“I remember being unable to communicate my excitement to anyone when I first learned how to write the alphabet. I’d mastered the art of writing letters and learnt to speak them, if only in my thoughts, even if it was on the bare earth. The first time I was able to write the first letter of the consonant (Ka), I blew a cloud of dust in the air with complete ecstasy because learning to write this letter had required me to break countless twigs and injure the delicate skin pressing against the dirt. In addition, my toes began to bleed when I used the dew drops collected in the bowl as a writing practice.”
This passage is from Jiwan Kada ki Phool, written by Nepali writer Jhamak Kumari Ghimire (Life is a thorn or a flower). In her autobiography Jiwan Kada ki Phool, she talks about the challenges and obstacles she overcame to become literate.
Despite having a disability from birth, she managed to pick up reading and writing skills. She used to softly repeat the letters to mimic how her sister said them. She grew up watching her father hold her sister’s hand and instruct her in writing notes on stationary. She did it herself, albeit her paper was always the broad and pleasant dirt, and her pencils were frequently drops of dew from her foot, bamboo stems, or boulders.
The story of Jiwan Kada ki Phool is based on her life and hardships she faced since childhood. Her earliest childhood memories serve as the foundation for everything. Her grandmother provided her with support and care, as compared to the harsh treatment she endured from society. The thoughts and feelings of a helpless child growing up in a hateful society—thoughts and emotions she was never able to express. Her social humiliation for being born physically inferior was the source of her frustration. The novel does a fantastic job of capturing her silent responses to every hurtful thing that society said to her, as well as her fight for recognition in life when her grandmother passed away. The words and sentences used are very similar to those that are often spoken in Nepalese communities.
Considering the fact that they both had cerebral palsy, Jhamak Kumari Ghimire is considered to be Hellen Keller‘s equal in Nepal. Ghimire, in contrast to Keller, was born into a low-income family in a poor country, where the parents preferred that their physically malformed children die than go through pain. Her family did not support or encourage her when she tried to learn to read and write. Nonetheless, she made a name for herself as one of Nepal’s most gifted and ambitious novelists. She never lost sight of her desire to pursue her studies, even though her life had always been filled with hardship and misfortune. Her unwavering determination and persistence produced one of the greatest books ever written and an ambitious novelist.
Jiwan Kada ki Phool is a book that you should read. It’s a fantastic book that demonstrates to us that, with enough determination and hard work, nothing is insurmountable. The most well-read work during the era of 2066–2067 B.S. is the author’s masterpiece. It is Nepal’s all-time best-selling book, having been reissued seven times in less than two years. It has also received a lot of recognition. Everyone can find something to inspire and motivate them in this book. As of late, the English translation has been “A flower among thorns.”
Read Also: MaHa Ko Ma : An Autobiography of Madan Krishna Shrestha
