(Part 1/3) “It was only when I was four or five, father and mother put me in school which required a uniform. The time I was there, I did not fail a single time. During those days, Father and Mother would frequent India for work and they took me along with them. I had no say and I had to discontinue school and leave my village and friends behind. It made me really sad. I was liking school and my friends were fun boys and girls. In India, I had to work. I was very young, maybe 2 feet in height. I washed pots and pans in tea shops and eateries. I hated it. I wanted to go back to school. I wanted to play. I wanted new books and I wanted my friends to be with me. That year I was sad. Sad like a grown-up would be. But the lights and the glitter of the city had also charmed me. The buildings, the cars, the markets were something that I would not see back home. But still, I would tell my Father every day that I was not happy and that I did not want to wash dishes. I showed him my calloused hand. He ignored my plea. Mother kept silent. I would pressure father every day and cry to him. Maybe he had enough and one day he woke me up, threw me a bag and said, “Pack up your things, I am taking you back to the village.” I was the happiest child in the world. Going back home meant friends, food, school, and fun. Going back meant no more dishes. But I was sad to leave the city. I knew I would miss it.

I rejoined school in the 4th grade. But things did not turn out the way I had wanted. I started missing the city. The scarcity in the village was not something that I had thought about. I realised I had become accustomed to the ways of the city. I had learned to find happiness in the hustle and bustle of the city. My mind was already filled with the desires of the city and the prosperity it presented. Eating good food, wearing good clothes, putting on powder and cream had become my habit. But I was back and I had to stay. Father and mother would return when they could not find work in India and they would break stones by the river bed. They would take me with them but I was not happy. I did not want to be poor. I did not want to break stones.`
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Stories of Nepal x Health Foundation Nepal