D: “So what do Indians think of Nepal?”
We were sitting at Almond’s, a restaurant frequented by the locals
in lakeside Pokhara, and feasting on spicy momos and soul-satisfying hot bowls
of thukpa. Looking down, the street lined with shops was abuzz with tourists
and travellers of all kind; the sights familiar from many places in India, yet there
was something distinctly different about it. It was our third day in Nepal, and
I was unable to place this difference in my mind.
Me: “I don’t think we look at Nepal as distinctly different from
India; more like an extension of our country.”
D: “Oh wow. That is the ultimate humiliation!”
D’s comment, however jokingly said, represents the changing attitude
and growing aspirations of the youth of Nepal. Decades of political instability,
insurgency, attempts at stabilizing democracy, lack of livelihood
opportunities, economic dependence on India and its resulting ‘big-brotherly’ arm-twisting
ways, and the recent earthquake coupled with almost a year-long trade embargo
by India - all have been instrumental in shaping and reshaping the country’s societal
outlook. Like India in the pre-90s and Uttarakhand in recent times, the youth
and able-bodied men are moving out of the country in search of better work and
life opportunities leaving behind villages with only older generation and
women. Kathmandu is now a sprawling city growing by leaps and bounds as people
continue to migrate here – some statistics say, almost a quarter of the country’s
population live in this city alone. It’s a story which is similar to the
burgeoning population in cities of India. The country is still struggling to
put basic infrastructure and amenities in place with rural Nepal bearing its
brunt, just as rural India continues to struggle even now. Similar traditions,
culture, attire, food, religious practices, a caste system which might not be
as complicated as in India, yet discriminating in nature, a multitude of ethnic
groups and languages – all point to notions of semblance with India.
Yet, as I travelled, observed and conversed with people there, I realized
the differences are not only numerous but stark and glaring. There’s a
particular strength and equanimity that I sensed in the people here, just like
that of the sublime mountains. Despite years of hardship and instability, the
people have found ways to grow and better their condition. Like the owner of
the shared jeep that we took from a village in the Annapurna region who mentioned
that when the government do not give any budget for roads, the villages will
still pool in and built kaccha roads. Like the youth groups, individuals etc.
who are helping rebuild villages in Gorkha which fell like pack of cards during
the earthquake. Unlike India where poverty is worn on the sleeves, there’s a
quiet dignity even in the poorest people here. Unlike India, where people are
overtly friendly, meddlesome and inquisitive, Nepalis are friendly yet reserved
giving you the space that you require. Unlike India, where societal violence
towards women is right on your face, it was liberating to travel around without
fear. Unlike India, where cleanliness if just an abstract notion and streets are
littered with garbage and plastic, Nepal seems to be largely a clean(er)
country. Beyond Kathmandu, the landscape
is exquisite – with heavily forested green slopes, blue-green free-flowing
rivers and villages with traditional architecture. A landscape and a way of
life that many mountain states of India have lost, forever. A landscape and a way of life that I so desperately
yearn for.
Nepal is at a stage where it can chose to go the India route; that
is, chose the western model of development and destroy everything natural. Or
it can build on its strengths and traditional knowledge and show the world an alternate
model of development with environment and people at its core. And I believe it can.
