How a disabled teacher defies physical odds

By Kamal Sharma, Dailekh, May 19: As the morning sun rises over the hills, a man can be seen slowly moving along a dusty road in ward 4 of Narayan Municipality in Dailekh. Not on foot, but with the support of his two hands, 50-year-old teacher, Hasta Bahadur Kathayat drags himself towards the school. 

Born with a physical disability, it takes him nearly two hours to cover the one-kilometre distance from his home to the school. The muddy road during the monsoon and dusty path in winter exhaust his body, yet he never feels tired of fulfilling his responsibilities.

Kathayat said that as he grows older, his body has become weaker. “My hands swell after supporting myself for two hours in the morning and another two hours in the evening,” he said. 

“As age gradually catches up, the body becomes weaker too.” Although a road now runs from the school to his home, he has no vehicle to use it. Due to financial hardship, he cannot afford a four-wheeled scooter,” he added.

“If someone helped with half the cost, I would somehow manage the rest and buy a scooter,” he said with hope in his voice. “But who would help us?”

Despite his physical difficulties, Kathayat completed his education up to Grade 12. At a time when there was no school in the village, many children were deprived of education because they could not travel far to study. 

The situation deeply troubled him. He then launched a campaign to establish a school in the village. Gathering local children, he began teaching them through his own initiative. There was neither a salary nor government support, but he had faith in education.

For two consecutive years, he taught 82 children free of charge. Managing and teaching all the students alone, his efforts became the village’s first ray of educational hope. Recognising his contribution, the Education Development and Coordination Unit appointed him as an office assistant. 

He is currently working as an office assistant at Janakalyan Primary School. The school, established through his struggle and initiative, now provides education up to grade 4. 

His responsibilities at the school are not limited to office work. He also prepares daily snacks and meals for the children. Despite his physical challenges, he tries to carry out as much work as possible on his own.

Pain continued to add to Kathayat’s life. His father died 12 years ago, and his mother passed away eight years ago. After losing both parents, life became even more difficult.

“When my mother was alive, life felt somewhat easier,” he said. “Now my younger brother and sister-in-law live separately. Most of the time, I stay at my uncle’s son’s house. If it is not raining, I go to my own house as well. When I was younger, I never considered marriage because I felt physically weak.”

After finishing work at the school each day, his hands swell again as his returns home in the evening. His body grows tired, but the next morning he sets off along the same road once more. For him, the school is not merely a workplace; it is the purpose of his life.

School principal Mahendra Kumar Sharma said that the campaign launched by office assistant Hasta Bahadur Kathayat had made it possible to establish the school in the village. 

According to him, the school would never have opened had Kathayat not gathered and taught local children at the time. The school currently has 23 students, from early childhood development level to grade 3. Last year, there were 10 students in grade 4.