Jiban: Kanda Ki Phool? An inspiring story of Jhamak Ghimire

Whenever someone comes to me with the words like ‘I am worthless and I cannot do anything in my life’, I calmly open my Laptop and show a documentary of Jhamak Kumari Ghimire to them. For people like us Jhamak is an absolute slap to the so called ‘abled society’ who preaches the glory of goddesses (says one thing) but in reality subordinate women (does another thing). Born with several physical disabilities and cerebral palsy, she writes with her left foot. She can hear but cannot speak and has never obtained any formal education. Despite these challenges, she has written several collections of poems, songs, stories and was awarded with the most prestigious literary award in Nepal, the Madan Puraskar for her autobiographical essay, ‘Jiban Kanda Ki Phool’ (Is life a thorn or a flower?). Acknowledged nationally and internationally not just because she writes with her feet but because of her effective and efficient writing, she provides the insight that you can change your biggest weakness into your strength and achieve your dreams. For me, she is a paradigm of ‘impossible is nothing’. She makes me believe - Yes I can and will live my dreams! In our society the discourse of disability is built on the social and cultural environments. They shape our understanding and perception of what it means to be disabled and how it is different from the concept of able body. The idea of disability is gendered, and it clashes with cultural ideas about gender in specific ways. Particularly, in the case of women, as they are already considered ‘the second sex’ or ‘the other’, female disability is even more prevalent and transparent. This ideology of disability regarding ability preserves and authenticates what it means to be normal and this definition limits women to certain ‘normal’ standards. No matter the type of person, there are lessons to be learned from them. People with disabilities are especially influential, as our hardships in life aren’t easily forgotten. We go through every day with determination and strength, which many people are bowled over by, with many secretly wondering if they could do the same thing. People with disabilities learn so much throughout their lives; life lessons that able-bodied people rarely get to experience. Having a disability is definitely difficult, but it’s also one of the richest classrooms a human can experience, too. While these learning experiences are more profound experienced directly, there are some special tokens of wisdom we can pass along. This is the story of Jhamak Ghimire, a girl who was born disabled three decades ago. She could not move her limbs, both hands and feet, she could not speak either. It was in a poor family of eastern Nepal that lived in a village full of superstition, which did not consider girl child and women as human beings. Jhamak’s story of suffering and struggle for freeing herself from the status of an animal is very vividly recorded in her autobiography ‘Jiban: Kanda Ki Phool’ (Is life a thorn or a flower?). In her book she depicts of how a child suffering from cerebral palsy by birth managed to fight to free herself from a state of sheer ignorance and hatred and could attract the attention of the world through literature, how she learned to read and write and what message she has given to parents, educators, society, medical practitioners of world. Jhamak’s autobiography reveals the story of her struggle so poignantly and so boldly that one is shocked to read. Jiwan Kada ki Phool describes her life and her struggle since her childhood. It starts with her early memories of childhood. The care and support she received from her grandmother contrary to the bitter way the society treated her. The feelings of an innocent child growing up amidst the hatred of the society, her feelings and emotions she could never utter a word of. Her anger towards the discrimination she faced from the society for being born physically disabled. Her silent reactions to all those bitter things the society said to her and her struggle for existence and acknowledgement after the death of her grandmother is expressed beautifully in the book. The words and sentences used are quite similar to the day-to-day language used in the villages of Nepal. Jhamak Ghimire is considered Nepali equivalent of Hellen Keller as both of them suffered from the same disease cerebral palsy. But Ghimire, unlike Keller, belonged to a poor family in a poor country where the parents wished their physically disabled children were rather dead than suffering. She did not receive encouragement or support from her family for learning to read and write. However, she proved herself as one of the most aspiring and promising Nepali authors. Although her life had always been full of struggle and hardship, it never deterred her from her desire to learn. Her determination and strong will-power resulted in giving birth to an aspiring author and one of the most inspirational books of all times. Jiwan Kada ki Phool is a must read book. 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 master piece by the author and is the most popular book of Nepal on disabilities studies. It has been printed seven times within two years making it the 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. Thus, the book is an eye opener and a must read for all women and humankind.