From her school friends to the villagers, they keep coming to ask her about USA, to which Suma said, “Right now, it’s like my job is to explain about America [to them].” [break]
According to her, after her return from the US, the behavior of the villagers and neighbors has changed. “The people who used to look down on me for being a freed kamlari now come to ask about my well being,” said Suma.
She has been going around schools, including her own, giving information about her trip to the US and her journey, to and fro.
People in the village want to know so much about the US that she hasn’t had the chance to do any work outside the house.
Because of her financial circumstances, Suma has been working and paying for her own education. She said, “Nobody earns at home and whatever I earn is spent in the house.”
After letting everyone know about her trip to the US, she intends to go back to work. Also, she’s been busy because as soon as she came back from her trip, she had to appear for her SLC exams.
Even though she couldn’t prepare herself well for the Iron Gate exams, she’s content with her papers.
According to her, since no one from the village has been to the US, everybody is very inquisitive. “I’ve become an example for many in the village,” said proud Suma.
Two months ago when a group of people visited the village to make a documentary about the tradition of kamlaris, Suma sang about the sufferings of a kamlari through a song, and that’s when the opportunity to go the US arose.
“Swarthi bato ho hamar, dai baba ka kar janma dey eno ta chai ha, dukha dena bhann raha ta dai (Mom and dad are selfish. After giving birth to a girl, she’s barred from education)” Suma wrote a song and sang to the team.
When the team went back to the US, Newsweek Magazine listed Suma Tharu as one of the talented women around the world.
When she reached New York and sang the song in front of the delegation celebrating 2012 International Women’s Day, she got much-admiration. There were 11 women selected in the program and she also got the change to meet the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
No one from Suma’s family has ever seen an airplane. No one’s even gotten on a bus to come to Kathmandu and boarding an airplane is like a dream for them. The most a family member’s travelled to is Nepalgunj and sometimes to Bardia.
“I never imagined in my dreams that my daughter would make it to the US,” said 65-year-old Hariram Tharu, father of Suma.
Suma is the youngest among the seven children of Tharu. One of her elder brother has studied till class nine while her younger brother appeared for the SLC this year. No one else in the family is educated.
According to Tharu, he’s been looking after his family by working at other’s land.
When the family could not afford a two time meal, 6-year-old Suma, back then, was sent as kamlari to the landlord’s house to work for which she did not get paid for six years.
“Besides a pair of clothes in a year, the landlords did not give anything to Suma,” complains Tharu. Suma was later rescued by Friends of Needy Children (FNC) after which she got a chance to study.
Suma, who didn’t have to pay for her education as it was funded by FNC, said, “After I was rescued, I got to study till SLC and I went to America, something I had never ever imagined.”
She added that her motivation has grown stronger after she performed her song that she wrote herself. When she was rescued in 2007., Suma was admitted to Saraswoti Higher Secondary School in her village when she was 12-years-old.
“I thought being rescued from my landlord was a big deal for me but when I reached America, I saw that I had a lot to do and achieve in life and I learnt a lot there,” expressed Suma.
“I hope no one else will have to serve as worker at their landlord’s house,” said Suma, who is also working towards a campaign against the cause. “At a time when the children should be educated, they are working and still there are nine girls who need to be rescued in our village,” she informed.
After she was freed from bonded labor, she has been working with Kamlari Development Forum and helps rescue girls like her.
Since the past one year, Room to Read Nepal, an INGO based in Kathmandu, has been paying for her education and she wants to excel in her education and also continue helping women and children.
When asked if she wanted to sing, she snapped and said, “Singing brought a change that I never thought of. How can I let go of this?” Till date, she has written about five songs and after writing a few more, she aims to release a cassette.
America is clean
Suma was smitten by the cleanliness of America and how well she was treated by people there. “It’s a huge city out there and I questioned myself, how could they keep it so clean?” she said.
Suma had never eaten outside her home and she didn’t eat anything in New York for two days. “Later when the organizer found an Indian Restaurant for me and that’s when I ate,” said she.
She was amazed and happy to see the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, dinosaur’s remains and the ocean. Secretary Clinton told her to “Keep on moving ahead” after hearing her song and she says she hasn’t forgotten it yet.
“Clinton’s promised to visit my village sometime and to get her appreciation again, I will work harder and she’s even said that she will help the poor people of my village,” remembered Suma.
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