Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories : Lekhnath Adhikari
Name: Lekhnath Adhikari
Born: 2032 BS Ashoj 26 - Lakhanpur, Damak, Jhapa.
When he was 4 years old, he got a fever. His parents thought it was just another fever that stayed for long. After 8-9 days continuous fever, he was taken to the hospital. By the time his fever was identified as typhoid he lost his vision completely.
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| Proud working father of two, Lekhnath does his part in childcare… |
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| … right down to the nitty gritty details. |
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| Only son, Prithak, 7 years old, with a look of complete trust as dad takes care of the tricky business of shoelace tying. |
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| Lekhnath makes his way around these rooms with ease. This is the home he has made for himself and his family. |
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| Getting ready for school. |
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| “म दृष्टिविहिन भइकन पनि सक्षम छु। यति महँगो शहरमा भाडामा बसेर भएपनि पुग्नेगरी घर व्यवस्थापन गरेको छु। यसैमा गर्व लाग्छ।” |
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| For a teacher, Lekhnath sure does have a lot of style! |
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| “Walking alone with a white cane is the most stressful time. I wish I had a friend to walk with me talking and describing things.” |
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| Daughter Priyanjali, 12 years old, walks arm in arm with Lekhnath and his wife, Roshni through the dirt roads of Kathmandu… |
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| … through the busy lanes in the morning rush hour. |
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| Everyday for the past 18 years, Lekhnath has been walking to the school where he teaches Social Studies |
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| Reaches school. |
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| This is the first thing he does after reaching school; listens to the talking clock and murmurs, ‘Ah, right on time!’ |
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| Students do some warm ups in the chilly morning assembly |
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| “Light and darkness make no sense at all. And sound is all that helps me differentiate from one thing to another, one person to another”. |
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| Walking blackboards: If something needs to be written on the board, he asks his student to write for him. |
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| Little adjustments made by the school go a long way. Students usher their teacher to the classrooms… |
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| …and perhaps, learn as much about character as social studies from this special teacher. |
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| The curriculum: Social Studies |
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| Lekhnath reads lessons aloud to the class from his Braille textbook. |
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| The four storey school building got a red sticker after the massive earthquake. Now they have bamboo cottage classrooms on their playing ground. " He’s punctual at school, frank with teachers and students, well-trained, and updated. Lekhnath is the most loved teacher in our school. No teachers sings with their students, but him. He has got a singer in him.” |
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| “I can’t see my students but I can feel that they love me”. |
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| Lekhnath first came to Kathmandu to pursue higher education. But he had to find a job to support himself. So he rented a flat, studied and worked at the same time from 1995. |
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| "I can’t see this world, but I can feel that there are more negatives than positives in this society. It makes me worry.” |
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| I guide you, you guide me: Another student helps him walk back to home. |
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| “उ पनि दृष्टिविहिन। दुबैको चिना देखाइयो, लगन हेराइयो। तर घरमा नभनिकनै काठमाडौंको भद्रकालीमा विवाह गरियो।” |
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| “म आँखा देख्दिन। तर मेरो दुलही आँखा देख्ने होस भन्ने चाहानु हुन्छ परिवार। मैले दुःख नपाओस् भनेर।” |
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| “कस्तीलाई राम्री भन्ने, कस्तीलाई नराम्री। मन मिल्यो। हामीलाई आवरण मतलब हुन्न।” |
| Photos by Bikkil Sthapit. Words by Jerusha Rai. |
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