From Barefoot Hills to Unbreakable Will: A Childhood life in Struggle

[Manika Kunwar]

Childhood means different things to different people. For some, it is school bells, playground laughter, and bedtime stories. But for my elder uncle, childhood was something else entirely it was responsibility, hunger, long journeys, and survival. I grew up in an urban setting, surrounded by opportunities, schools, and comfort. I hardly knew what life was like in the villages decades ago. When my uncle shared his story with me in his own words, I realized how different our worlds were. “We were small,” he said, “but there was no opportunity to study. There was no school in the village. Even when there was a chance to go, our parents would scold us. They believed teachers would spoil children who were meant to work.” Education, which many of us take for granted today, was seen as a distraction back then. Work was life. Survival was the priority. From a very young age, my uncle grazed sheep and goats. His days were spent walking from the lower plains to the high hills, guiding cattle and carrying heavy loads on his back. Instead of holding books and pencils, his hands held ropes and farming tools. Slowly, education faded away from his life not because he didn’t want it, but because survival demanded something else. Food was another constant struggle. Crops barely grew in the village. After working in the fields for an entire year, the harvest would not last even two months. Hunger was a familiar companion. To survive, they had to leave their village and walk for seven or eight days in search of work. Imagine that walking for days, carrying baskets on their backs, hoping to find employment somewhere far away. At night, they would sleep wherever they could: sometimes by the riverbank, sometimes under a large tree, and sometimes beneath a giant rock. They ate whatever they managed to find. Every single day was a challenge. Managing daily expenses was another burden. There were many family members, and responsibilities came early in life. There was no concept of “teenage freedom.” Childhood and adulthood blended into one long journey of duty. Yet, despite all this hardship, there were moments of joy. Young boys and girls would spend their free time walking along dusty roads, singing songs, laughing, and teasing one another. The environment was open, and conversations were simple and carefree. Life was tough, but hearts were light. “Times have changed,” my uncle says. “Today, young people cannot talk and joke as freely as before. If someone says something, it may be called harassment. Society and thinking have changed.” His words are not a complaint, but an observation. Every generation faces its own challenges. The struggles of the past were physical hunger, labor, distance. The struggles of today are different social pressure, competition, changing values. That uncle’s childhood was full of hardship and struggle. But those very struggles shaped his character. They taught him resilience. They taught him discipline. They taught him how to work hard without complaining and how to carry responsibility without fear. While he may not have had the education he once wished for, life itself became his teacher. The hills trained his endurance. Hunger taught him patience. Responsibility built his strength. His story reminds me that courage is not always loud. Sometimes, it is simply waking up every day and doing what must be done no matter how hard it is.

And perhaps, that is the greatest lesson of all.

[Shahrukh Atpade]

It reminds us that responsibility and courage are often the greatest teachers in life.