Home: Manigram, Rupandehi, Lumbini

Education: B. Tech (Environmental Engineering), Kathmandu University, Nepal

What is Kathmandu but a bowl full of dreams? My parents, like so many others, entered this city to fulfill their dream; dream to give us exposure to different opportunities available here. In this safe harbor I spent my childhood, my education unhindered by the harshness of our financial turmoil. I had the freedom to education, to choose my beliefs and opinions. With this freedom came the responsibility of treating others with fairness and being open to new ideas. I saw the world as a classroom with so much to understand.

I pursued Environmental Engineering in my Bachelor’s level since I’m very much concerned about the environment. But I was never satisfied with just the theoretical knowledge we gained from our textbook. I wanted to implement what I learned. I even worked as an Executive Member in Forum for Environmental Conservation And Management (FECAM) and participated in various environmental programs conducted by the forum. We were engaged in plantation and awareness programs from which I learned a lot about environmental issues. We also worked with Kathmandu Cycle City and organized a cycle rally for creating awareness about environmental conservation.

Having graduated in Environmental Engineering, what led me to join TFN? I had been to my uncle’s home in Butwal during Dashain. There’s a didi who helps with the household chores in my uncle’s home. Her daughter had come to help her as she was sick and couldn’t work. While I was sitting there doing nothing, the girl came to me with a book in her hand and wanted me to read it out for her. It was a simple English rhyme. I asked her if she went to school. She said she was enrolled in Grade 5 in a public school but she couldn’t even recognize simple words. I taught her some words and explained the meaning, too. “Are you a teacher?” she asked. I said I wasn’t and it made me feel that I could’ve helped so many children like her if I were a teacher. That was a defining moment in my life that inspired me to become a TFN Fellow.

With my background in environmental engineering, I want to make my students and community aware about the consequences of their little day-to-day actions on the environment. I hope to encourage my students to take up careers in environment and become the agents of change.