Khem Prasad Prasai must be one of the most loved teachers at St. Xavier’s College, Maitighar.

Born and raised in a poor farming family in Haldibari, Jhapa, his childhood memory is of penury and privation. The only thing that brought him joy as a young boy, he tells ApEX, was reading.

“I used to have a book or a newspaper with me even while I was plowing the field,” says Prasai, now 42, as we enter an empty classroom to sit and talk. “Reading was my only escape.” 

Prasai used to sell pumpkin leaves in the market so that he could buy books and newspapers with the money he earned.

Early on in his life, poverty had taught him to be enterprising and fend for himself. He sold sweets and snacks to pay for his high school tuition. For college, he managed money by selling detergent powder.

“I grew up reading Nepali literature and newspapers, so I got my BA with Nepali and journalism as my majors,” he says. “I also briefly worked in a newspaper, but soon realized that journalism was not something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

In the early 2000s, Prasai moved to Kathmandu to get his Master’s degree. Until then he had never been to the capital city. When he arrived, he says, the only things in his possession were a sack of rice, some clothes, and a little money. But he had a big dream: turning his life around.    

He enrolled in Tribhuvan University’s Master’s program in Nepali. In order to pay for his studies and expenses, he now started selling tea leaves.

“I still remember my days of struggle, walking around with containers of tea on the streets of Kalimati and Kirtipur,” Prasai says. “At one time, I was also selling lecture notes to cover my expenses.”

Prasai got his Master’s degree in 2005, and soon after was hired by a college as a Nepali teacher. He taught there for two years before joining St. Xavier’s—he was well on his way to starting the life he had envisioned.

“I have been teaching at St. Xavier’s for 14 years now and I couldn’t be happier,” he says.

His students, who refer to him as Khem sir, say he is an exceptional teacher with an uncanny ability to explain the lessons in ever-so-interesting and clear ways.

“It is because of his teaching that my grades in Nepali have improved,” says Priyanka Regmi, one of his plus two students. “He has this uncanny way of explaining things by connecting them to our daily lives.” 

Prabhav Madip Baniya, a St. Xavier alumnus-turned-teacher, says he developed an interest in Nepali literature because he had Prasai as his Nepali teacher.  

“I wasn’t into Nepali literature until Khem sir taught me. His class helped me truly understand and appreciate Nepali literature,” he says.

As a colleague, Baniya finds Prasai humble and approachable, just like he is with his students. 

“Khem sir always has right things to say to change our views,” says Kritika Bhandari, another student of Prasai. “He is a wellspring of wisdom. I go to him whenever I feel demotivated or discouraged.”

Soniya Bhetuwal echoes Bhadari’s sentiment. “Khem sir doesn’t just prepare us for exams, he prepares us for life,” she says.

Apart from teaching, Prasai is also interested in business and investment. He has made a small fortune by trading stocks. A part of the money he has thus made, he has invested in a tea farm that he owns with his brothers. Today, Prasai and his brothers run three factories in Jhapa—plus the tea farm.

But despite his financial success, Prasai still wants to teach. He says teaching is his true calling.  

“Being a teacher gives me true joy. It is the one field where I can give my hundred percent,” he says. “As a teacher, I feel like I am only imparting knowledge to the younger generation, but also sharing my old joy of reading.”

Prasai has a curious disposition, a trait that he perhaps developed as a young boy who read voraciously. He is always learning new things. He is currently studying law and will soon be earning a degree in the discipline.

“I was always fascinated with the subject but hadn’t had the opportunity to study it deeply,” he says. “I want to see what I can learn from it and maybe teach some of it to my students.”

He believes sharing knowledge is life’s purpose.

“I believe in a teaching life,” Prasai says. “I get to interact with young and curious minds and teach them everything I’ve learned. It’s a beautiful feeling.”