Nepal, Sept. 12 -- The dice of fate had never rolled in Bire's favour. His insatiable appetite for gambling had finally consumed the last vestiges of his inheritance.

When Bire announced his intention to seek fortune in Kathmandu, Chhabilal, Bire's elder brother, did not intervene. He simply watched his brother disappear over the horizon, knowing that some journeys must be undertaken alone.

Kathmandu greeted Bire with its characteristic chaos-a cacophony of honking vehicles and the ceaseless rhythm of survival. Bire found himself among the daily wage labourers who gathered at construction sites. He worked hard under the scorching sunlight. He carried bricks and mixed cement under the unforgiving sun, trying to adjust to the new environm...