Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: A remote village in northern Gorkha bade farewell to a veteran teacher with an honor rarely seen in Nepal: a helicopter ride back home.
Locals of Runchet in Dharche Rural Municipality-2 chartered a helicopter to give Indra Uparkoti a dignified send-off on Tuesday in recognition of his 38-year service to the village.
Uparkoti, a founding teacher and former headmaster of Gandaki Secondary School, began teaching in 1989 and oversaw the school’s rise from primary level to full secondary status.
The school produced Dharche’s best Secondary Education Examination (SEE) results in its very first examination year. Villagers, former students, and the school community pooled small donations—mostly between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000—to cover the helicopter and onward flight costs.
Uparkoti and his wife were flown to Kathmandu on the chartered helicopter. They then took the flight to his hometown of Bharatpur, also arranged by the villagers.
An emotional Uparkoti thanked the community, saying he had received an honour he had “never imagined or heard of” in his life.
