. “Now,” he said, “I have realized the true worth of family bonds and the love of relatives.”

Sanjeev’s long-awaited journey to Nepal was made possible through the dedicated efforts of world cyclists Bhagat Khatri and Ajay Mishra. Mishra shared, “During our world bicycle tour, we met Sanjeev in Fiji while we were en route to Australia. During that meeting, he spoke with great yearning about reuniting with his relatives in Nepal. After a year of continuous effort, his dream has finally come true.”

He met his uncle Jaya Bahadur Gharti and relative Rashmi GC and several other family line who reside in Chitwan . 

After spending ten days in Nepal, Sanjeev said he will return to Fiji, carrying home not only the soil of his ancestors but also a heart full of memories. “When I go back,” he said, “I will take with me the priceless memories of meeting my relatives and the overwhelming joy of stepping once on the soil of my motherland.” (RSS)