TEARFUL MEMORIES
By Big
Pat
She had
the loveliest smile. And a heart-warming soul.
On
Monday, March 11, memories of the incredible warmth of her friendship returned
in an endless flood of tears for disbelieving friends gathered in a small
office in Port Moresby.
Halfway
around the world, as rescue workers sifted through the burnt out remains of the
Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737, which crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa,
tearful friends remembered the life of wandering soul and former workmate of
Nepalese origin Ekta Adhikari.
Ms
Adhikari was named as the only Nepalese national killed in the crash, which
claimed the lives of 157 passengers and crew. The UN was also mourning the loss
of Ekta and several more staff who were on the ill-fated flight.
Before moving
to Addis Ababa, Ekta, as she was popularly known, spent 3 months with the
United Nations World Food Program in Port Moresby as the Information Management
Officer.
She was
attached to the Emergency Disaster Coordination team and coordinated the
delivery of relief supplies to Hela last year and other disasters in PNG.
Media and
Logistics Officer with the Disaster Controller's Office, Ms Martha Sere was in
tears when she heard the news.
Ms Sere
shared on her FB page a picture of her towering over Ekta both in Port Moresby.
The sad painful caption asked: "This photo was
taken on the evening we had your farewell party. The ONLY person who visited me
when I had the terrible incident last year and couldn't leave the house. The
one person I've seen face my boss without fear! You always told me I shouldn't
walk beside you because I made you look so small. While I told you about Pom
and PNG you told me about Nepal and how busy it gets and the best times to
visit. I had (sic) about the plane crash but didn't think you were on board.
Forever in my heart my colleague, friend and sister.
Ms Sere said
of her late friend: "I only got to know her for 3 months. We worked on a
few earthquake related projects. She was the information management officer for
the World Food program at that time.
"We
were not just colleagues but friends and sisters as well.
"Yes,
she was very sweet. A spark in our lives."
The late
Ms Adhikari was described as an outgoing person full of life and beautiful at heart.
Her FB Page, last updated in December 2018, shows her travelling in Paris,
France and in heartfelt moments with her family.
In one
she hugs her dad Kaji Babu Adhikari and wishes him 'Happy Father's Day.' In
another, she smiles vividly posing in a mother daughter hug with her mum.
Coming
from the famous Himalaya Region - home of Mount Everest, she enjoyed cultural
exchange and meeting new people.
Although
she spoke little of her upbringing in Nepal, Ms Sere remembers: "She
didn't say much about her village or town but spoke about the monsoons that
flooded Nepal and told us how her country was good for trekking, sightseeing
and mountaineering when the skies were clear."
Ms Sere
said during her time in country, Ekta loved cooking PNG style, especially with
veggies and fish.
Ekta was
too busy with her work but before her farewell to Africa, she joined staff for
a send-off at Lamana in a memorable night.
As for
PNG's signature nut, Ekta thought that was just too much 'blood like juice' and
utterly disgusting.
"We
told her about 'buai' but she never liked it," a sad Ms Sere said.
In
memory of an unforgettable sister . . Ekta.
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