TO CURB IS HUMAN

Every time a bus comes at the police check post in Khairidhunga, Himal Shrestha boards the bus and takes a minute to return. If he sees suspicious individual, he politely asks them to come down for a minute.

Some travelers look with suspicion and query why a passenger should get out. Himal takes some time to elaborate why. His work is both appreciated and dismissed by onlookers. The bus driver himself says okay but tells him to do it quick.

After the earthquake, Nepal government, along with various organizations warned with many being people being internally displaced, trafficking could be on rise. As a result, security bar has been raised.

Himal Shrestha and Rolina Tamang have been working to curb trafficking for the past 15 days at Khairedhunga Police Check Post. Both take turn to check for suspected individuals, especially children and girls.

That was how Rohit Tamang (name changed), around 10 years old, was saved. Rohit had boarded a bus to Kathmandu without his parent's consent, to work in a hotel. At Khairedhunga, he was stopped, queried, and then returned back to his parents.

In the last two weeks, Himal and Rolina have been able to save five females from being trafficked.  

In another incident, "two Tamang girls of around 18 from a nearby village said they were going to visit their uncle's place in Kathmandu. When we inquired the name of the uncle and the place they would go in Kathmandu, they were confused. Moreover, their uncle's surname was different from their own," Rolina said. When we asked the uncle's number, they gave it to us and when we called the phone and inquired, the man cut the line and since then has disappeared" Himal said. Having reported to the police, the man and his whereabouts is under investigation.

Rolina and Himal shared that all of those who were rescued were travelling alone and were scheduled to meet somebody on the other side. "When we interrogate a suspect, they generally tend to blabber, get irritated, panic and tend to hide themselves. They act abnormally," Himal said.

POLICE SUPPORT

Both Rolina and Himal shared that the police has helped a lot in inquiring and halting vehicles. Surendra Singh, Assistant Sub inspector at the Check Post said that they had always felt the need of such help desks. "We always felt the need for such work," Surendra Singh said adding that he greatly appreciated what Rolina and Himal were doing.

RESOURCE

Without resources, Rolina and Himal are currently operating from the police check post. Every time they bring a suspected individual, they escort them to the police check post and start to inquire. Such act has cast suspicious eyes amidst the onlookers.

"A lot of people here know each other," Himal said, adding that social prestige had come into play many times. Moreover, both the sub-inspector and Rolina believed that people seldom became open when queried inside a police post, no matter how small it was.

"Once, one of our suspects turned to be wrong. Because we had dropped her from bus and waited for her parents to come so that we could hand her over, she was nervous. She happened to know many of the locals and there were many onlookers too," Rolina said.

"When her parents came and we handed her over, the girl, although pleased by the attempt said that they could have chosen other destinations instead of a police post," Rolina narrated.

Without their own office, the two have been operating in the police post itself. "If only we had two tents, we could use one as a store and an office and another one as shelter during winter and monsoon. This also would have helped people to open up and confide," Himal said.

Moreover, both Rolina and Himal expressed that while they were doing their best (even when they do not have necessary trainings), had they had two more people, awareness in wards, VDCs, schools and health posts would have been in the pipeline.

AWARENESS

Khairidhunga is predominantly a Newari settlement. Surendra Singh, deployed in the post after two years in Jiri and Satdobato (Dolakha) opined that the level of awareness in terms of trafficking was nominal.

"More often than not, people, here, become dismissive," Surendra Singh said.

Dipak Shrestha, 22 is a farmer by profession. He has a son. When SCI queried if he along with his family was aware about trafficking, he said yes. However, when we asked if he bought out the topic and urged female family members to be alert of any stranger, he was reluctant. "We talk once in a while," Dipak said. "But we know everyone here so we don't need to worry much of trafficking," Dipak said.

The assistant sub inspector suggested that by incorporating media and creating awareness generating campaigns, the level of awareness would increase. "We also need to help people to stop being dismissive," Surendra said.

APPRECIATION

While many have criticized the security check, a lot have actually appreciated it. To Himal and Rolina, the pat on their back is a gratifying experience. "We really feel special and proud of what we do," both echoed. The experience is even greater to Rolina. "Being a woman and helping a woman is really heart touching," Rolina said, adding that she has been able to pride over what she's been doing.

Senior citizens, monsoon and aid

While I was talking to an assistant nurse at Chettrapa Health Post, a two and half hour drive over bumpy roads from Charikot, an elderly woman wearily walked in. Every wrinkle of her face had a story to tell. As I continued to talk to the assistant nurse, the woman started to rub her eyes. It probably was itching. Seeing the elderly woman itch, Mithu Suneal, an Assistant Nurse Midwife went to the woman and politely, asked what was wrong.

