Children from the Nursery class
Children from the Nursery class
Balaju, Kathmandu, September 5th, 2018
Students play
Students playing
Uttargaya Secondary English Board School, Betrawati, autumn of 2000
A few of my students play a dancing game of their own creation.
The game is played by standing in a circle, with each child putting one foot out behind them, and resting it behind the knee of the child next to them.
(Serika, the tallest in the photo, described it as "making a web just by putting in one leg")
They then would then sing a song and clap along, hopping and turning-as-a-group on their remaining feet.
I just messaged Serika to see if the game had a name, but she said it didn't—so I think we’re going to call it “The Serika”.
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Now fifteen years later, Serika is a talented photographer and sent me some portraits that she has taken recently.
I have included them below:
(images copyright Serika Thapa)
Baklu, Serika’s nephew
"His real name is Subhan but everyone calls him Baklu."
Anubhav and a friend
"That guy with guitar is my brother Anubhav."
Sapana
Serika’s friend Sapana playing a card game called Judh Patti during the festival season.
Sapana’s name means dream in Nepali.
Sarada, Anju and Shanta
Sarada, Anju and Shanta
Balaju, Kathmandu 2011
I first got to know the teachers of Niharika Shishu Kunja High School in 2005. I think it was because I was walking by when they were putting on an outdoor student talent show.
People from the area and passersby from Ring Road lined the fence around the school, watching as students performed intricate dance routines. I too looked in, and I think I was invited inside.
Sarada and Shanta teach the school's youngest children (see below), while I believe Anju teaches one of the higher grades.
The school is a caring, welcoming place—and I'm glad the students have it.
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Children in Shanta's nursery classroom
Children playing a game of Duck, Duck, Goose
A lone "copy" (notebook) left behind on a desk
Three sisters
Three sisters
Balaju, Kathmandu, 2011
While visiting Sanju’s family, I got to meet her downstairs neighbors—a trio of little girls—all dressed up in their school uniforms and ready for school.
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Children dancing to the beat of a madal drum
Children dancing to the beat of a madal drum
Uttargaya Secondary English Boarding School, Betrawati, 2000
[text below from a postcard I wrote on September 26th, 2000]
"...most of the students were already mentally on the two-week Dashain festival that starts in a couple of days. At lunch, I asked Kove, one of the teachers, if there was school tomorrow—I had so far heard differing accounts. He checked with the office and then told me it was still undecided.
After lunch I stuck around and noticed that of twelve rooms, only one or two had teachers. In the second-level class all of the kids were singing in Nepali while one boy danced at the front. I joined in and they all burst into laughter. From the "nursery" class I heard crying, so I went down there. Danuze, a small boy who speaks no English, was in tears. I squatted down, speaking in soft tones knowing that my words wouldn't help, but perhaps my voice would. He stopped crying and I think I may have gotten a smile once I started acting goofy—"Look at my hand Danuze... it's HUGE! It's the biggest hand I've ever SEEN!
The bell rang and all of the kids started yelling excitedly and running out the door—their little backpacks hopping up and down as they went. I followed them out the door and watched as they all ran across the field. It would seem there was no 7th period today and no school tomorrow. I'm going to miss seeing them all over the next 2–3 weeks..."
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Anjana, Sumina, and Astha
Anjana, Sumina, and Astha going to school in the morning
Betrawati, 2000
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Present day: Astha just helped collect and deliver food and other needed materials to the people of the three villages of Kavresthali, Kathmandu.
(photo by Astha Lamichhane)
("Kavresthali is a village in Kathmandu District in the Bagmati Zone of central Nepal. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census it had a population of 4,774 and had 1007 houses in it." –Wikipedia)