Kathmandu, Oct. 30 -- Kailali shaped Rakshya Bam's roots. The population was mostly Tharu, though many families from the hills had also migrated to the plains. She heard different accents and saw different traditions. This taught her early that despite the diversity and differences, we share the same soil beneath our feet.

She also understood that her province, Sudurpaschim, was labelled poor, backward and underdeveloped. Outsiders talked about Sudurpaschim with pity. Aid organisations described it as a place of struggle. Bam did not accept that. More than struggles, her home had culture, nature and possibilities. What it lacked was justice and attention from those in power. "Kailali is not poor. It is made poor," she says.

After school...