“My father was an alcoholic so money was always a problem in our house. After the 4th grade, I had to leave school. And from a very early age, I had to bear the responsibility of the family. Whatever land and property we owned, father gave it away and we were left with nothing. Things started deteriorating at home. Sometimes we had no food to eat. I remember I had left home and lived in the streets of Birgunj for many days. I somehow managed to open a workshop in Bharatpur but every night I had to listen to my mother crying over the phone. So I returned home to look after her. Slowly, father’s health deteriorated and he passed away. And mother passed away too. Now, I have been running this eatery for the last 25 years and things are better. I am doing well and my children are going to school. I have everything. Except for my parents. Except for my mother who never saw happiness.” (Sanjay Kumar Gupta, Maisthan Chowk, Birgunj, Parsa)#StriveStruggleThrive