Suprina Bajracharya

What ignited your pursuit for gender equality?

I've always been a spoiled and rebellious youngster who demands whatever she wants. My parents are fortunate to have three daughters, therefore we have not witnessed our parents discriminate against us. I saw changes in society's questioning pattern as we grew up. We were constantly questioned about our age, marriage plans, walking style, physique type, and behavior, among other things. My male relatives, on the other hand, were questioned about their future plans, schooling, and careers. This prompted me to reconsider society's perception of gender differences. After that, I began to challenge their thinking and inform them that they were treating us unfairly.

Please share your biggest wins as an advocate for gender equality.

During my two-year fellowship (as an English teacher/ TFN Fellow 2020) with Teach For Nepal in Raithane, Sindupalchok, I stood up for myself when one of the male teachers said something unpleasant. Concerning the event, it occurred at my birthday party with school colleagues. They placed cake on my face during the celebration. It didn't bother me because it was a great occasion. I eventually removed the cake cream from my face. When one of the male teachers noticed me, he asked why I had removed the cream. He was longing to lick the cream off my face. That statement stunned me, and I felt compelled to respond. Then I explained that someone else will taste those creams, and that person is not you. Every teacher was in disbelief after hearing my response. They didn't anticipate me to respond in this way. On the other hand, the female teachers were glad to hear it and gave me the thumbs up. I felt good about myself for standing up for myself and handling those brutal comments. Following this incident, I saw that the male teachers were speaking to me correctly. Even more, I advised my female coworkers to speak out for themselves if someone made an effort to control them in any way.

Outside of your gender equality advocacy work, what do you enjoy doing?

After considering my professional background, I can say that I am a calm, loving person of nature. I enjoy traveling by foot and hiking. Along with that, I enjoy connecting with locals and engaging in conversation about their culture, cuisine, and dancing. I even love food a lot. Before COVID, my sister and I would go food hunting. However, we are unable to explore right now because we are too busy with our own work. I adore Korean food, particularly Kimbap. My go-to hubby is a dancer, finally. I practice lyrical dancing, in which I manipulate song lyrics and attempt to translate them into physical gestures. I just recently discovered that I'm talented in the arts, illustration, and video editing. Creating content for social media is fun for me.