"My eyes are itching badly," I overheard the woman speak. Her voice was pressed and she found it difficult to utter the words. Mithu Suneal put a hiatus on our conversation and walked towards the old woman. She then put an inflammatory eye drop on her eyes. The old woman now felt better.

The conversation cut short for a while, as another patient came in, I walked towards the old woman. As I spoke the first words, I knew I would get some part of the history from the wrinkles that her face had. "Ama (mother), Namaste," I told her. She meekly uttered the same.

This was the first time I could well see her features. Her eyes looked weary of the itch. The two drops of inflammatory dose that the assistant nurse had put in her eyes found way through her wrinkled face to run down.

"What's your name Ama?" I asked. In her frail but jovial voice, she answered, "Batuli".

"What's your full name Ama?" I queried.

Having misheard her full name, I tried to correct her name.

"Batuli Jirel kya (It's Batuli Jirel)" she corrected me.

Having had lived with my great grandmother until she passed away, I had got to know parts of history that we had never known from our history books. Batuli Jirel was one of them and I was curious to know what she had to share. Having heard the earthquake of 1934 AD from my great grandmother, the very earthquake had, eventually, been the first question that I could not help asking of to Batuli.

"I was five or six years old when the earthquake came," Batuli Jirel said. "I was playing outside when that earthquake came," she continued. Batuli doesn't recall much of the earthquake apart from the earth shaking and buildings collapsing.

Now, 86 years old, Batuli Jirel tends to forget quickly. The ongoing conversation of 1934 AD earthquake skipped to the Rana regime. "I happened to pass a Rana palace in Thapathali. Then, a coin was dropped from a window," she continued to say. "When you see a coin, you have to pick it up and go inside the palace and stay with the person who threw the coin," Batuli said.

When the first earthquake of August 25 struck, Batuli was with one of her three sons in Patan. "I fell down when the earthquake came. My son carried me and took me out of the house which then collapsed," Batuli said.

During the second earthquake, she came to Chettrapa to stay with her youngest son. This time as well, she was home alone. "I stayed still and my son, who was working in the field, came rushing and pulled me out," Batuli said. "Then, my house fell," Batuli said.

Batuli is one of the around 300 elderly people living in Chettrapa VDC. As monsoon approaches, health concerns of elderly is an issue that health workers of Chettrapa Health Post are concerned of.

Sudha Giri Khadka, Axillary Nurse Midwife at the Health Post highlighted. "Around 300 elderly people live in this VDC. The monsoon is going to create a big problem for them," Sudha said adding that during monsoons, weather would get much colder during morning and night. "This could raise the number of sick people at the health post, and it would be pretty difficult for us to deal with all," Sudha said.

Chettrapa Health Post employs only five health workers. "With limited staffs at the health post, it is a bit difficult to attend all patients," both Mithu Sunel and Sudha Giri said. "While a lot of agencies have come to support us, they've not looked into elderly people and their issues," Mithu Sunel said. She further opined that elderly people seriously needed to be considered while providing aids.

Apart from the monsoon, bathroom is of another concern for the elderly, Sudha shared. "A lot of bathrooms have been destroyed. For elderly citizens like Batuli, it is of a concern."

For Batuli, all she wants is to go back to her home and stay warm and silently wants to pass away.

YOUNG VOICE

Only overthrowing regimes, I believe isn’t the road to development. (We have thrown a lot of regimes—the Rana, Panchayat and the King was the jackpot!) Development is more, and if we, as citizens and political leaders of Nepal fail to recognize this, we will, once again be doomed. Every day, people increasingly have apathetic as well as skeptical view to the government: Nepalese rely on the government for their basic needs, while being skeptical.

The Nepali Congress overthrew the Rana Regime and marked the dawn of Democracy in 2007 BS. While the change supposedly was a step towards development, histories show otherwise. I firmly believe that democracy came at a time when no individual knew what democracy meant. Our leaders, especially those belonging to the Nepali Congress failed to explain what the values of democracy uphold—maybe because they themselves were fully unaware of what democracy meant themselves, or may be because they were afraid that by explaining the values of democracy to people, the common man would revolt—just like the Nepali Congress revolted against Rana Regime, or maybe because they were trying to figure out what democracy meant themselves. More than that, the dawn of democracy, I believe became more of a calculated misfire than the paths to development. Only after a country meets all the elements of democracy can a country really be democratic.  These elements include education, employment and food for thought.

