Last month, an unsuspecting Pakistani teenager, Arshad Khan, dubbed the chaiwala, shot to internet fame after being photographed by Javeria Ali at a bazaar. In a world hungry for a feel-good fairytale, Khan was promptly signed as a model by a clothing company. 

Soon thereafter, Nepal’s own internet sensation went viral. A series of photographs of a Nepali teenager, Kusum Shrestha, on her way to a vegetable market in Gorkha, took the internet by storm, and modeling and movie contracts were soon offered to her as well. 

As Shrestha, dubbed the Tarkariwali, clearly affirmed her interest in continuing her studies rather than pursuing a career in modeling or acting, she has now been offered scholarships for her intermediate and graduate studies. 

On Wednesday, at the premises of Quest Model College, a team of filmmakers made public the scholarships that have been offered to Shrestha. “We were looking for a fresh new face to feature in our upcoming film, Lamphu, about the same time Shrestha’s photo broke the internet,” said filmmaker Gopal Chandra Lamichhane, “We decided to approach her for the role but later found out that she wanted to pursue her studies instead, so we decided to offer her scholarships for her further studies.”

Popular Multimedia and Popular College have decided to offer Shrestha, an eleventh grader, full scholarship for her intermediate studies. Shrestha has also been offered scholarships for her Bachelors and Masters degrees at Nepal Mega College in Babarmahal. 

During the event, Shrestha said, “I am more focused on continuing my studies further rather than pursuing a career in modeling or acting. I am very happy and thankful that I have received scholarships to continue my studies.”