Student Profile: Shyam Gupta

(Not his bike)

Shyam Gupta was the first student at Stephens to really prove to me that “middle schooler” is a universal race. He is smitten with a girl in his class, worries over his outfit and image, laughs uncontrollably during kissing scenes in movies, and constantly asks me for time on my laptop to use Facebook. But no matter how hard he tries, he can't hide his goofy nature. Shyam is a very funny guy and is always whispering to his close friends and making them laugh. His own laugh can be heard all over Kathmandu, a cross between a loud guffaw and the three stooge’s “nyuk.”

Shyam and his best pal Pasang took me on my first trip into the city. They were my first guides. I have come to realize it is in Shyam’s nature to be the tour guide, the friend-maker, the nucleus of the group. Shyam heard about my interviews and on his own, wrote about himself and his family. I was happy he took the initiative, then again, he wouldn’t have had it any other way. I asked him some follow-up questions after his unprompted report on his life and family members—here are both of his write-ups on the life and times of Shyam Gupta.

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About Myself

My name is Shyam Gupta. My school’s name is Stephens International School. I am a student. I study in class six. My job is to learn. I like to play football. It is famous in the world. I like to eat mangoes, bananas, pumpkins, and mostly meat. I have a small family.

My father’s name is Ashok Prasad Gupta. He is 37 years old. He loves me very much. His job is to work in shop. He is a business man. He works very hard for us. He likes to eat meat, eggs, cabbage, etc. He doesn’t like to play anything.

My mother’s name is Manju Prasad Gupta. Her age is 34. She also works hard for us. She is a house wife. She likes to eat pumpkins, cabbage, rice, pulse, etc. But she doesn’t like to play anything. She loves us very much. We also love her.

Shyam turned 13 on September 6th!

My brother’s name is Santosh Gupta. He is very handsome. His age is 15. He is a student. He studies in class 9. He is an obedient student. He likes to play football and basketball. He likes to eat potatoes, cabbage, etc.

My sister’s name is Pooja Kumari Gupta. She is beautiful. She is 12 years old. She is a student. She reads in class 5. She works hard for her future. She likes to play badminton and basketball, too. She likes to eat meat, sausage, and some fruits

I want to say I love my family because they work very hard for me. Our home is in Jorpati, Kathmandu. But our real home is in Janakpur region of Nepal. We all love each other.

When I am an adult, I want to be big business man and I want to make our country better. If I won’t be a business man, I could be a football player.

If I could say something and the whole world could hear, then I would say that we shouldn’t pollute the world, if we will do then we can cause so many diseases. It can affect us very badly. I wanna make the world nice. Nowadays, the world is being very bad because of global warming. In rainy season it won’t rain and in sunny days it rains. At last, I want to say, “Make our world better.”

Yes, I want to marry someone that is [name removed for privacy]. I want to get married when our marriage will be fixed and I want to marry her in the age of 25.

I think I'll bring this up again when he's 25...

The two things I would change about the Stephens school are as follows:

i: I want to keep a computer at every class. I want to keep a library and have many books.

ii: I want to have more students in our school so that we can compete with each other and have a better life.




My best friends are Pasang Lama, Yagya Paj Sharma, and Suprina Lammichhane because they help me and we all work together. I met Pasang and Suprina one year and 8 months ago and I met Yagya two years and 8 months ago. We guys play football, basketball, and mainly we talk with some matters. We all enjoy and laugh together when we hang out.

Pasang and Shyam, pals

Yagya and Shyam

Old days, our home [in Janakpur] was made of mud, stone, and clay. But nowadays our home in Janakpur is made of cement. It is a 2 storied house. My grandfather and grandmother live there.

The streets of Kathmandu valley are bad also and good also. Some streets there is thrown garbage and doing stool here and there. And so the people can’t walk properly. The road is also bad because of damage. The damaged road can cause accidents. We should repair the damaged roads.

Once upon a time when I was little I use to pee in my pants. Always when I sleep at night I use to pee.

I always go to school but not on Saturday. Sometime I feel bored, then I will go out for something. When I was 11 years old I went to hostel. I enjoyed there too much with my friends. I study well there and I became 13^th in exam. My father and mother were very happy to see my results. Then when I was 12 years old, I came to hostel at Stephens school. I got my friends in Stephens. I enjoy with them and play. We all like to play football. When Alex sir came, he gave us training. My life is enjoyable.

Good bye, Alex sir friends.