“There was something so heavy about the burden I carried. The feeling started after my father passed away. I was only 15. Being the only son among five siblings, I had to take up my father’s role as the family’s breadwinner. Working on farms in my village was barely enough to keep us fed throughout the year. We needed money to buy salt, cooking oil, and other necessities. So I took all sorts of odd jobs to keep the family afloat. I also spent some years working in India. But I felt overworked and robbed of my childhood. There was a certain heaviness in my heart. Five years ago, after joining Kopila Valley as a security guard, I slowly came to terms with my feelings. These hands, after all, are to provide for others – our family, our community and our world. By living for others, we can make life a little less difficult for them. And there’s happiness in it. The realization was beautiful, and liberating.”
Beautiful and Liberating
There was something so heavy about the burden I carried.
“The feeling started after my father passed away. I was only 15. Being the only son among five siblings, I had to take up my father’s role as the family’s breadwinner. Working on farms in my village was barely enough to keep us fed throughout the year. We needed money to buy salt, cooking oil, and other necessities. So I took all sorts of odd jobs to keep the family afloat. I also spent some years working in India. But I felt overworked and robbed of my childhood. There was a certain heaviness in my heart. Five years ago, after joining Kopila Valley as a security guard, I slowly came to terms with my feelings. These hands, after all, are to provide for others – our family, our community and our world. By living for others, we can make life a little less difficult for them. And there’s happiness in it. The realization was beautiful, and liberating.”