Vidhan Rana is a research manager for Whittaker Associates, Inc., a US based market research firm which opened an office in Kathmandu in January.
Article came out first in THE WEEK from the REPUBLICA
It will not come as a surprise to many when I state that Nepal is at a critical juncture in its history. What happens in the next few months or even weeks will determine whether future generations will live in a stable, prosperous Nepal or where law and order deteriorates further. Our future is very uncertain. The decisions we make today, the actions we take today will determine our country’s future.
Most Nepalis are frustrated with the state of our government (i.e. politics) and its inability to deliver what our people want. It is not much we seek. We ask for a stable government, where policies are clear, corruption is kept in check and those who want to make a living are afforded that “luxury”.
Given such facts, it is understandable that many have lost hope. Most wish to leave the country. Some to find employment opportunities and others for higher education. Sadly, it is the youth of the country who are leaving in mass. This is the group with the greatest potential of making a significant impact on the country’s future.
However, I am witnessing a trend that is a ray of hope. Many Nepalis who left due to various circumstance are slowly returning. I am part of this trend and am glad to be back.
Although more people are leaving than coming back, it is a positive trend indeed. Those who come back, come with new experiences, new ideas and a vision to do something different. That is what Sunniv Rajbhandary did. He revamped his father’s travel agency, making it more efficient and injected new life into it. Sunniv completed a degree in business management in Franklin & Marshall College and used it not only in his travel business but opened a discount marketing website www.merodeal.com along with another friend who came back to Nepal after learning about Sunniv’s experience upon his return.
Yuki Poudyal, another young Nepali who came back to Nepal after finishing college says, “I found the American lifestyle sometimes very alienating, and mechanical. That’s why I came back to look for a more meaningful engagement at a place where I belonged, and give life a chance.” Yuki is today a proud owner of Cuppas, a swanky coffee shop located in Putalisadak. When Yuki came back, she had no intention of becoming an entrepreneur. She planned to get a job in the non-profit sector for a year and go back for graduate school. But things changed once she arrived. She saw numerous business opportunities and siezed the one that interested her the most.
Both Sunniv and Yuki have become job creators in Nepal. They have used their education and experience to create something new in Nepal. Many people I talked to in U.S. said they have a urge to come back, many even had amazing ideas about what they will do once they are back. Yet, I hear most saying “Situation better bhayepachi aaumla” (I will come back when the situation improves).
For those who are living abroad and waiting for things to improve back home – I say, things may not improve. They may not improve especially if we, the youth of this country, are not willing to contribute to this effort. One way you can ensure that the situation will deteriorate further is if you hold ourselves back and do nothing. The more longer one stays abroad, the harder it gets to leave. There will be things that will tie us down. The sooner you can make the move back the better. Just remember what Gandhi said, “be the change that you want to see in the world”. If you care, do something about it.
Both Sunniv and Yuki think coming back to Nepal is not for the faint hearted, you need lots of patience and determination; you can’t expect Nepal to work like America or other developed nations. There is load shedding. You have to wait in line to get petrol. There are myriads of problems. But, as with any problem – there is a solution – and that solution can be an opportunity.
Being of a critical nature, you may disagree with this opinion and say, “What difference can a couple of friends opening a coffee shop make?” Let me engage your thought. If I see my friends doing something fruitful with their time and actually doing well, I feel encouraged to do something. It creates a ripple effect and encourages more to do something. Soon the many ripples can combine and turn into a wave that changes the direction of our country. One person coming back often encourages their friends to at least think more seriously about the option.
After living in the United States more than six years, I realized that if I don’t come back to Nepal now it may be too late for me. I hope to create a ripple that will one day become a wave. Who knows these small ripples may combine with ones that Sunniv and Yuki are creating, and become a huge tsunami and moving our country away from this tipping point, into a better future.
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