When Yasuhiro Kishimoto first came to Nepal in 1994, what he knew about the country could be summed up in three points. "This was the mystical land that a Japanese monk wrote about more than a century ago, it is the birthplace of the Buddha and, of course, Nepal has a lot of mountains," he says with a grin. He knows more now.

People never expected Yasuhiro, a globetrotter who has visited 50 countries, to get very far. Born in Osaka, he was confined to a wheelchair from childhood. His father died early, and it was a hard life for his mother and grandmother who took care of him. Yasuhiro could have given up, but he developed a fierce determination to prove himself. "I often went hungry to buy books instead," he recalls. He studied psychology, philosophy and history, and started writing poetry at 15. Today he has authored a dozen books-poetry, a few stories, a wrenching account of being differently-abled and some on Nepal. Yasuhiro even became something of a celebrity with a movie-documentary called 'Aastha' based on his life.

All the royalties go to Yasuhiro's pet project-the Nepal Kishimoto Primary School in Pokhara, where 180 students receive free education. The student body is made up mainly of dalits, refugees and minorities. Whenever possible, the teachers are also from marginalised groups. Even though the school has run for about seven years now, funding is a problem. Yasuhiro makes a little from the sale of his books and the Kishimoto Gakusya No Kai Foundation in Japan where about 300 members give donations and sell coffee for ?100 per cup to raise money. The most recent fundraising attempt was the 'Himali Chhori' CD. Yasuhiro penned the lyrics in Japanese and an impressive list of artists worked on the translated versions, including Alok Shree, Yam Baral, Sachin Singh, Sambujit Baskota and Ramkrishna Dhakal.

There are other concerns-visa problems and Yasuhiro's declining health. Speaking through a translator, Yasuhiro says his body doesn't work as well but his major worry is the children who depend on him. "When I was poor, I came up a step at a time to where I am," says the frail looking Yasuhiro. "Now I'm helping others through education." He speaks calmly of not living very much longer, yet immediately afterwards he confides he does have something big scheduled for next year: "I'm going to Everest base camp!" he declares. There's no doubt about it, Yasuhiro is a hero.
(Jemima Sherpa)