“I remember when the first road came to my village. It was the first time anyone had seen a bulldozer …
“My mother was only 25 when father died in India. I was 18 months old. She was left with me …
“I was born with problems in my legs. And when I was growing up I broke both my hands. The …
“I started working from when I was 8. When father could not send me to school, I decided it was …
“My father was an alcoholic so money was always a problem in our house. After the 4th grade, I had …
What was the happiest moment of your life? “When my daughters got married.” What was the saddest moment of your …
“I have observed my father’s life very keenly. I remember him telling me how he had migrated from India for …
“I am 75 years old and I have been dragging this cart for the last 43 years. It was work …
“When my father remarried after my mother died, my stepmother took all my books and pencils from me and said, …
“My father has a slight mental problem. He can do everything a normal man can. He even works in the …
(2/2) “In Malaysia, we were almost like slaves. You talk when you are told. You sit when you are told …
(1/2) “Mother and father tell me that they had decided to bring us to this town because they did not …
Today, I travelled to Gumthang, Sindhupalchowk and went goat and buffalo shopping for Ramri Didi. Together, we brought home 12 …
“Recently he had to undergo an operation. After he received a vaccination, his leg began to swell and he would …
“Today is the happiest day in my life. I never thought my son would be going to a boarding school …
“When mother died, I had to borrow money from the landlord for the funeral rites which are very elaborate and …
“We don’t have our own farmland so both my husband and I work in someone else’s land growing black cardamom. …
“When I was 8 years old, one morning, I could not get out of bed. There was a very deep …
“I am returning home after 3 months in Terai. Every year I collect herbs and medicines from the mountains and …
“When someone builds a new house, we take gifts to them. It’s customary. So a member of the family has …
“One day a man came running and told me that my husband had fallen off the suspension bridge. That suspension …
“When I was a small boy, there were no bridges. Many people lost their lives, trying to cross the river. …
“Sometimes, after school, I have to go collect wood and grass. But that is not my favourite thing to do. …
“I married a Nepali man from across the river. He came to my village in China to sell cattle. He …
“I really don’t do anything, does farming count? You say agriculture and farmers are important but there is no value …
(2/2) “Luckily, I found a relative who let me stay in his house. I was to help him with his …
(1/2) “My grandfather migrated to India a long time ago in search of a living. His crops had failed, so …
Bal Kumar Rai Yamphu Num 1, Sankhuwasabha
“Maybe I was 12 years old. I remember everything like it was yesterday. It was Saraswati Puja and everyone from …
For the last two months, I have been travelling to various districts in Nepal, talking to people and listening to …
“That was the first time I had taken her out. Life got busy with the farm and after the children …
“Every time my son calls me from Qatar, I ask him when he will return. And he says, ‘Mother who …
“After mother died, father married again. That was when all the troubles started for me and my only brother. My …
“I was never a weak person. My parents were poor so when they grew old, all her sons left to …
“I am a simple farmer. You tell me I am important, but if I was important everyone would know me. …
“That day was just an ordinary day like any other. I remember there was a little drizzle. We were constructing …
“I wan’t to be a nurse. Not because I want to make money. I see too many sick people in …
“My grandfather was a well known and respected figure in the village. He would lead religious processions and over his …
“We have to eat, no matter what. No matter how happy, how sad. No matter how rich, how poor. Fish …
“It was very difficult growing up. My father would yell at me if I mentioned school. I was the eldest …
“When has crying been of any use?” (Nuwakot)
“I could not go to school because I had to look after my six younger siblings. I remember, I was …
“Twenty years ago, I fell down from a three storey building and broke my back. My lower body lost all …
“I don’t know how old my mother-in-law is. I don’t think she knows either. Maybe she is a 100 years …
“There is nothing we know, but we all act like we are all-knowing. What will unfold and what destiny we …
“When I was growing up, for many years, I didn’t have slippers to wear. The skin on my feet was …
“My father married me to a little girl. She was 7. I was three or four times her age. Apparently, …
“My husband drank himself to death. He could never stop. I don’t think he tried. Or maybe he did. God …
“I have not taken my wife out for a long time. We have been busy with the children and their …
“I am trying to be a happy person. Every morning, I wake up and decide that I will be happy. …
“For a simpleton like me, it’s difficult to understand many things of today. I don’t understand phones. And the songs …
“There is no work. There is no money. Life is good.” (Babu Kaji Maharjan, Chapagaun, Lalitpur)
“My smile will not make such a difference to your photograph. Will you be able to capture the joy within?” …
“We were both the same age when we got married. Maybe 17. We spent almost 50 years together. Cried together …
“My ducks love spinach.” (Maya Lal Maharjan, Chapagaun, Lalitpur)
“When we started going out, I liked that he was a self-made man.” “And I thought I swept you off …
“I like to do my homework. But sometimes my teacher forgets to give us homework. I like solving mathematics problems …
“Sometimes when there are no guests, and when I am alone, after I have finished all the house chores, after …
“It is very cold, I feel very cold. I visit Kathmandu sometimes. Are you from there? They say this sun …
“I lost my only son to a disease. He will never return. My tears haven’t stopped. You came, you are …
“We have been living with hope, hoping for better days for a long time.” (Sreejana Gurung, Laprak, Gorkha)