“I was the eldest of the daughters and at 13, I was to finally go to school. Mother had convinced father and I was happy. But mother died the same year and my dreams of going to school died with her. Father would say, ‘Why go to school in the crowd of all those boys? What will women do in school? You have sisters to take care of and the kitchen to look after.’ And once father said it, it was over. Everything that I have learnt is by enduring life. I got married and have children and like all people I have had my share of happiness and sadness. Life taught me everything that I needed to know. To be good and to do good. You do not need to go to school to know that. But many things have changed in this world. Or maybe, I am too old to understand why everyone is fighting with each other all the time.” (Prem Kumari Katwal, Dharan, Sunsari)

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