यसपालिको हिँउदे विदा मैले नि मनाएँ ।

–सौरभकिरण श्रेष्ठ

पहिले पहिले पुसमागको विदालाई मिनपचासको विदा भनिन्थ्यो । त्यसताका स्कुलमा लामै विदा हुन्थ्यो, करिवकरिव १ महिना । काठमाडौँ खाल्टो छोडेर तराईतिर घुम्न गइन्थ्यो । धुमधामको घुमघाम पछि विद्यालय फर्केर साथीहरुको अगाडि फूर्तिलगाउँदै ‘म यहाँ घुम्न गएँ त्यहाँ घुम्न गएँ । तिमीहरु चाहिँ कहाँ गयौँ नि ?’ भनेर सोध्दा रमाइलै हुन्थ्यो । अचेल त यस्तो विदा छोटो हुन थालेछ । त्यो छोटो विदामा पनि केटाकेटीहरु विन्टर क्याम्पमा भाग लिन थालेछन् ।

विन्टर क्याम्प अचेल फस्टाउँदो छ । बालबालिकालाई पढाइका अलावा विभिन्न शीपहरु पनि दिनुपर्छ र त्यो शीप विन्टर क्पाम्पबाट प्राप्त हुन्छ भन्ने मान्यता अनुसार प्रायः यस किसिमका विन्टरक्पाम्पहरु संचालन हुने गर्छन् । यसपाली क्रियटिभ आर्ट सेन्टरले पनि बालबालिकाहरुका लागि ताहचलमा यस्तै विन्टर क्याप संचालन गरेको रहेछ । त्यस क्याम्पमा बालबालिकाहरुलाई चित्रकला, वक्तित्वकला आदि प्रशिक्षण गराउने गरेको मैले पाएँ । त्यही विन्टरक्याम्पको गतिविधिमध्ये एउटा गतिविधि थियो— कथा वाचनको । अनि कथा वाचनको जिम्मेवारी पाएको थियो कथावाचक समाजले ।
कथावाचक समाजको प्रतिनिधित्व गर्दै म र कृष्णदीप सिग्देल दिनको १ वजे ताहाचल पुगेको थियौँ । करिव बीसजना जति बालसहभागीहरु त्यहाँ थिए । उनीहरु सबै कथा सुन्न र आफ्नै कथा बनाउन इच्छुक थिए । कृष्णदीपले कथामा बालबालिका मज्जाले रमाए, हाँसे अनि तालि पिटे ।

मैले चाहिँ उनीहरुलाई कसरी कथा बनाउने भन्ने बारे उनीहरुलाई सिकाउनु थियो । ती बालबालिकाहरु कक्षा ३ देखि कक्षा ८–९ सम्मका थिए त्यसैले उनीहरुलाई कथा लेख्न वा बनाउन सिकाउने काम मेरो लागि चुनौतीपूर्ण थियो । कथा सिर्जनाका लागि कल्पनाशीलताको आवश्यक पर्छ । साना देखि ठूला बालबालिकामा भएको कल्पनाशीलतालाई मैले जोड दिने विचार गरेँ । त्यसैले एउटा सानो तर महत्वपूर्ण अभ्यास गराएँ जनु सबै उमेरका बालबालिकालाई एकै ठाउँमा राखेर गर्न सकिन्थ्यो । त्यो अभ्यासबाट सबै बालबालिका मिलेर एउटा रमाइलो कथा तयार पारेँ । जसलाई कृष्णदिपले झन् रोचक तरिकाबाट उनीहरुसमक्ष प्रस्तुत गरे ।

बालबालिकामा भएको कल्पना र सिर्जनाशीलताको तारिफ गर्दै हामी क्याम्पबाट फर्कियौँ । फर्कनुभन्दा अगाडि हामीले सबै बालबालिकालाई एकएकवटा कथाका पुस्तक पढ्नका लागि वितरण ग¥यौँ । उनीहरु पुस्तक पाउँदा रमाए । हामी पनि उनीहरुसँग एकछिन रमायौँ । यसपालीको हिँउदे विदाले मलाई पनि अलिकति छोएजस्तै लाग्यो । मैले पनि दुईतीन घण्टा विन्टर क्याम्पमा मज्जाले विताए, केही कुरा सिकेर अनि केही कुरा सिकाएर ।
जनवरी ५–७, २०११

Grassroots comics: tool for social change

- Saurav Kiran Shrestha

It was a great experience that I spent my 3-day among 24 children representing various 16 child clubs of Bhaktapur and Kathmandu, Nepal. All of the children were participating in 4-days TOT training on Grassroots Comics organized by Hatemalo Sanchar in RCRD hall in Bhaktapur. They were eager to learn and get training on Grassroots Comics, whi

ch was also known as Wall comics. I served them as a trainer with Ms. Nirjana Bhatta.

During the training I remembered those days when I got exposed to Wall Comic in 2005. At that time the Save the Children Sweden had organized a workshop in Himalayan Hotel in Lalitpur. The workshop was conducted in English medium. There I participated as an interpreter for Nepalese children. Mr. Sarad Sharma from India was trainer. While participating as an interpreter in the workshop I came to know about Wall comic and its importance in Nepal.

According to the Leif Packalen and Sarad Sh

arma, a Grassroot comic is comics that are made by socially active people themselves, rather than by campaign and art professionals, are genuine voices which encourage local debate in the society. Forthermore, they are inexpensive and the technology is not complicated- pen, papers and access to a copying machine are usually enough.

Comics are stories, which are told visually. They become grassroots comics when they are made by community activists or people about some issue which is relevent to that particular community (cited from: Grassroot comics- a development communication tool, 2007)

At that time, I was working in Hatemalo Sanchar as the Program Manager. My belief on power of Wall comic (Grassroots comic) led me to introduce the Wall comic training in the programs of Hatemalo Sanchar, with the help of Pinky Bijayananda, Nirijana Bhatta, Santosh Maharjan, Nina Maharjan and Sanjog Thakuri (Some of them were children and child club

member at that time). After that training, we had organized more than 6 trainings within 2 years. Plan Nepal also helped us to organized wall comics training in various part of Nepal, particularly, in Makawanpur, Morang/Sunsar, Bake, Rautahat and Nepalgung. As a result, we were able to publish a special edition on Wallcomic in Balsansar magazine.

Today, in the first month of 2011, I am glad to see the children from Bhaktapur a

re hanging their wall comics in the premises of Bhaktapur Darwar Area and attracting people to read the wall comic. More than that, I am proud to proclaim that the children are now applying Wallcomic as a tool to eliminate corporal punishment in their schools and community.

January 9-11, 2011