Manju Singh Karki, Assistant Manager at Frootle India, Mumbai is an alumnus of Himalalan Inter College, Chaukori. She has a diploma in Environmental Studies and Outdoor Education and a postgraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
A native of Nachani, a small village near Chaukori, Manju has been interested in culture and the creative arts since her childhood. She aspired to work at the intersection of the creative arts and mass media. Making a career in writing and journalism was to her an obvious choice.
After graduation Manju worked at e-Times (Times of India – Times Internet) as a content writer and Bollywood reporter. She dreams of pursuing a Ph.D in Mass Communication and Journalism after gaining experience in reporting and writing for leading media outlets.
She thinks living in a cosmopolitan city like Mumbai greatly expands one’s life experience. In such an international city people of different cultures and backgrounds interact with a sense of independence and autonomy. What interests her immensely is meeting and getting to know new people. She loves learning their stories.
Reflecting on the challenges faced by the people in the hills, Manju opines, “The hill communities form an integral part of Indian society and yet they are often neglected in government policy making and the allocation of funds for infrastructure development”. She dreams of turning her native place into a “smart village” with better access to education, healthcare, power and communication facilities”.
Manju remembers her alma mater in Chaukori with a sense of nostalgia and pride.“The unique strengths of HIC are its dedicated teachers and the natural environment in which learning takes place. I miss my hostel life and the camaraderie of sharing and caring for each other,” she reminisces.
A die hard fan of Bollywood music composer A.R.Rahman, Manju also enjoys the style and substance in the songs of Bruno Mars and Billie Ellish. She believes travelling broadens one’s horizons, hence she wants to visit interesting places. As a passionate animal lover she rescued 20 cats and presently shares her living space with 9 cats she herself has adopted.
Manju’s advice to the current students of HIC: “Settle for nothing less than your very best. To accept anything less than that often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. And remember: only education has the power to bring about a positive change in oneself and in our society. So make the best use of your student life at HIC.”
A sample of Manju Karki’s reporting: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/age-no-bar-for-these-bollywood-couples/shahid-kapoor-mira-rajput/photostory/61561182.cms
Spanish translation of her article on the Holi festival:
