Palpa, 2 Jul: On the roadside in Rampur, Palpa, stands a tree — and beneath its shade is a small iron cage. But this cage is not meant for a wild animal, nor for a bird. Inside it is confined the childhood, dreams, and happiness of an 11-year-old boy. His name is Pawan Kumal.
At an age when he should be laughing with friends and shaping his future through the pages of books, Pawan’s world has shrunk within the four iron walls of that cage. For the past one and a half years, his days have begun and ended inside this very cage.
He cannot speak, but his eyes carry thousands of unspoken words. When he sees someone passing by, a pure, innocent smile lights up his face. With gentle gestures, he calls them toward him — as if to say, “Won’t you sit with me for a while?” Such a heart-wrenching sight is enough to shatter anyone’s heart.
It’s not that Pawan doesn’t wish to be free from the cage. Whenever he is taken out, a distinct glow appears on his face. In those moments of freedom, he seems like the happiest child in the world, joyfully immersed in the outside world.
But that happiness is short-lived. Due to his physical and mental disabilities, the concern for his safety forces him back behind the iron bars — once again a prisoner within those four walls.
With eyes full of tears and a heart heavy with sorrow, Purnamaya Kumal, Pawan’s mother, says, “What mother would ever wish to lock up her own child in a cage like this? But helplessness can make you do anything.”
She has to manage household chores and work in others’ fields just to secure two meals a day. If she loses sight of him for even a moment, her son darts toward the road. Their home lies right next to the street, and the constant fear of oncoming vehicles keeps her in a state of panic. “To protect him from an accident, I had to harden my heart and build this iron cage,” she says, holding back her pain.
This cage has become Pawan’s reality — a harsh necessity. In the scorching heat, the iron turns blazing hot like burning coal. During storms and monsoons, the tin roof could fly off at any moment — there’s no certainty. And yet, from within that cage, Pawan continues to search for joy, smiling at passersby on the road.
Purnamaya is mother to twin sons. The younger, Pabin, is in Grade 6. Two children born from the same womb — one exploring his future in the schoolyard, the other struggling with his present inside a cage next to their home. The sight tears at Purnamaya’s heart.
The family has done all they can for Pawan’s treatment. His father, Krishna Bahadur, has spent the past eight years working abroad, toiling across the ocean with hopes of healing his son and feeding his family.
Pawan has already undergone surgeries on his leg and heart, but doctors have said that brain surgery is still necessary. Unfortunately, the crushing burden of financial hardship has stifled the family’s hopes.
Some people, upon seeing the child in a cage, criticize and blame the family. But as Purnamaya says, “Only those who live the pain truly understand it.”
Even today, Pawan gazes at the outside world from inside that cage, trying to express himself in a language no one fully understands.
