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Farmer like my father - what
else?
by Lene B. Olsen and Bente H. Rasmussen
 " My brother has one toothbrush, but I never had one. That is ok.
Because I never tried to brush my teeth." Hem Bhahadur Chaudary
says.
It is a very traditional Tharu village. It lies along the high
way, just before the barrier to the Bardiya National park. It is
just before the monsoon time, so the fields are brown and dry. The
fields borders to the mountains at the northern side. A dry river
creates a border to the national park in the Western direction.
Hem Bhahadur Chaudary lives in this small village, named Kamala,
in mid western Terai. Hem is 11years old. He is Tharu, like most
of the people living in Kamala village. Hem has 4 siblings. His
father has ten kattha of land, but that is not enough to keep the
family alive, so he is share cropping another 3 three kattha. In
addition Hem's father also makes rope, which he sells. Hem's
mother collects fireworks, which she sells at the market.
 Instead of going to school Hem helps his father and mother " I cut
crass for the animals. Sometimes I take the oxen for grassing.
During the rice plantation and harvest I will take care of the
oxen. Prepare the fodder for the animals. During harvest I will
carry the rice from the fields to the house". Hem is sitting on
the edge of the bench and looking at his hands. One of his front
teeth is missing. He is neither smiling nor laughing, on the other
hand he is not particularly sad. None of Hem's family have ever
went to school.
Most of the children in the village go to school. Hem is one of
the few children who has not got the opportunity " We have no
money. The school is 25 rs. But then there are the uniform, the
books and the examination. My father does not have the money. I
have asked my father many times, but he never went to school to
sign me in".
Unlike Hem's consent regarding the lack of what it feels like to
brush his teeth Hem has a strong wish that one day his life will
take another turn and he will no longer be excluded from the
school " the uniforms look so nice. I do not have a uniform. That
is very bad for me. Sometimes I feel very lonely, because
everybody is going, and I stay back in the village all the time".
Nobody has ever explained Hem what is going on in the school " I
have no idea of what they do. Sometimes I have seen some dancing
program they have learned in school. That is all I know about the
school”. But Hem is craving to know and learn more about the
world.
 He would not mind to work as child laborer at a hotel or as a
domestic worker if the job is in a big city like Nepalgunj or
kathmandu " Then I could watch television in the evening and maybe
learn something new. Here in the village I cannot learn anything"
The only source of information Hem can get some vague ideas of
what life is like outside the village comes from a radio and one
television in the village "I have seen some Hindi movies on that
television. I understand some Hindi language. Sometimes I listen
to Nepali songs in the radio. I do understand Nepali, but I can
only speak Tharu language" Hem explains.
Hem does not waste his time with hopes and dreams for what his
life will look like, when he grows up " I know that I will be a
farmer like my father. What else?"
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