Forced to Exile

I still remember when I was then back in school, we were always taught that we should live within our country no matter whatsoever the difficulties be hounding our lives. We were taught that the smell and taste of fresh water pouring from the Great Himalayas were far better than the 'bitter' water of plains (abroad). It was then, we used to think about moving abroad as a crime- a sin that we should never commit.

I was with four of my friends. We were on our way back home after attending on-going ECAN (Educational Consultants Association of Nepal) function at Birendra International Convention Center, Kathmandu. A lot of prospective students were there inquiring about the foreign universities and courses. One of my friends narrated one online chat which he had with a Nepali who was working in Qatar two years back.

"I asked him why he left the country... No, I rather told him that he did a wrong thing by leaving for a foreign land," he said.

"He asked me my age-and told me that I was still a child," he continued, "One day, I will come of age, and then I'll realize why he left the country- he said."

"But I told him that I would never leave my country- I wanted to do something for my people here," he said in a pale tone, "But now I understand. He had said before going offline that one day probably after four or five years if we were ever to meet then he would surely ask me- What I did for my country in all these years?"

"And today, I'm also looking forward to go abroad. Education isn't my first priority- I know our businesses are making lesser and lesser profit with each passing year. If I don't do something now, then the future would be disastrous," he confessed to me now that he felt that there is nothing wrong in chasing the American dream.

As we came out of the convention center, we were welcomed by black whirls of smoke rising away from the tires burnt in middle of the crossroad at Baneshor. I went to enquire about the matter. I asked a boy standing at on side if he knew anything- "No". But a street hawker told me that some teachers were holding 'demonstration' that way. I shoot the video in my cell phone- and a voice from behind my back seemed to ask- "Is this new Nepal?"

My younger brother is enjoying 'holidays'. The teachers have shut down all schools in protest to pressure the government to fulfill their demands. We had almost forgotten that when we were in schools, such strikes and shut downs were so common. But the last year saw little of such shut downs. Perhaps, it's the sign of 'democracy' which has been restored by our Eight-Party government including CPN-Maoists in our country.