The Australian-Nepali community is grieving. This was the result of 6 days of violent protests across Nepal, leaving at least 22 dead and more than 100 injured. The younger generation’s demand for political change has sparked protests across the nation. This campaign has ignited a strong passion within expatriates such as Simran Kaur, who moved to Australia at the age of eight. She expresses admiration for the fearless young people risking everything in the streets of her home country where they’ve been protesting for weeks. At the same time, she is horrified by the violence they are experiencing.
And perhaps most poignantly, Simran Kaur shared her experience and profound concern for those most impacted by the violence. She continued, thinking back on the shocking scenes that have been shared on social media, “It’s such a helpless feeling, it’s just so overwhelming. And in all of that chaos, she has seen an unprecedented unity among the protestors, which fills her with hope. We couldn’t watch all the news and videos, we would be in tears. I think for me, it was just the sheer number of people that were all coming in at once altogether there. That oneness, that togetherness filled my heart with joy and so much hope,” she shared.
Ashish Pradhan, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, has been tracking the political situation in Nepal since before the pandemic hit. He highlighted that the protests stem from frustrations over corruption, lack of job opportunities, and nepotism that plague the country. It is the Australian-Nepali community which is more strongly and actively driving this agenda. They are providing awareness and funds for medical aid and are working for peace.
So it was young activists like Ronak Parajulil and Arya Pratap who provided a backdrop of rehearsal and optimism even as they described this unfolding crisis. For twenty-one-year-old Ronak, it’s been three years of living and studying in Sydney. He pointed to the growing sympathy toward the demonstrators from more established generations. “Older people laughed at Gen Zs thinking, saying what can you do? Millennials, they have families, they don’t want to risk it,” Simran noted. Ronak believes that many older individuals are starting to recognize the importance of the younger generation’s fight for change.
Arya Pratap, a 20-year-old who has made Melbourne his home for the past nine years, was disappointed. He started seeing peaceful protests increasingly turn violent. “We want a new generation in government. Not like the old generation,” he stated. He acknowledged the uncertainty that surrounds public perception regarding potential new leadership. The great yearning for something different is what brings them all together.
Simran Kaur expressed her feelings about the political situation in Nepal. Against a frightening scene of environmental degradation and civil unrest, she called the prime minister’s resignation “a little victory.” Yet she remains apprehensive about the future. “Gen Zs were strong enough to say: ‘if it means being killed to change this, I’m happy to’ … If we don’t do this now, it’s never,” she asserted.
The resilience and solidarity of the Australian-Nepali community’s response to this turmoil, in the form of protests and community action, is inspiring. They are actively seeking ways to provide assistance and promote peace while expressing their support for those risking their lives in Nepal.
The situation remains dire. Arya Pratap pointed out that in addition to the protests, there is crime increasing as “goons are taking advantage. He painted a dire portrait where inmates are escaping and rioting is of the order of the day.” It’s slowly going backwards,” he lamented.
