By: Nico Fiscella (@nico_fiscella)
Staying trapped within the walls we call home, remaining distant from peers, and living with the fear of COVID-19 attacked the world in an instant. The pandemic created a lifestyle that all were forced to adjust to, one that will not only live forever in the history books but one that has left a mental scar on all.
According to the World Health Organization, the pandemic increased anxiety and depression levels across the globe by 25 percent within the first year. For Springfield College students Shara Karmacharya and Hrishikesh “Hrishi” Lamichhane, the pandemic brought their mental health to a challenging point. However, it was their passion for art and poetry that provided the shining light at the end of the tunnel.
Five hundred and sixty days since the first COVID-19 case emerged, Hrishi published his first collection of poems, dedicating his work “to everyone who lost their close ones during [the] COVID-19 pandemic. To people facing political, religious, and economic crises. And to dreamers….”
Now two years removed from the beginning of the pandemic, it is Hrishi and Shara who continue to use their passion for not only personal benefit but as a way to reach out to others who are struggling.
Photo Courtesy of Hrishikesh Lamicchanel
“It was a whole new experience,” said Hrishi, who is a current first-year student studying Public Health. While Springfield College was a large adjustment from the education system he knew in Nepal, he has enjoyed experiencing life as a student here on Alden Street.
“I have a very hard time socializing,” said Hrishi.
To Hrishi, poetry is more than just a hobby that passes the time, but instead an art form used to capture crucial moments of his life while also releasing him from the stress surrounding him.
“If it’s something worth remembering,” he said, “I write poems.”
Photo Courtesy of Hrishikesh Lamicchanel
“It was definitely crappy […] but I guess it was a good poem for a fifth-grader,” said Hrishi with a chuckle.
With an introverted personality, he enjoyed staying in and writing poems. After a year of hard work, Hrishi began writing his poetry in English, the only person in his family to fully transition to the foreign language. In Kathmandu, Hrishi was exposed to English at an early age. He would later attend NK Singh Memorial English Preparatory High School, where students were required to speak English.
While Hrishi enjoys re-reading old poems he has written, he also likes to learn from other poets. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost has remained his favorite for years. It is not the four-line structure that excites him. Not the rhyme scheme, nor the physical story that Frost is telling, but instead, it is the final two lines of the poem:
“And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.”
After reading this poem for the first time, those last two lines became engraved in Hrishi’s everyday life. His brother, Sandesh, would often repeat this to Hrishi when it did not seem like the cards were in his favor. On days when he could not find a reason to keep his head up, it was the words of Frost that carried him through troubling times.
“We have a long way to go. We cannot stop,” said Hrishi.
During the pandemic, Hrishi's passion for poetry only grew larger. During this time, he was not allowed to visit his grandparents or go out with friends and was left isolated in the four walls of his room. With an abundance of time in his schedule, he began producing his own collection of poems. Epiphany was published in July of 2021, containing over 30 poems he had written over the years. At a time when Hrishi’s mental health was challenged, poetry helped him free his mind from the struggles he encountered during the pandemic.
“I had so many realizations in me during COVID; I looked back on my life and realized how to accept my emotions,” said Hrishi.
His favorite poem shares the same title as the book, “Epiphany.” It was in this poem that Hrishi described his internal feelings about himself, while also exploring the journey he was about to venture toward.
Photo Courtesy of Hrishikesh Lamicchanel
While this poem was tailored toward his personal experiences, Hrishi enjoys seeing his words benefit the lives of others.
“I write how I feel in a symbolic way,” said Hrishi. “People would not know what I feel, but they can interpret it in their own way. Only I know how I felt when I was writing that.”
Much like Hrishi, graduate Shara Karmacharya has used her passion for art not only as a hobby but as a therapeutic practice. Shara was often bullied as a young child; therefore, she would pick up a pencil and begin sketching whatever was on her mind at the time.
“Art is how I release my stress. It’s my therapy,” said Shara. “Every time I draw, I find the best version of myself.”
She is currently studying for a career in social work, with a dream of one day returning to Nepal to help restructure the education system. With a schedule filled to the brim with classes, an internship, and a work-study on campus, Shara’s favorite part of the day is returning to her home in the senior suites and getting to work on her next art project.
Over winter break this year, Shara completed her favorite piece yet, one that soaked up three months of sketching, drawing, and painting. Filled with bright colors and unique patterns, Shara produced her unique spin on the mandala flower. The circular flower filled a poster board that is almost the same size as her. The mandala flower is seen as a symbol of the universe but also represents love, empathy, and hope. After completing her biggest project yet, Shara posted her artwork on Instagram with the caption, “We are all joined in a circle of stories- Mandala.”
Photo Credit of Shara Karmacharya
Shara’s Instagram is not only where she showcases her latest art products, but also where she embraces the goal of uplifting others.
“[A] butterfly is proof that beauty can emerge from something completely falling apart,” said Shara. For Shara, it was the pandemic that forced an introverted woman into her cocoon, and those dark times allowed for her to spread her wings and emerge as the strong and artistic woman she is today.
Shara’s artwork not only reflects the bright and creative person she is but it is also her way of placing her emotions into color. In October of 2021, Shara’s father passed away, now joining her mother watching Shara continue to prosper as her ambitious goals continue to push her to be the best version of herself she can be.
Photo Courtesy Shara Karmacharya
Shara has made a promise to her parents that she will “continue to be a brave daughter and make you smile [in] heaven.” With her brother now living in Boston, the two are continuing their dreams with each other by their sides.
Whether it is symbols in stanzas or brilliant colors splashed on a canvas, Hrishi and Shara have discovered ways to turn their passion into not just a hobby, but a stress reliever. Their passion for art saved these two during their dark times, and it is this bright light that will continue to carry them as they continue their journey at Springfield. With big intentions for the future, Hrishi and Shara have miles to go before they sleep.