Freely

"I have always loved singing and dancing. Growing up, my love for it has been met with a lot of negativity. Activities like singing and dancing are stereotyped as something that only a girl would pursue. Once, I was told rather sternly that my humming 'Suntali Mai Kati Ma Ramro Darbaara, Maryo ni Maya Le Maryo' or any other song was not permissible in the school premises and that boys should not sing. This was discouraging and embarrassing at the same time. This was only one of many such incidents. Once I remember being beaten badly by a teacher. I remember not crying. But in the absence of everyone, I remember just breaking down in tears. When I think of that incident, my body still coils with pain. At home, there was no time to study. Work took all day and books just lay stationary. When all of this accumulated, many of my classmates could not perform well in their exams. Many of my friends dropped out one by one. An entire generation left school because of corporal punishment and the pressures of home. Somehow, I managed to continue. Today, I teach English in a community school in my village. I am aware that the choices I make as a teacher, inside the classroom, will have a great impact on the lives of these children. Of what they will do and who they will become. So I am always careful as to what I do and what I say in class. I am not a strict teacher who only disciplines students. We all know we get bored in class so I make things fun. I recite rhymes. I tell stories. While I teach English, I also dance with them. I also sing with them. And everyone sings and dances with me. Freely, without any fear."