Deed Makes a Hero

UTTAM SANJEL

Like many Nepalese youth swayed by the craze of Hindi movies, Uttam Sanjel went to Mumbai when he was 18 with a dream of becoming a hero. But eight years of bitter realities in Mumbai prompted him to start a campaign to educate the street children in Kathmandu. Today, over 15,000 poor children study in more than a dozen schools built with bamboo. They are getting a good education on par with private boarding schools, almost for free. He still dreams of being a hero, but his definition of a hero has changed.

Deed Makes a Hero

         I have wanted to become a hero since my childhood, when I thought a hero was loved and respected by all and was capable of making a difference in society. I went to Mumbai with this dream and spent eight years there. I experienced untold difficulties in the city’s narrow lanes. I saw the plight of those who had made the streets their homes for three generations. I saw the pathetic condition of the HIV-infected women and others who were forced out of brothers. I encountered children eating thrown-away food in the rubbish chucked out of tall buildings. The scenes shattered me. But I was also struggling in the crowd to become a hero. I could only wish for their well-being.

          The scene around my house in Nepal wasn’t much different. People from all over the country came there to work in a nearby carpet factory and in the absence of proper care, many children were on the road, resorting to drugs, begging, and at times theft. Girls took to prostitution at a young age. But people complained that they spoiled society and had them arrested. I did not see this as a solution. The real solution would be to get them to schools and prevent them from going to the street!

          Unable to tolerate such scenes, I enrolled 12 children of carpet workers in a school when I came back to Kathmandu for a visit. It was an emotional decision. I still wanted to become a film star and returned to Mumbai. But back at home in Kathmandu, the schools had declined to give free education to those 12 children. It was my responsibility to ensure that they remained in school. So, I decided to come back to Nepal and establish a school to fulfill that responsibility.

         I had expected that some 350 students would join the school I established. But there were 850! I met the challenge of finding suitable buildings, teachers, and staff for the school. I stopped visiting Mumbai.

          It came as a realization to me that a hero is one who can address problems in good honesty. A real hero works like Mother Teresa. My philosophy of being a hero changed gradually with my life. Today, I am constantly striving to expand the scope of my work. The Samata Shikshya Niketan School in Kathmandu that educates the children of workers and poor peasants has spread to Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Chitwan, Sindhupalchok, Makwanpur, and Nawalparasi. It had started with 850 children and now the number has grown to 16,000.

          I receive appreciation for doing the job well. Many promise to help, and I continue to widen my reach. Currently, we run eight schools but I hope to open more branches in 40 districts. I wish to burn like a candle to give the light of education to more children. I have given up my original idea of becoming a film hero. A hero is a person who does noble deeds. A film hero acts in the world of fantasy, but a real hero is the one who works for the good of society. This is my life, my belief.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1