Parijat´s acclaimed novel “Sirish ko Phool” (The Blue Mimosa) outlines a futile and absurd world. Ironically, the shelter home she built two years before her death in the early 90s stands as a symbol of hope.[break]
And judo has given the children a reason to smile. The Japanese martial arts game has not only added color to their dreary life but has also given them a platform to earn academic scholarships.
“Five of our children have bagged scholarships for their success in national and international tournaments,” says an elated judo Coach Surya Narayan Shrestha, who is also the president of PAM (Prisoner´s Assistance Mission), the shelter home built by Parijat.
Devika Maya Shrestha, Manita Pradhan, Uttam Pradhan, Subodh Mandal and Indra Bahadur Shrestha have received scholarships up to the 10th grade at Bal Bikas Secondary School, Raniban, according to coach Shrestha, while he sees Swastika Subedi as a judo prodigy.
PHOTO: NEERAJ CHANDRA ROY
The most important thing that judo has done is to bring change in the perception toward the children of prisoners. Because of their sporting success, the children living in the shelter home in the western outskirts of Kathmandu are no longer looked down upon or scorned by the locals for crimes someone else committed.
Instead, the locals of Ichangu Narayan VDC have now started adoring the children for their success and their disciplined behavior that can be attributed to the game, according to coach Shrestha.
“You cannot blame them for the crimes their parents committed. They are innocent,” says Shrestha, who was also the coach of the Nepali national judo team during the 11th South Asian Games held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2010.
Shrestha recalls that the children were unruly and disobedient when he began teaching them judo three years ago. But their behavior has undergone a remarkable transformation because of the strict discipline of judo, which is also known as the Gentle Game.
“They were born and grew up in jails where there were no one to discipline them,” Shrestha told Republica.
“But now they have learnt proper etiquettes and are loved by all. We tried to transform them through the Gentle Game,” he added.
Executive Director of PAM Dr Narayan Kaji Shrestha, who took charge of the institution in 2004, says they are focused more on giving qualitative service.
“We lent our support to this institution when the old board was no longer able to sustain it. We have slowly brought things back on track and now we can accommodate up to 30 children,” says Dr Shrestha, who is the only Nepali to receive the prestigious Wangari Maathai Award from UN´s Food and Agriculture Organization for introducing User-managed Community Forestry Program in Nepal in the late 1980s.
“We want the children to stand on their own feet when they leave this place,” he added.
PHOTO: NATIONAL SPORTS COUNCIL
Dr Shrestha says they decided to introduce judo at the shelter home to maintain discipline. “Looking back at what we did, I think we made the right decision,” he added.
The children of PAM made their mark in judo within a short period by winning the title of a junior judo championship. The children, representing Bal Bikash Secondary School, secured three golds, one silver and four bronze medals to clinch the title of Triyog High School Inter-school Judo Championship 2010 nine months after donning their judo-gis for the first time.
Their team finished second in their next outing but there was no looking back after that as they won the next five consecutive titles. In the last three years, they have won six out of seven titles, including the top position among Nepali teams in two editions of Judo for Peace South Asian Cadet Judo Championship.
That makes Shrestha the most successful coach of the junior team at present. He has been quick to follow the footsteps of Nepal Judo Association President Deepak Harsha Bajracharya, whose team New Horizon Judo Club used to dominate the junior games until the recent past.
The players of New Horizon have now become national and international players, including Sunita Magar, who won bronze for Nepal in the Youth Asian Games held in Saana, Yemen some years ago.
PAM has now filled the void but Shrestha humbly says that it is not just his personal success but the success of the entire team of Nepal Judo Association.
“I cannot take all the credit myself. I must thank all those who have been organizing junior tournaments. It is the success of our whole team,” says Shrestha, who recently led his team to title victory in CWCN Judo Championship with seven golds.
Judo has also developed leadership among the children, according to the Principal of Bal Bikas School Maiya Devi Malla.
“The first thing we noticed was their discipline. They have also developed leadership skills. In fact, judo has helped all-round development of the children,” said Malla.
“The children from the shelter home flunked in exams but now they are the class toppers. All these changes happened after they started learning judo,” she added.
Coach Shrestha says that winning medals have made the children realize that they are not worthless. That is what has triggered the change in such a short period.
Unlike the path chosen by their parents, coach Shrestha believes that proper education and good guidance can lead them to the right path. And their recent feats speak volumes.
“We brought many of them from the dark cells because we believe that they do not belong to there. It is their right to feel the fresh air and see the sunshine,” says Shrestha.
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