Stories

  Life struggle forces 13 year old student to monk hood

You see him along Norzin Lam carrying a red bucket and a basket trying to find his place to sell porridge. Wearing clothes which are one size bigger than his actual size, his face is covered in a dirt smeared white mask. He wraps a piece of cloth around his neck which hardly helps him to bear the cold.  As worn out and tiring he is seen, he has a bright dreamy eyes. When some very young people of his age lives overwhelming life, this boy is lost in the midst of night selling porridge for his survival.

He is Dorji Gyeltshen a 13 year old class v student at Olakha Lower Secondary School. He loves Dzongkha and wishes to become a Dzongkha teacher one day. We could see him dying to study further but the poor fortune of him does not allow it.

His father died when he was very young. His mother remarried and has three siblings including himself. He started selling doma in 2012, which could only generate a small amount of income hardly covering his basic necessities. He shifted his business from selling doma to thub and generating more income for the survival. He has a 10 year old brother who also works on the street and they have fewer moments to spend together. 

He started selling momos and porridge about two weeks ago. He sells the porridge between 10:00 P.M to 1:00 A.M; however his brother has to stay till 4:00 in the morning and at times he falls asleep. “I always try to finish off selling porridge before the cold becomes extreme, but I continue till mid night. I have a little time to spare playing with my friends. I have to sell momos during the day and porridge in the evening”, he said.

During day he shouts for momo customers and in the extreme cold at night calling porridge customers. Some people, out of sympathy, bought him hand gloves and ear covers to fight against the extreme cold. Some  also help him finish the porridge and send him as early as possible. Behind the mask he hides his tears and sorrows.

The little money generated from selling porridge and momos is kept with his sister; otherwise his step father takes away the money for his redundant reasons. “He beats me when I cannot complete my work”, he said. His mother is too afraid to confront his stepfather and support him.

“I have decided to go to Sikkim and become a monk.I want to become a good teacher, serve by beloved mother and that is the only hope that I have in me. For me to reach Sikkim I need some money, so selling momos and porridge was the only alternatives left for me to generate it” he said. He is leaving for Sikkim next month and soon or later he is going to become a good teacher.

If life was not this difficult for Dorji Gyeltshen, he would have continued his studies in Bhutan. Monkhood has become a mere way of escaping  from his hardship.

You would always remain as my hero boy. I pray for your safety and prosperity in your life ahead.