Little Afghani girl steps into world of letters from Kottayam

As classrooms across the State filled with the chatter of children and the scent of fresh books on Monday, it was a six-year-old girl from Afghanistan who captured hearts in Kottayam.

Clutching her new school bag and dressed in a crisp yellow frock, Behsa Karimi walked into Government LP School, Mudiyoorrkkara, with wide eyes and an eager smile. This bright young girl, originally from Herat in Afghanistan, is one of 16 students who joined Grade I this year.

Behsa is the daughter of Mohammad Fahim Karimi, a 33-year-old research scholar in Management Studies at Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU), and Ellaha Zahir. Though her roots lie in the rugged landscapes of Afghanistan, Behsa’s early learning has begun right here in Kottayam, where she also attended pre-school.

This made her the star of the school’s reopening ceremony on Monday. It’s the first time the school here has welcomed a student from another country and the teachers were thrilled. Headmistress Sindhu K. and her team greeted Behsa with open arms. Soon, she was exploring her classroom, exchanging shy giggles with new friends and adapting to the rhythm of her new school life.

“She speaks more Malayalam than I do,” Fahim chuckled. “Though I came here five years ago, I barely know ten words in this language. But Behsa will have no trouble picking up the nuances here. She’s already at home,” he said

Fahim first arrived in Kottayam in 2021 to pursue his postgraduate studies. Now a research scholar at MGU, he still has two more years of research to complete and the family is currently settled near Thellakom. During this time, Kottayam will remain home for the Karimi family, and for Behsa this school will be her world.

On her very first day, she received her textbooks, uniform and school bag from the school. While Fahim and Behsa are here on student visas, her mother and two year old sister, Behar, are on dependent visas.

Published - June 02, 2025 08:33 pm IST