Nepal, Jan. 26 -- It was already a new year, but nothing had changed; the same chill was still in the air. This part of the city often remains very busy. When you walk out in the evening, roads are packed with cars, buses and motorbikes. People aimlessly meander on the footpaths, and all the tea shops are filled with people gossiping and laughing about everything they've seen or heard throughout the day.

They were sitting in one of the corners of the tea shop when Bijay glanced outside. A pair of small houseplants with planters were hanging on each side of a window. He was suddenly daydreaming, the picture of home floating around his mind. "What's going on these days at home?" Bijay asked Suraj.

"Not much, everything is ordinary, only t...