I am Jhampi Biswa, the Kansas Bhutanese community garden’s
coordinator. I was born in Dagana district in Bhutan on January 11-1981. My father
is Thag B. Biswa and my mother is Dil Maya Biswa. I am the elder son of my
parents. I have two brothers and one sister, and also I have a wife and two
children now.
My parents were born in
Bhutan, and they were farmers there for long time. When I was a small boy 8
years old in Bhutan I used to follow my father when he plowed the field. But
later when I was 10 years old, the Bhutanese government started to dominate the
Bhutanese Nepali people by forcing Nepali people to wear bakhu and kira all the
time (Bhutanese dress). The government wouldn’t allow Nepali people to wear
their own cultural dress, that is dohora suruwal
and fariya chaubandhi choli. Government burned all
the cultural dress and also the government didn’t allow Nepali people to read and speak the Nepali cultural
language anymore in Bhutan. So I came
out from Bhutan to Nepal with my parents . In Nepal I got a little chance to have an
education from CARITAS Nepal (a charity in Nepal). I finished 12th
grade there. After that I just started my own business , which was a jewelry
shop. I spent half of my life in Nepal. I didn’t get other chances to do anything
except the jewelry shop. Then suddenly I got a golden chance to come to the
U.S. in the year 2010. I arrived in the U.S. and moved to Kansas City with my family.
Now I am working at
Catholic Charities being the coordinator for the new Kansas Bhutanese community garden (at 14th St. and Allen Ave.--shown behind me in the photo).
There will be 27 families working with me in the garden, with one plot for each
family. My wife, children, and parents will work with me in one of the garden
plots. We are very excited to be able to garden again, and I am so happy to
work in Catholic Charities with the Kansas Bhutanese Community.
