A Walk From Wall Journal
It all started when I was a 5th grader. We started a child club “Baal Yojana Samuha” with my chairmanship. It was the first of its kind in Ramgram Municipality at Nawalparasi district. So, we did not have any seniors to follow. Instead we were supposed to inspire the posterity. Personally, I was very much interested in reading articles and columns in newspapers and magazines. In fact, I could recall the names of all the famous writers and columnists. I think my novice brain must have seen my potential of being an editor someday.
My father was an employee at District Administration Office. This office had a small section called “District Child Welfare Board”. This small section used to receive a lot of child magazines from all over Nepal. So, this is how I had access to those magazines which talked a lot about “wall journals”. This ignited my innovative mind to start something of that kind in my very own school as a journal of our club. We were neither trained nor had we anyone to follow and learn from. This left us on our own to discover all the processes of preparing a wall journal.
The proudest moment came when our Principal launched our wall journal in-front of all the students in our assembly hall. Our club had a group of creative members to work on the journal and I became the editor-in-chief. Friends who had beautiful handwritings and drawing abilities contributed to the journal. I used to collect news on school activities, world events and interesting discoveries for the journal. The journal always looked very catchy to the eyes after the final touch up. The whole process used to take two days and the moments after the final touch up was always exhilarating.
Because of our success, establishing child clubs became a popular fashion in our village. Following us, several other schools and children started child clubs. Seeing this growing number of child clubs, I thought something must be done to bring all these clubs under a network. So, under my chairmanship, Child Club District Co-ordination Board was established. It was the first of its kind in the entire Western Development Region.
We then decided to publish a magazine for children and young people. USHA was the name chosen for the magazine. For this, UNICEF was ready to help us through District Child Welfare Board (DCWB). However, DCWB wanted the elders to have the final authority for the magazine but later upon our request, the office agreed to give us the responsibility.
As UNICEF backed us up on the finances, we could focus solely on the quality of the magazine. Our team set children’s issue as high priority while publishing and some national magazines really appreciated our team and our work. Today, I feel proud to have been one of the initiators of the magazine which is now smoothly being run by our juniors. Even after I left the magazine, I continuously sent my articles to national dailies like ‘Kantipur’, ‘Gorakhapatra’ and the ‘The Himalayan times’. My articles started finding places in Kantipur daily’s children’s supplement, KOPILA, Nagarik, Gorakhapatra, and others, mainly on children’s issues.
By then, I was in my mid-teens. I did not want to limit myself in children’s issue only. I was being continuously encouraged to explore other issues as well. As I was a science major in high school, I wrote many scientific articles as well. Now, it has been almost a year since I started writing regularly for a Youth supplement of KANTIPUR national daily. My columns are published fort nightly. Today, I can proudly say that I am one of the few columnists to start writing so early.
Standing at this point, whenever I recall my past activities and try connecting the dots; every dot I left has escorted me here. Everything that I did knowingly or unknowingly makes complete sense today; be it opening a child club for the first time in my municipality or starting the trend of wall journal.
Comments
It was certainly interesting for me to read the article. Thank you for it. I like such topics and everything that is connected to this matter. I would like to read more
A
It was certainly interesting for me to read that article. Thank you for it. I like such topics a. By the way, rather good design you have here, but don’t you think it should be changed from time to time
Sara Smith
its an honour to get to read a young man's struggle and the way he has made it this far despite of all the struggles and difficulties faced in life. Good Luck.
Its really nice to know that you have come this far. After reading this. I also read your articles in Kantipur's Hello Friday, they were all good ones. Keep Going, I wish u all the best in life.
-Ashish.
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