Submit your Article

“Being born and liv­ing happily isn’t an achievement, but making others happy is,” is a mantra that keeps Juju Kaji Maharjan going. Maharjan, 35, is a social worker who founded ‘Heartbeat’ in 2006 and registered it as an NGO in 2009. The NGO was set up to advocate and campaign for the rights of street children and help them to become capable citizens. Born into a low-income fam­ily, Maharjan learned to live the hard way. He spent his childhood in a small cottage. His parents were uneducated and they earned their living by farming. Growing up, he had many hobbies but he could not continue any of them.

While in high school he started learning web design­ing. Studies never interested Maharjan. He soon dropped out of high school and started working as a web designer in a cyber café in New Road.

“There used to be many political events at Ratna­park those days. I often went there during my break to see the political leaders deliver speeches,” recalls Maharjan. “I was going nowhere with my life at the time. I had no skills and had quit studies. So I decided to join politics.” Maharjan then enrolled in the Lalitkala Campus, “not to study arts but to become a political leader,” he laughs.

But things did not go as planned. In 2006, he was at a social event held on the occa­sion of the International Youth Day, an event to help those in need. That visit proved to be life-changing and gave him a goal. “I then felt the urge to do something for the society,” he says. “As students of arts, we decided to raise money for social causes by exhibiting paintings and sculptures.”

With that intent, ‘Heartbeat’ was formed. Heartbeat’s ‘Art for Social Change’ continued raising money by exhibiting arts in various parts of Nepal. But after three years, many of his friends had to leave. “I was shattered but I kept going and with a few volunteers, I decided to register Heart­beat as an NGO and continue working,” says Maharjan.

Inspired by his father who managed to contribute his share to the society despite coming from a poor back­ground, Maharjan has dedi­cated more than a decade of his life to social work. “When I began, I spent three years on the streets to understand the situation of street children,” he says. “Now that I have aged, I feel I am still child­ish because of so much time spent with these children.”

Heartbeat started the “Tea for Change” campaign in which its volunteers would take to the streets and offer tea, biscuits and other edibles to street children to get up close with them and convince them that they were not total outcasts.

“Talking and treating them as friends made them feel accepted. When we drank tea with them they felt comfort­able and they slowly started sharing their experience with us,” Maharjan says. “Gradu­ally, we studied their phycol­ogy, and also their will and determination to change. With this knowledge, we started providing counselling in order to re-establish them in the society.” Heartbeat also rescued many street children during that period.

Working with streets chil­dren was not easy. There were many risks. Maharjan was once chased by a khuku­ri-wielding street kid who had been told that Maharjan was making money by exploiting street children. He was also taken into police custody once under suspicion of being a gang leader of street children involved in criminal activities. Police had noticed him inter­act with the street children.

Along with these lows, Maharjan has also had his moments of inspirations. “One time, in Hetaunda, a young boy ran up to me and said, ‘Hello motey (fat) sir, you fed me when I was on the streets,’” Maharjan recalls. “The boy was now working and earning well. Moments like these are my true rewards.”

Maharjan says Heartbeat is funded by his own money and aided by volunteers and stu­dents making small contribu­tions from their own pockets. Presently, Maharjan’s Heart­beat works to prevent chil­dren becoming a permanent part of the street.

A ‘Dream Center’ under Heartbeat is now helping more than 100 children who migrated to Kathmandu to fulfill their dreams but somehow ended up in the streets. The center provides for street children’s education and involves them in other activities like counselling, sports and skills training.

“Children are defined by their habits. We work to change their habits to make them capable and productive citizens,” says Maharjan.

The Storytellers brings together stories from all corners of Nepal, the real-life stories about our home-made heroes. The Storytellers believe that stories have the power to inspire and change. With this intent, on July 25 The Storytellers hosted its 12th edition, The Storytell­ers Guitarist Series, inside the premises Raashtriya Naachghar in Jamal. On the occasion, four of the most talented guitarists in the Nepali music scene—Hari Maharjan, Sunny Tuladhar, Binayak Shah and Deepak Moktan—shared their inspir­ing stories. Theirs were stories of persistence, passion, hard work and long experience.

In the previous editions of the event, under different themes, over 40 story-makers from diverse fields like edu­cation, music, entertainment and social work have already shared their stories.

Many women fast during the Nepali month of Shrawan. While some do so only on Mondays, others fast throughout the month. It is generally believed that married women fast for the longevity of their husband’s life and unmarried women do so to get a good husband (like Lord Shiva). But the reasons for fasting are changing, as the number of women who fast for improved mental and physical health continues to grow.

Sushmita Mahat, 23, who has been fasting in Shrawan since she was 12 says, “When I was growing up, I saw my mother and grandmother fast. They said it was for their husband’s long life and for our family’s prosper­ity.” Mahat, who has been living in Australia for the past six years, still fasts on Mondays during Shrawan. “Personally I fast because it gives me a feeling of peace, and I feel spiritu­ally fulfilled.”

Nutritionist and lifestyle modi­fication expert Sonal Talegaonkar backs Mahat’s claim. “The aim is not to torture yourself but to detoxify your body and learn self-control,” she says. “If you follow a proper diet during your fast, you will feel satis­fied and emerge healthier.”

There are many women who fast to lose weight. However, for those who do so Talegaonkar warns about the post-Shrawan effects on the body. “While it is true that weight loss is quick when you fast, when your fast ends, you could regain all the weight you lost,” she warns. Therefore she advises a disciplined eating regime post-Shrawan as well.

