The scene is of the Indrawati College in Maha Boudha of Sindhupalchowk, not far from Kathmandu. [break]
Every morning at 10, the students get their break and utilize the time in various activities of their interest. Just like any other college-going guys of their age, the boys here love sports.
But the only sports equipment offered by their college is volleyball. With only one net and a single ball, the boys have a tough competition everyday to lay their hands on first.
“We are three different groups in grade 12, let alone 11, and if you don’t claim the ball before the other groups, you don’t get to play that day,” Ram Bahadur Tamang, 18, a grade 12 student at Indrawati College explains the rush.
“The boys in our class love sports. I personally think I would do well in basketball and football if given a chance,” Ramesh Nepali, 19, says as he ties up the knots to set up the net for volleyball. “Since this is the only game we can play, I try and enjoy this.”
His friends smile and recall how they had one year ago participated in an interschool football match and won.
“We won without practicing. The first time we touched the ball was at the competition itself,” says Ram Bahadur.
Albeit running low on resources, the students at the college have formed one volleyball and football team each. They hold practice sessions for volleyball once in a while and are waiting to buy a football for themselves.
Back in the classroom, the girls gather in a close circle. One of them takes out a book from her bag and asks the others to guess the title. “You’re all going to be very happy,” smiling, she uncovers the title.
The book she takes out is “Sumnima” by Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala. For the girls in the college, this is an everyday affair. Whenever a girl gets hold of a novel, or any other book, for that matter, she brings it to the classroom and reads it out to the others during the break time.
“Our library is rather poor,” shares Gamala Bhandari, 21. Gamala loves to read but hardly receives a chance. She claims she has read the books and the magazines at the library multiple times.
Her love for reading is such that whenever someone from her family or the neighborhood visits Kathmandu, she requests them to bring a book for her.
Januka Dangol, 20, is Gamala’s classmate and shares the same love for reading. “I love reading love stories,” she blushes while her friends tease her for her passion. “She can read unlimited love stories. She wouldn’t mind staying hungry or thirsty if given books,” one of her friends giggles. “It’s sad that the college can offer us no more than our course books,” says Januka.
The library of the college has a few books and newspapers scattered on the table. The books are course books while the newspapers are months old.
Bhisma Kumar Lamichhane, the Principal, accepts the lack of resources in the college. “I understand the importance of extracurricular activities, but there’s not much I can do,” he says, adding “the roads are terrible and getting newspapers from the capital everyday is impossible.”
The students of the college, however, seem to disagree with their Principal. To address the lack of extracurricular activities, they have recently formed a savings account where anyone can donate any sum at anytime.
The collected sum the students plan to utilize in buying books for the library, sports equipments and even subscribing to some newspapers.
“The club accepts any amount of help. One can donate a single Rupee or an old book,” explains Ram Krishna Lamichhane, 19.
Ram Krishna is called “the poet” of the college by his classmates. He makes sure he writes at least a few lines everyday.
“We’ll organize an interschool cultural program very soon and I aim to win at it,” he smiles.
Although the students already have big plans for the money collected by the club, the sum for now is only around three hundred Rupees.
This is money the students have put together through donations made by themselves.
But “There’s no need to worry,” says Ram Bahadur, adding “We have Tihar coming up, and all the club members will participate in Deusi Bhailo, and if not much, we’ll definitely collect enough money to buy a few books and a football.”
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