And if Juju has nothing to offer to them, they call him “Lobhi,” meaning miser. Many people know him as Juju from Bhaktapur who is seen cycling all over the Valley for the last two years.[break]
He shares some of his struggles, efforts, achievements and future plans with Republica.
How did you get involved in various community service programs?
I’m basically an artist who completed Bachelor’s in Art. In the last five years, most of my colleagues and peers have moved out for education and settlement purpose but I had the desire to do service for the nation involving youths. My family also wished that I did a proper nine to five job in a good organization. I felt the pressures.
Since the age of 15, I have started to volunteer in various social service activities. Now I’m very satisfied to see young people coming forward and taking up initiations to make a better society.
When did Heartbeat (his youth mobilization movement) kick off?
In 2006, a group of artists came together and with the slogan of “Art for Social Change” through which we try to use art as a tool to spread social awareness. It was officially registered in 2009. We carry out various art workshops and conduct art exhibitions with street children and youths. Now we are focusing not only on artists who wish to volunteer with us but it’s a shared responsibility of other people as well. Many public health students have been working with us. So we now have 20 representatives outside the Valley too, and till date we’ve involved 300 youth and children in our activities.
What’s your Mobile Tea Clinic about?
Every Tuesday from 6 to 9 am, we provide free tea and doughnuts to street kids at Durbar Marg, Thamel, Basantpur, Mahankal, and Indra Chowk. We call it healing and dealing – sharing cups of tea with such children can heal our relationship with them since they feel loved and at the same time we deal with the people who question about them. Not all of them are involved in criminal activities, and I know that merely giving them tea isn’t a solution but a small initiation to create a medium and change the perception of people towards them.
We have also opened up teashops for the children above 15 years of age to make them independent and pull themselves out of streets. Every teashop has a story about its operating children and people who have contributed to it.
Tell us about your efforts in helping the children of Pokhara’s prisons.
We basically support their education and give vocational courses to the female inmates, such as muffler knitting.
What’s your say on today’s youths?
Going abroad isn’t a completely negative trend nor can those who move out can be blamed because many have been contributing from abroad and it’s a fact that some get better life opportunities there than here. However, I personally wish for the youths to grab opportunities here itself and I must say that I can see that change in them already.
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Juju’s never-ending journey thriving to work for the society
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