Taking a different path from her social activist mother, Kenjal shrestha is an artist who reached the top 10 in Nepal Idol. Kenjal is currently tearing up the stage with her angelic voice. Music was a part of Kenjal’s growing up years – her father was ded

How would you define your relationship with your mother?

Kenjal: For every person, the word mother is very precious. My mother is a strong, elegant person. She is everything to me. Our relationship is very special.

Neena: It is the closest relationship ever, which is very powerful. It is for better or for worse. It sets the stage for all other relationship.

How protective are you for her?

Kenjal: I am very dedicated to my family. My family is my first priority. Talking about my mom I am definitely very protective of her, and so are my other siblings.

Neena: Every mother is very protective of her children, and so am I. I know she is a good human being, and I believe that she will not do anything which will hurt me. I get worried when she is out/abroad. But all thanks to social network, I am connected to her every where and every day.

What in Kenjal reminds you of your own childhood?

Neena: Kenjal is very decent and loyal and so was I. She quickly gets emotional, but never tries to show that in front of people, and I am exactly the same. So all these things in Kenjal remind me of my own childhood.

Which childhood memory of her is closest to your heart?

Neena: She was very innocent and used to sleep between her two elder sisters. But she used to wake up in middle of the night and start screaming and call out for her father because she knows that I and her father are not sleeping beside her. Then her father would go to her, pat her shoulders till she fell asleep. She was very naughty at the same time. If we had to get her to do something she would say, “First call me ‘Baba’ (sweet child) only then will I do the work.”  All these memories are very close to my heart.

Are you friends with each other?

Kenjal: I am someone who does not talk much. I also do not share much, but yes we are friends with each other. I tend to share things more with my sisters than my mother.

Neena: She shares her makeup with me but not her secrets. She shares her secrets with her siblings. She is open with them, tells everything and fights a lot too. She is very reserved. I am a bit strict as a mother, may be that is the reason that she is afraid to tell me her secrets.

What are some of your mother’s traits you wish you had?

Kenjal: Her public speaking skills. She knows what to speak where whereas I am someone who does not know what I am speaking. Another trait is her tolerance level. My mother is a very strong person. My mother and my father went to Australia to visit my sister, but unfortunately my father expired there. It was two of them who went together, but while returning back she was all alone. One needs to have a really strong heart and guts to tolerate all these hardships.

What does your daughter mean to you?

Neena: She is a diamond, the precious one. I think that word says it all.

What do you two enjoy doing when together?

Kenjal: I love to sleep on my mother’s lap. I love when she moves her hand around my head. This gesture of love is beautiful.

Neena: At times we have random talks and sometimes she makes me laugh too. She may seem quiet, but she is the funniest among my five children. We discuss a lot and try to exchange our thoughts with each other, even though they do not match a bit. She is very chilled out, and I am totally opposite to what she is. No matter what we know how much we love each other.

What is the best thing about one another?

Kenjal: There are too many to describe. But if I have to mention one, that would be, she is very supportive towards me. Even if she scolds me, I can see the love that she has for me.

Neena: She is very humble and respects everyone. I guess she loves me for what I am today as she has witnessed all the struggles and ups and downs I have gone through in my life.

What is that one thing that you dislike about one another?

Kenjal: She shouts a lot and screams a lot. Maybe it is because of her that my voice is this open and loud (laughs out loud).

Neena: She is very stubborn. If she wants something, she needs it anyhow. And then she thinks I am stubborn.