Khadka And Family

I met Khagka Khadka (KB) almost ten years ago while volunteering for Helping Hands Nepal. KB was the founding principal of HEMS School. His colleague Suresh Bhatta, the Educational Director, attended an Early Childhood Conference I helped coordinate with Seta Gurans National Child Development Services. They asked me to visit HEMS School to help with their curriculum. While I was there we created ZOO Learning center, HEMS Olympic, Infant parent classes based on Resources for Infant Educarers. KB was instrumental in my having been the International guest for HEMS Parliament. See ‘Five Birthday Cakes’ and other related HEMS School videos on You Tube and ‘Stonework Inspires Storytelling’ in ELIZABETH JARMAN® Magazine, Issue 1.

Khagka Khadka and family visiting Otisco Lake, Amber, New York
On August 18th 2012 on the deck of Diana Suskind’s family cottage at Otisco Lake, outside Syracuse, New York. Khagka Khadka and his wife, Sarawoti, sons, Suvam (8) and Aaron (22 months) were visiting. All soon were engaged in stonework. Aaron seemed to take immense pleasure in throwing them in into the lake. The sun was brightly shinning and the lake was shimmering.

The session lasted an hour. It started with KB playing with the stones with Aaron in the water and on the small stone entryway to the water. KB kept his son company while they both were touching stones in the lake. It was done in shifts for Aaron needed to take a nap, so he wouldn’t touch his brother’s stones. Sarawoti stayed inside. KB and Suvam did Stonework side by side on the deck.

It was wonderful to see KB working next to his son. It really reflected who he is. Building a home, securing a future for his family are paramount to him and this is definitely evident in his Stonework. KB photographed his stonework.

Sarawoti got right to work, using the biggest space for her stonework and creating the feeling of an actual village. It was an extraordinarily creative placement of stones. My heart was touched. And you could see how proud KB was of her.

Khadka And family Otisco Lake, Amber, New York USA
Stonework Play "A Nepalese-American Stonework Fairytale" by Diana Suskind,Ed.D, the Space for anything about early childhood, Issue no. 30  pg. 14-15, Summer 2012