KATHMANDU, Sept 6: With her meteoric rise as a trending artist in Nepal, Sujal Bam has captivated audiences with her striking beauty, featured in nearly three dozen music videos.
She stands as a beacon of hope for the hearing-impaired, proving that limitations need not define one's potential. She defies the notion that people in the deaf community often go unnoticed, with their talents left untapped due to the lack of support.
A native of Far Western Nepal, twenty-three year-old Sujal is currently pursing her B.Ed degree in the capital besides her modeling career.
Born on July 21, 2001, in Chanukanda, Doti, Sujal’s life was challenging from the beginning. She was bedridden and unresponsive for the first 11 months since birth. After her parents realized she couldn't hear, they took her to Lucknow, India, for treatment.
“At two and a half years old, doctors in Kathmandu confirmed that Sujal would never be able to speak,” her father Tek Bahadur Bam said. He became determined to ensure his daughter had a future despite these challenges.
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Tek Bahadur enrolled Sujal in a special education school in Doti at the age of six, then later in Barhabise, Sindhupalchowk, and finally at the Central Deaf School in Kathmandu, where she passed her SEE in 2076 BS with a B+ and is now studying B.Ed in her third year at Central Deaf Campus, Naxal.
Sujal’s journey into acting began after completing her SEE when she expressed interest in competing in the Mr and Miss SEE 2019 competition. Initially, Tek Bahadur was concerned about his daughter's aspirations. However, determined not to let her hearing impairment stand in the way of her dreams, he reached out to Anand Singh, the organizer of Miss SEE. Singh, unsure how to respond, admitted that this was the first time a hearing-impaired competitor had shown interest.
Tek Bahadur challenged him, saying, "I’ve put forward a competitor with a hearing impairment. Do you have the courage to accept?"
After a week of deliberation, Singh contacted the family and agreed to take on the challenge.
Sujal participated in the competition and secured a place in the top four. She won several accolades, including the Multimedia Award, Most Confident Award, and Organizer's Choice Award. Her father, Tek Bahadur, was also honored with the 'Best Parents Award' for his unwavering support.
Following this success, Sujal was offered a role in the music video Jhimjhim Pareli. While the video did not gain much traction, Baini Jhyalaima... became a viral sensation, amassing over 14 million views. This success led to an offer for Sujal to act in the teleserial ‘College Love’, a show that resonated with her personal experiences as it depicted the dreams of a deaf girl. However, the show was discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In recent years, Sujal has become a social media influencer. With 683,000 followers on TikTok, 128,000 on Facebook, 45,500 on YouTube, and 14,000 on Instagram, her large fan base has even led to her appearance in message videos for organizations like UNICEF, Ncell, and the Government of Nepal.
Since 2020, Sujal has been active in modeling, acting in music videos, and appearing in commercials, allowing her to support herself. In July 2020, she made it to the top seven of the La Gravitea Beauty Contest, receiving a Special Recognition Award. Despite not having the typical height of a model, her unique blue eyes set her apart, and she was affectionately called ‘Nepal's Aishwarya Rai’ by Indian organizers.
Her achievements have made her a prominent deaf artist, and she has been recognized by 16 different organizations, winning nine music awards. Reflecting on her journey, Sujal says, "A person should know both their talents and weaknesses and learn how to use them. By managing my weaknesses well, I achieved success that others could not."
In 2021, Nepal government honored Sujal with the Jana Sewa Shree Fifth medal. Receiving the award from Nepal’s first female president, Bidya Devi Bhandari, remains one of Sujal's happiest moments.
Currently, Sujal is competing in Miss Universe Nepal 2024. Having advanced from the top 45 to the top 22, her motivation is to reach the international stage. Last year, plus-size model Jane Dipika Garrett gained global attention from this platform, and Sujal hopes to do the same. "This competition does not require speaking or have minimum height restrictions. It offers opportunities to everyone, from married to unmarried participants, to showcase their talents," she says, "As the first deaf participant, the organizers have embraced my involvement, and I’m hopeful for great success."
Tek Bahadur, Sujal’s father, says, “After recognizing my daughter's passion for acting and modeling, I supported her in every way I could. As a result of this support, she has achieved success. More importantly, through her journey, many disabled or deaf individuals can now see a path forward. Sujal's success is not just her own, but it represents a 'movement to inspire and realize the dreams' of hearing-impaired children. I am truly content with that.”