On the other hand, many women are unaware of how fasting affects their health. Salu Singh, 24, shares, “I am not fasting during Shrawan because I am not religious. Addi­tionally, I am unaware of how fasting helps my body.” However, she is interested in understanding the sci­ence behind fasting. “I am sure that fasting during Shrawan is not just about religion.”

Nutritionist Talegaonkar lists oth­er health benefits of Shrawan fast­ing. Shrawan falls smack dab in the middle of monsoon. Rain brings with it many water-borne diseases like hepatitis, cholera and gastritis. “When you eat vegetarian food, you automatically have lesser chances of getting infected. Moreover, accord­ing to Ayurveda, the immunity pow­er in people is low during Shrawan. So it is wise to avoid oily, spicy and non-vegetarian food,” she says.

Some married working women cite their heavy work schedule as a reason for not being able to fast. “I am usually busy from morning till evening. Even though I want to fast, my schedule does not permit it,” says Lakshmi Raj Budhathoki, 26, who has been married for three years. However, the ways women fast vary. Some fast without eating or drinking anything, while others fast by consuming only fruits and drinking water. Talegaonkar also says that at the end of the fasting period opting for fruits and drinking a lot of water is better than binging on fried and starchy food.

If you are fasting, Talegaonkar suggests you consume buttermilk, low-fat curd, raita, fruits, green tea, dry fruits, salads and vegetables (especially high-water cucumber) as they all keep energy levels high while being easy on the calories. Light and healthy food like these ensure your metabolic rate doesn’t change drastically. While fasting, your diet schedule gets disturbed and you may develop constipation. Talegaonkar advises drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water every day. Her easy advice: keep it light and eat healthy right through the year.

Before the country became a republic in 2006, cross-dress­ing was considered illegal under various laws against ‘public immorality’. But the practice was legalized in 2007 and a ‘third gen­der’ besides ‘male’ and ‘female’ option given to those applying for Nepali citizenship. Yet transgenders still face hurdles to fully embrace their identity. Many Nepali trans-women (male-to-female transsexuals) dream of having enough money to travel to Thailand to undergo complicated and costly surgery to fully transform into women; a few of them have been successful. But, technically, there are no trans-men (female-to-male transsexuals) in Nepal, even though some like to identify them­selves as such.

Elyn Bhandari

Elyn Bhandari, 27, was born and raised in Kathmandu. He always knew that he was different but lived as a male till he graduated from high school. “I then met a friend who interned with the Blue Diamond Society. She brought me here for counseling and orientation.” Bhandari was 21 when he found that he identified as a trans-man, and not a lesbian. Just like Bhandarai, lots of trans-men initially misidentify them­selves as lesbians.

“I used social media to open up. Many of my friends were dis­approving,” he says. “Ironically, I had to lose many people in my life when I finally found myself.” Currently employed at the Blue Diamond Society, Bhandari says the place is a family. “My fami­ly was totally against me when I told them I am a man trapped in a woman’s body. But this place gave me the support that I needed. They understood me and helped me understand myself.”

Bhakti Shah

Bhakti Shah, 32, transitioned also into manhood on joining the Blue Diamond Society. Shah knew he was attracted towards females when he was in his early teens. He considers himself considerably luckier than his friends as he didn't have to face much family pressure to embrace the female identity he was born with.

“Before I came out I was scared of what people might think. I felt trapped inside my own body,” he says. “But when I came out I real­ized there are other people like me as well.” When the country has acknowledged the identity of all its citizen, says Shah, there is no need to hide your identity any more.

Shah has had a female partner for 10 years now. “Though god witnessed our bond, we want to our marriage to be legalized and nor­malized," Shah says. “About time the gov­ernment legalized marriage among the LGBTI community.”

Akanshya Timalsina

Born in Morang, Akan­shya Timalsina,25, was very small when she start­ed noticing that she was dif­ferent from other males. But she had to wait till she was 18 before she came across the web­site of the Blue Diamond Society. At long last, the non-profit organization working for LGBTI (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) rights would help her identify herself as a transgender.

“Before contacting the society, I had never heard about transgen­ders,” she says. “But that is exactly what I was.” At 24, she underwent a top surgery in Bangkok, followed by a sex change surgery a year later. “It was expensive. I had to spend 5-6 years of my savings for the opera­tion,” she says. “But I regret nothing. I feel like a bird that has just been freed from a cage. I am no longer plagued by the guilt that I am in a body that is not mine.”

Sudeep Gautam

Sudeep Gautam, 27, too always knew. At a tender age of five, when all his friends would play with dolls and wear dresses, he would cry because his parents forced him to do the same. Sudeep never dressed as a female even before he identified himself as a trans-man. He was able to understand his attraction towards females and inclination towards male identity only when entered his teens.

“I had to work like a man in order to look after my family even before I identified as a trans-man,” Gau­tam says. But he had to leave his hometown for the fear that his par­ents would marry him off to a man. His sister then told him about the Blue Diamond Society, and his life changed. He has identified himself as a trans-man since 2011. “Although my biological parents brought me into this world, it was Blue Diamond that made me who I am today. I owe it everything,” he says.

“We fight humiliation everywhere we go. But I’m going to fight nonethe­less, fight for my community till the day I die,” he says. After all, “we’re all different, we are all equals.”