CHITWAN: A German woman was wandering around in the Pulchok street of Narayangadh.

Around 4 PM on the evening of October 22, auto rickshaw driver Aakash Aryal, who was observing this scene, politely asked the young woman, ‘What problem do you have? Can I help you in any way?’

However, the young woman snapped and said, ‘No! No! Please leave me alone.’

After making 6-7 rounds and becoming tired, the young woman approached Aryal and began to sob uncontrollably.

The young woman, who had traveled from Kathmandu to visit Sauraha, had accidentally left a bag on the microbus while getting off, which contained important items including an iPad.

She had two bags. One on the seat and the other in the rear trunk (luggage compartment). While taking out the bag from the trunk, she forgot to take the bag on the seat. Confused by this, she shared her problem with Aryal.

Aryal says, “After she cried and explained the problem, I took her to the hotel in Sauraha and set out to search for the bag. It took a lot of inquiry to locate that microbus. Finally, the bag was returned. I delivered the bag to the hotel where she was staying.”

After the bag was returned, the young woman sent a message to Aryal: ‘I want to meet you when I return to Narayangadh.’

Following that, the young woman met not only Aryal but also his family and stayed as a guest at his house for one night.

Aryal with German tourist. Photo: Aryal’s Facebook

Since it was the time of the Tihar festival, Aryal took the young woman to see the Deusi Bhailo (a lively Tihar tradition that brings people together through songs, dance, and blessings shared from house to house) program being held on stage. He says, “While enjoying the Deusi Bhailo, she even scattered money.”

Their relationship did not stop there. The young woman also conversed with Aryal’s parents in Thori of Parsa district via video call. Aryal has also spoken similarly with the foreign youth’s parents.

Aryal says, “Both of our parents were happy.”

It is said that happiness spreads like moss. Many people are connected to this happiness.

Aryal, who is active on social media, publicly released a video of his first meeting with the 22-year-old German young woman, the help he provided, and the activities of inviting her home for a meal. Following this, Aryal is being praised widely on social media.

He states that his Facebook followers increased by 12,000 after the incident. On TikTok, more than 6,000 people follow him. The number of people who called him just to express thanks is also not small.

Aryal’s identity and fame are not limited to this. The driver, who operates the electric auto rickshaw with registration number 2839, has long established a reputation as a philanthropic driver in the Bharatpur area. For eight months, he has been providing free transportation to cancer patients and their relatives to the hospital.

To provide this service, he has allocated a specific time: every day, except Saturday, from 7 AM to 10 AM. He says he provides free service to an average of 15 to 16 people, often traveling back and forth to the cancer hospital at least five to seven times daily.

Aryal, whose permanent residence is in Thori Rural Municipality Ward No. 1 of Parsa, has made Bharatpur his workplace. After starting to drive a rickshaw in the Narayangadh market area eight years ago, he met many patients commuting to the cancer hospital. Until then, he didn’t even know that cancer was a fatal disease. After he started driving the rickshaw, he closely experienced the distress of cancer patients and their relatives. He also listened to and understood the stories of the patients’ suffering and hardship.

Aakash Aryal

Seeing the difficulty faced by patients coming from far away who went hungry to save even a small amount of money, he always felt a desire to help them somehow. “I myself am a person born into a poor family and living life through hardship. I am still struggling,” he says. “I couldn’t do anything else but help by taking the elderly and those in distress to the hospital for free.”

After providing help occasionally, eight months ago, he made a public announcement and set a fixed time. Since then, he has established an identity as a rickshaw driver who provides free service to cancer patients in the Bharatpur city area.

When he calls for passengers, announcing free service, many happily board his rickshaw. However, some hesitate to board just because it’s free. They only trust him once the other passengers board. Then, after getting off, they say, ‘You are doing a very good job. Thank you very much!’

After completing his SLC (School Leaving Certificate), he had a love marriage and used to help his father with tailoring work in Thori. However, the financial pressure increased after marriage, and he moved to Chitwan in search of additional opportunities. Initially, he also worked as a tailor there. After that, he worked as a welder until one day his wife suggested, ‘Would it be more profitable to buy a rickshaw and start your own work?’

He took the advice and bought a rickshaw, and the earnings were good. Three years ago, he bought a house by combining his savings with a loan.

The three hours a day Aryal allocates to helping patients is a time when his earnings are usually good. He says, “Morning earnings are good, but I drive the rickshaw for free in the morning. It’s not because I have a lot of money; it’s out of a service spirit to do some good work.”

Aryal, a father of a 5-year-old son, is under pressure to work extra hard in the afternoon and evening to compensate for the loss of morning income. He regrets having to face some obstacles amidst this pressure.

“People get jealous even when you do good work. When I carried free passengers, some people threatened me. Some said this kind of work won’t achieve anything. They even told me, ‘How long can you do it for free? Give it up,'” he says. “I have even had to bear the stress of those who said they wouldn’t let me drive the rickshaw after 10 AM.”

Aryal with a passenger. Photo: Aryal’s Facebook

Regardless of what people say, he remains dedicated to his work.

Patients and their relatives understand the value of his help. People with good hearts openly praise his work, even from afar. The biggest thing is that he has received full support from his mother, father, wife, and brother. He says, “I have reached this point not because I have a lot of money, but because of the support of my family.”

Driving an auto rickshaw, enduring the cold, heat, dust, smoke, and rain, is challenging in itself. Furthermore, Aryal has experienced rickshaw accidents and even rickshaw theft. He recounts, “Once, they even stole the auto rickshaw and then pushed it off a cliff in Dhading, completely wrecking it.”

Nevertheless, his family has been sustained by this auto rickshaw for eight years. According to Aryal, the blessings given by the elderly after receiving his free service are a great asset to him. Perhaps it was to receive those blessings that, despite getting a visa to go to Dubai, he did not leave Bharatpur.

Aryal, who has increased his activity on social media recently, has also made it a means to collect blood, money, and other assistance for patients. This has also increased the number of people who praise him and those who help patients through him.

He says this has boosted his energy to do more good work. “Good work seems to spread a good message. Some people in Bharatpur knew me as the person who helps cancer patients,” he says. “After helping a foreign citizen, the message that Nepalis are honest has spread even abroad.”