Celebration Held in Balen’s Ancestral Village with Distribution of Five Quintals of Sweets

Janakpurdham, Chaitra 13 – On Friday afternoon at 2:30 pm, villagers in Ekdara along the Jaleshwar-Samsi road gathered carrying sweets in their hands.

Pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, buses, and tractors traveling along the road were stopped, and each traveler was given a laddu (mung bean sweet). The villagers busily handed out sweets, spreading delight.

The villagers appeared joyful and excited. This celebration marked the occasion of Rashwapak’s senior leader Balendra Sah ‘Balen’ becoming Prime Minister.

This is Balen’s ancestral village. On Friday at 12:34 pm, Balen took his oath of office and secrecy from President Ramchandra Paudel and assumed the role of Prime Minister.

Youth Dinesh Bhandari, distributing sweets, said, ‘This is a celebration for our village’s Balen becoming Prime Minister. Since 12:30 pm, we have been distributing laddus like this. We are sweetening the faces of travelers.’

Balen used to visit his ancestral home in his childhood. At that time, villagers would play with him, and once he was old enough, he played alongside the village children.

Among those distributing sweets was 75-year-old local Nur Mohammad Nadaf. He said, ‘Balen was born here. His becoming Prime Minister is a matter of pride for us. That’s why we are celebrating with sweets. We are very happy.’ He also emphasized the need for Balen to address farmers’ problems.

Manohar Mahto, handing out sweets, expressed confidence that issues would gradually be resolved now that Balen is Prime Minister. ‘He is our village youth Prime Minister. He knows what needs to be done,’ he said.

Local Maheshwar Bhandari said he never imagined Balen would become Prime Minister but is now encouraged by it. He hopes that farmers’ problems will be addressed to some extent and that agriculture-based livelihoods will be easier.

‘We never thought Balen would become Prime Minister,’ he said. ‘We need a cremation ground and irrigation channels. We cannot do much else; irrigation helps production.’

The decision to distribute sweets in Balen’s ancestral village was made last Monday. According to local Vinod Sah, ten villagers convened that day.

‘We knew Balen was becoming Prime Minister and discussed what to do next. We agreed to distribute sweets and celebrate like during Diwali,’ he noted. ‘Ten of us decided to distribute sweets, arranged to make five quintals of sweets, and are distributing them today with everyone’s support.’

While handing out sweets, people also shouted slogans like “Long Live Balen” and “Victory to Ghanti.” A young man held a banner featuring Balen’s village Ekdara and the picture of Ujjwal Jha, a winner from Rashwapak.

Today, the sweets were kept at Balen’s own house. By 2:30 pm, over half of the sweets had already been distributed.

Residents expect the new Balen government to implement effective work in employment, education, health, and irrigation sectors.

In another neighborhood, Satyanarayan Sah also distributed sweets. The village celebrated happily by throwing colors and powder.

While villagers celebrated, Balen’s ancestral home, located about 100 meters north, appeared quiet in the afternoon. The Ekdara Rural Municipality office operates from his house. Although Ram Navami was a public holiday, the office remained open due to scheduled programs. Chief Administrative Officer Ramji Joshi, whom we met at the office, said that they would light lamps in the evening.

‘This is Balenji’s ancestral home. His becoming Prime Minister and having the office here is a pride for us. Some staff are still here today. We will celebrate by lighting lamps in the evening,’ he said.

They lit lamps to celebrate Diwali. Balen’s family has not lived long-term in the house for decades. His grandfather Munilal lived here but passed away ten years ago. His eldest brother and Balen’s father, Dr. Ramnarayan Sah, also passed away last Mangsir (November/December).

Ramnarayan had four brothers – engineer Satyanarayan Sah, Jeetnarayan Sah, and the youngest Lalbabu Sah. After going abroad for studies, they built homes outside but visit regularly.

After federalism was implemented, the Ekdara Rural Municipality office was established in his house. The office continues to operate here. Joshi said the office is maintained as a support service with minimal fees.

More than 50 bighas of land belonging to Balen’s estate remain in the village. Most of the land is utilized by locals, who also benefit from Balen’s property.