Undergraduate / 'Vagrant naked kids. Roads covered with the horrors of cow dungs.' NOV 1 help in editing.... [9]

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Vagrant naked kids. Roads covered with the horrors of cow dungs. Farmers working under scorching sun.
I encountered this on my very first visit to my hometown - one of the remote places of the Terai region of Nepal. And the imagery was not just enough to speak the misery of that place. Spending a first few years of my life there (from age 6 to 8), I became acquainted with the social customs and traditions of the Madhesi community.

For, while residing there, I had witnessed one of my friends, Nima, getting married. She was dressed elegantly in a red sari with a netted veil. The priest chanted some mantras and she took turns around the flames with an adult boy (around 30 years old), holding her hands in his. And somebody told me that Nima was getting married as per the Hindu traditions...

Seven years later, my family had already migrated to Kathmandu.
The summer of my 7th grade, I was spending a good deal of time playing treasure hunt with my elder brother. I was hell bent on finding the coin one day as pin drop silence resonated the room. While playing I overheard someone say my name from the bedroom attached to the one we were playing in. The eagerness inside me thought of giving my ear to the conversation...

"So, are we calling them tomorrow?" said my grandfather.
And then "No father! We can't let the society ruin her future" replied my dad.
"But she must get married now.... or else the groom will demand more dowry in future."
Till now, I had no clue regarding what they were talking about. Meanwhile, my dad replied my grandfather...
"I don't care. My daughter has bigger dreams."
Shocked at the conversation. Content at my father's reply. Eyes dripped with tears.
I quietly left the game and slugged to my room where the 160X15 mirror in front of me let me slide my eyes over the image - a shattered building - and then the eyes -resembling the grey sky outside. The size said I was 13 but looks spoke much older. The whole day, I pondered about my community and myself. "How can my grandfather even think of my marriage? I hate my community. I want to be an achiever.... "

That very night, I promised myself to help girls who were married off early, burdened with onus of household chores, and suffered childhood pregnancy. That very night, I felt very privileged to have received an opportunity to educate myself, to interpret global issues and to explore the world in a real sense. That very night, I promised to stand out on my father's expectations.

With the intention of educating young underprivileged children, I started serving Hoste Hainse, Nepal. Working as a tutor motivated and inspired me to work harder in my academics so that one day I could uplift my community. The work-life balance was ,indeed, hard but I finally justified that my father was absolutely right in his decision by securing the highest mark in Nepal for GCE-AS level Accounting. Perhaps my community was proud that day.

The source of my inspiration- Madhesi community and its unexpected challenges -always acts as a catalyst for change within me. Because in my community, minds never impede girls from getting what they want but the mindset does, I have an ultimate ambition to make a change in the community's mindset by being an entrepreneur.

Hope for a transformative future. Strive for first generation college education. Acceptance at Princeton.