One such piece is her widely acclaimed anthology of autobiographical essays Jeevan Kada Ko Phool for which she has been awarded this year´s Mandan Puraskar, Nepal´s most prestigious literary award. [break]
But this is not the first award that the author, who has penned four collections of poems, a collection of essays, a collection of articles and two collections of stories, has been decorated with. She has been honored with a number of national and regional awards since 1998.
Born in a village in Dhankuta, Ghimire taught herself to read and write using her feet by hearing her sister study, and in her book mentions the first time she wrote the alphabet “Ka” on the ground with the help of a stick as the happiest day of her life.
Misunderstood by her family for a long time, Ghimire was often reprimanded for her efforts of learning by her parents, she mentions receiving a beating for writing on the ground as superstition has it that it brings bad luck.
Ghimire´s determination to learn and express herself breaks almost all physical barriers that she has had to cross. Jeevan Kada Ko Phool is an insight into the hard life she has had to live for the past thirty years, her determination to be independent despite all odds and her constant fight to overcome all form of adversities.
Ghimire, who along with cerebral palsy also suffers from severe myopia, today earns enough from her books and articles to support herself and her family.
In an interview published in mid 2011, she mentions that she was very glad to be able to publish a book [Jeevan Kada Ko Phool] in her perspective when all she had ever dreamt of was to be able to read and write. Till date three editions of the book has been published.
When Jhamak was just 7 years old, someone suggested to her father Krishna Prasad to kill his disabled daugher and throw her into the river. "I was very sad that day," Krishna Prasad told Republica on Saturday. "Today, I am very happy. My daughter has made our whole family proud."
Likewise, poet Durga Lal Shrestha who penned the lyrics of the philosophical song Phool ko Aankha maa Phoolai Sansara has also been honored with the Jagadamba Shree award for his contribution to Nepali literature by the Madan Puraskar Guthi.
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