Nepal has some serious records to share to our global family. No, it’s not only the tallest mountain, deepest gorge, highest lake, or the smallest man http://bit.ly/2DI0EPh…. But we also hold the record of longest serving staff, happiest amongst us all, and probably the most smiley face in Restless. Yes, she is serving 25th year of her nonstop service to Restless Development. This is her silver jubilee year which also coincides with my silver jubilee marriage anniversary. I wish to celebrate these twin silver jubilees, but for now I want to talk about Madam Moda.
Yes Madam Moda, that is how she is respectfully called in all Ministries, government offices and our partners in Nepal. As soon as she will enters the government offices, she gets the privilege of special seat, tea is served, and our files comes out from the huge piles to the top. There are ‘special languages’ our bureaucrats/diplomats speak in Nepal, and she knows all these phrases by heart. Usually better than our bureaucrats themselves. Every sort of liaising or approvals from the government she has done without single hiccup. This doesn’t mean that our bureaucracies are all that easy. In government policies, they always claim to make it simpler by adding new processes. For example to obtain a visa, she used to follow-up 14 offices and 34 desks. And Moda is always updated and well versed with all these systems, formalities, processes, and the people. More so, she is sought by many other organizations for her advice and expertise. She has provided many free ‘consultancies’ for member INGOs, when I served as the elected Treasurer/Secretary of AIN www.ain.org.np
Now, let me reintroduce to you my inspiration in Restless. Madam Moda is officially, Mrs. Moda Dhakal, 46, with husband and no dependents because her only child, a daughter, got married some 2 years back. So being an ‘empty nest’ mother, she spend more time in office/outside than in her home. In every successful woman there is a great man! I want to believe this. Moda is always been supported by her devote husband. He is a head teacher and is about my age so we have been mutual admirers since long time.
Moda joined Schools Partnership Worldwide in 1992 in a very modest role. She was the ‘Receptionist cum # 2’, with a diverse role from housekeeping, to maintaining external relationships to deputizing the CD. Since that time she never had her own office room because she has been handling the front desk ever since we knew. I met her first time in June 1999 when I was called for a written test for my CD’s roles. She gave me 50 minutes instead of 1 hour for the exam, and counted my computing arrangements. So my first impression on her was that she is a strict secretary. Over the time I experienced all her beautiful personality and attributes which I will try to describe here.
Keep calm and wear a beaming smile just like the Buddha! That’s what she does. Being in the front desk, she encounters every sort of people, and sometimes even angry, nervous, anxious, demanding visitors. Her soft voice, cheerful smile, and her friendly nature solves 50% of the problems. She screens almost all of our external calls and most of the queries are dealt by herself. She is a bank of information and the biggest institutional memories.
Madam Moda, is a real survivor. She endured 10 CD including my two terms. Supported me in each changes and initiatives. She supported us in big turbulences including a court case against Restless. I left Restless in June 2006 till December 2010. During this period, her salary was reduced by 40% as a part of a “structural adjustment”. She remained peaceful and untouched with all these adjustments. When I came back in Dec 2010, literally I was left with a programme coordinator (Nara), 2 short-term consultant volunteers from UK, and 3 months budget and of course MODA. I remember when she welcomed me back, she gave me a garland, a home-made sweets and the warm hug saying, ‘you can do it, bro!’ And we did it, yes, we did it together.
In every government evaluations, in every MoUs with the partners, in every difficult negotiations with the government, she has been in the front line, keeping me safely as the ‘trump card’ in all those negotiations. She might had saved my 1000s of hours by taking over many of my difficult dealings with the ‘external partners’. And she has never demanded any credit for all these successful negotiations. She had groomed so many volunteers to become interns, officers, managers and even becoming her boss and our new CD. With all her modesty and humility, she has always enjoyed that upbringing, and never had personality clash with any of her bosses.
I feel we have under-acknowledged her, but she deserves much better. For the person who had devoted ‘quarter century’ and mean 25 years of her life in Restless with incomparable devotion, I think she deserve a ‘life time achievement award’. We don’t have such reward, the only ‘reward trip’ she has done was when she represented Nepal with a Ministry’s Officer in Rajib Gandhi Youth Congress in India. That’s all. I feel guilty about this. I wish I can bring her in East Africa to share her wisdom. Perhaps, our UNR/FCR/WW can support! J.
So, guys this is my wish: If I am ever given a charge to do Madam Tussauds Museum in Nepal, I will first order to make Madam Moda’s status. And I will place in the main gate who will welcome all the guests with the calm, warm and cheerful smile!
28 January 2018, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
From Craig Ferla (former Tanz CD’s) home.
Photo credit to our colleague Manish (during Moda’s Daughter wedding).
Ravindra Writes 