Democracy is defined as being people centric. It is what we call, “By the people, for the people, to the people”. This simple line is easy to say but hard to keep—as people choose what they want. A country of sheep will select sheep as their leaders. They cannot choose a Lion because they are only a flock of sheep and they only have a sheep to choose. Even if they select a Lion, they cannot look up to a Lion for a few reasons. Firstly, they feel threatened and insecure that while the Lion gives them necessary needs, they feel that the Lion can pounce and eat them anytime. Secondly, the Lion itself becomes too powerful that he could use his powers otherwise, and eat the sheep whenever he wants. And finally, while both depend on the other, neither the sheep nor the Lion trusts one another because one is too weak before the Lion, and the Lion is always too powerful. Hence, we choose leaders according to what we are. Nepal is no different. We are a country of sheep selecting sheep. We fail to bring in more powerful leader because we ourselves cannot act according to the Lion’s strength, or work hard to become close to the Lion’s strength.

The values of Democracy relies primarily on education, employment and free speech. A citizen must be educated enough to know what democracy means along with upholding its ideals. (After 50 years of democracy, a vast majority of Nepali citizens cannot say what it means. Many pronounce it just because the word has stuck with them throughout their lives.  Nepal is a democratic country, a line in Social Studies book in early school years say.)

Nepal hasn’t gotten far with employment after five scores of years. Nepal used export rice grains to India and other countries because of self sufficiency. There is a “Dhan Adda” in Maitighar, if anybody seems to recall. Now, we import rice. Nepal’s government prides in its citizens migrating towards the Gulf for employment; which should be the last thing on a country’s mind. Throughout all these years, never once has it occurred as a national agenda to look back at why people are migrating and what the country could do. No wonder, we are a country supported by remittance, a remittance economy.

Another crucial power of democracy is free speech. Free speech comes with education.  Free speech isn’t just about talking freely. It is about talking sense freely. Free speech is not defamation, neither it is about creating rifts between the citizens of Nepal. It is about uniting people to work for national goals. It is about maintaining checks and balance, creating accountability between both the people and the government.

Nepal wasn’t ready for a democratic government when the country rose to democracy. Neither it now is ready for a federal system. This would be an appalling remark from a youth who stands as the future of the country—I am a youth in dilemma. I am the future of Nepal, but before being called one, my future depends on what the country can give and what I can give to the country without leg pulling people. My future depends whether I’ll be able to find or establish sufficient wage income to feed and support my family in the country. If I can, I will stay in Nepal. If I cannot, I will have to think of other options. I’ll be one more to the migrants list and a citizen cut from the country’s population of youth residing in the country. Now, when we multiply this across the 2.7 million population, what is the result? After a decade, Nepal will be a country of aging population , and the vast majority of my friends hold this view as well. Now, the important question arises. Why hasn’t the government been able to stop, check and bring back the youths towards their Motherland?  The answer lies on the country’s failure to promote employment that is self sustaining along with basic infrastructures of development—education, food, shelter, health, transportation and communication.  

When we answer these questions, we come back to the same cycle that our leaders have repeatedly said all these years, and the same answers that we’ve always made us believe. The leaders know that Nepal is a country of fools, and we are more the fools to accept their beliefs. We protest when there’s petrol shortage. But have we ever protested when the results of TU gets delayed? Have we protested against people who do not use the overhead bridge? Never. We pride in our ability to cross a busy street from the middle rather than walking for two minutes. We pride ourselves in crossing the road successfully while abusing the driver for not stopping when they see us crossing the road. We are fools and we will always be—as long as we develop the decency and morality of a good citizen through sound education and awareness—right from the scratch.

This existing system is beyond repair and the only way youths like me can see a different Nepal, a New Nepal as political leaders advocate is when we remove these very lines of dreamers and the system they have and build one from the scratch.

Every day, youths are losing their beliefs on the system. I almost have an apathetic stance towards the government. Not long ago we went through a decade long Civil War that cost the country billions of rupees and further pushed back development. Now, I see a spillover of the Arab Spring—a Nepal Spring. This time, it will not uphold to the principles of democracy. It rather will uphold the spirit of youth—“BY THE YOUTH, FOR THE YOUTH, TO THE YOUTH”.

As a citizen of Nepal, I can foresee Nepal Spring. Such uprising, while every young individual sees as a necessity (because youths believe that they’ve long been made fools of the ever existing system of “endless youth” –the old always feel they are young!) will, undoubtedly hit hard on the country’s economy and development.