Four-Year-Old in Kanchanpur Dreams of Becoming a Cricketer, Inspiring Hope Amidst Poverty

Kanchanpur. The enthusiasm for sports in Sudurpashchim Province, which produces national-level players in various sports, is remarkable. Children begin nurturing their dreams at a very young age.

A four-year-old boy from Ghatal Tole, Ward No. 10 of Shuklaphanta Municipality in Kanchanpur district, is dreaming of becoming a cricketer. 71-year-old Parshuram Bohara's four-year-old grandson has not just started holding a bat; he has already started breaking bats by playing shots.

'This is frustrating,' Parshuram said, pointing towards his grandson, 'The other day I made him a wooden bat myself. That one is broken. Now I am about to make another one.'

Parshuram's son is in India for employment. He shared that the household expenses are met by his son's earnings. He said, 'We are squatters, we have no land. At this age, I cannot do any work now. Our livelihood depends on the earnings of my son who went to work in India.'

Parshuram does not know how his grandson developed an inclination towards cricket. He said, 'Sometimes he plays with friends on the road in front of the house, sometimes he asks us to throw the ball and he returns it with this wooden club (mungro).'

Perhaps seeing a stranger (a journalist from Ratopati), the boy became shy to speak. Nevertheless, he stated that cricket is his favorite sport.

Parshuram does not have faith that his grandson will make a future in cricket, but he feels it is his duty to fulfill his desire. 'He should study when it is time to study, and play in his free time,' he said, 'A plastic ball and a wooden club are enough, he hasn't asked for anything else. He just stays busy playing with this.'

If children with such passion are provided with necessary training and opportunities alongside their studies right from the school level, it can be easily estimated how many cricketers like Dipendra Singh Airee, Lokesh Bam, and Sher Malla Nepal might produce.

Parshuram is not very interested in the upcoming elections. He mentioned that the household is somehow managed by his son's earnings, provided he does not fall ill in India. 'If he (the son) cannot earn, then what will we eat and live on?' he asked.

Parshuram, who moved from Bajhang to Kanchanpur in 023 BS, has about 2/3 katthas of encroached land. They live in a house built on that land, and he grows vegetables to meet some of their needs. He stated that there are no other sources of income.

'The election is approaching, I see leaders moving here and there,' Parshuram said, 'In the past, leaders used to come to our settlement a lot, saying they would do this and that, but they did nothing. Now, even the old leaders do not dare to come our way.'

Stating that they have spent their lives in hardship, Parshuram pointed towards his grandson and said, 'My hope is that he does not have to suffer like this now, and that an environment is created where he can find employment here and manage his livelihood in his time.'