Photo: Jeevan Kada Ki Phool                       Photo Courtesy: http://www.shopshara.com/

I defined life as a beautiful flower but I don’t know whether or not my life falls under my definition. Jhamak Ghimire starts her book Jeevan Kada ki Phool (Life is Flower or Throne) with above lines. This book is an autobiography - the story of Jhamak Ghimire. She could not move her limbs, both her hands and feet, nor could she speak from her birth. She was born in a poor family of eastern Nepal that lived in a village full of superstition. She was a baby girl whose death everyone wished for and yet she survived to win Madan Puraskar, the most prestigious literary award in Nepal.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Photo: Jhamak Ghimire
Photo Courtesy: http://www.sydneynepal.com/[/caption] “I remember now that at the time I first learnt to write the letters of the alphabet, I could not share the joy with anyone. I had, nevertheless, mastered the art of scrawling letters even if it was on the bare earth and had learnt to pronounce them although only within my mind. The first day I had been able to scribble the first letter of the consonant क  (Ka), I had sprayed a cloud of dust in the air out of sheer happiness because I had broken innumerable twigs time and again in order to learn writing this letter and I bruised the tender skin rubbing against the soil. Moreover, my toes bled when I practiced writing by dipping them on the dew drops collected on the bowl.”

This is an extract from the book Jeevan Kada Ki Phool. While most of us complain because we have to wake up early to go school, she was struggling all her life to learn how to write a single letter. In the book, the author describes her struggle from early childhood. Her determination and strong will-power resulted in giving birth to one of the most inspirational books of all time.

Jiwan Kada Ki Phool is a must read. It is an inspiring book which teaches us that if we are determined to go after something and truly work hard for it, nothing is impossible. The book is a Nepali best seller of all times. It has also received many awards. The book is inspirational and encouraging and has something for everyone to learn from. It has recently been translated in English as “A flower in the midst of thorns”. I suggest everyone to go through it once.