Project Sambaad - (Rethinking) Nepal's Development Narratives: Exploring Past, Present, and Future Perspectives

[00:00:00] Hey there, this is Khushi from PEI. Last month in our efforts to revitalize deep discussions

[00:00:09] in Nepal, PEI and other like-minded organizations in Kathmandu began a new venture that we

[00:00:14] call Project Sambad. Project Sambad is a collaborative platform promoting in-depth conversations

[00:00:23] that critically examine Nepali society and its policymaking space. Through Project Sambad,

[00:00:29] we seek to explore broad impactful questions that contribute to a wider dialogue on the

[00:00:34] politics and development of Nepal and the South Asia region. In just the two days, we

[00:00:39] had six immersive and interactive panel discussions on relevant contemporary topics

[00:00:45] from development, migration to business in Nepal. We think that Sambad comes to life

[00:00:51] when it reaches a wider audience, and that's why we're excited to share the live recordings

[00:00:56] of the conversations. In today's release, we have guest speakers Ajay Dixit, Arpita

[00:01:01] Nepal and host Satish Joshi in a Sambad on rethinking Nepal's development narratives

[00:01:08] exploring past, present and future perspectives. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

[00:01:19] How do I introduce Project Sambad? Typically, you know, it'd be a really bold statement

[00:01:28] or a clever code to draw you in. But I just couldn't come up with anything like

[00:01:35] that and it's because the conversations we hope to have over these next two days cannot

[00:01:43] really be reduced to sound bites. And so I thought, you know, I'd begin by relating

[00:01:51] to you about how and why I came to be involved with this project.

[00:01:55] It was exciting times in Nepal. The foundations of a new Nepal were being laid. And

[00:02:09] It wasn't by intent or design, just happenstance. Now 12 years later, I'm really struggling

[00:02:23] to make sense of the work I do and the forces and ideas that shape them. And as

[00:02:30] I had conversations with friends and collaborators, you know, I realized I wasn't the only one.

[00:02:37] And I'm sure, you know, you might be feeling the same as well. And through these conversations,

[00:02:43] I realized that the only way we can begin to make sense of this is to have meaningful,

[00:02:50] honest conversations about it. But where and how we have these conversations wasn't

[00:02:57] clear to me. We all know our civic space is shrinking and it lacks a platform or a

[00:03:06] culture or the organization to have these conversations in a manner that is contentious,

[00:03:16] yet collaborative, democratic, but not discordant, but most importantly, impactful.

[00:03:24] And when these conversations do occur, you know, they're often polarized. They lack trust amongst

[00:03:33] its actors and they're occurring in echo chambers and rife with rhetoric and sound

[00:03:43] bites. And this is really failing to propel us forward. Now we don't have a silver bullet

[00:03:51] to the challenges we face. None of us do. And the only way to make sense of them, like I said before,

[00:04:00] is to have conversations that critically examine our society, the region and its policymaking space

[00:04:10] and hence Project Sambhad. Now I don't know how this is going to evolve over the years,

[00:04:18] but I do know that the drive and determination of this collective will determine it. And it's a

[00:04:29] collective of individuals and institutions who have very different priorities and perspectives,

[00:04:39] but we're all bound together by this common belief that we need to work together.

[00:04:44] We hope to expand and grow this collective as a result of our modest beginning today,

[00:04:52] and I invite all of you to embody an open and curious mindset as we delve deeper into the

[00:05:02] issues that matter to you. Capture those moments, those aha moments, and share them out aloud.

[00:05:10] That's my request to you. I'm truly fascinated to see how this will emerge,

[00:05:14] and let's see if we can start a spark, if not a fire.

[00:05:19] I'm pleased to have Arpita Nepal and Ajay Dai with us here this morning. Arpita is the

[00:05:36] co-founder and advisor of research and development at Samridi Foundation, a think tank. She's also

[00:05:44] a Democrat, an activist, and you know, Samridi has the mission to promote civil, political,

[00:05:54] and economic freedom. Welcome Arpita. And Ajay Dai is a water, climate, and environmental

[00:06:02] expert. Not afraid to ask the tough questions and take the unpopular positions. He's an advocate

[00:06:12] for responsible and sustainable development, and an advisor at ICET Nepal. And I'm Satish Joshi.

[00:06:21] I'm a partner at VROC. We, our mission is to make things happen. So I'd like to begin

[00:06:30] our session by laying out the context for this session. Nepal's development narrative,

[00:06:38] as you all know, presents a very curious paradox. By most measures of economic or social development,

[00:06:47] in the last 30 years we've done a remarkable job, right? I think we'll all agree with that.

[00:06:54] But at the same time, you know, more Nepalese are leaving Nepal today to find their new Nepal

[00:07:02] outside of Nepal. And it's because of the lack of opportunity here, and Nepalese citizens

[00:07:11] are increasingly dissatisfied and frustrated. They're losing faith in our leaders, in our

[00:07:18] system, and in the state. I'd like to draw upon Amit Dhakal and his team at Seto Paati on their

[00:07:25] exhaustive treatise on Nepal's development. I think it's a must read for anybody that's

[00:07:31] interested in this space. And they very succinctly phrase this paradox. They ask the question,

[00:07:39] So I'd like to begin this conversation by asking this question to you guys, but albeit

[00:07:52] a little differently.

[00:07:53] Thank you. Thank you Satishji, and then thank you all of you for being here.

[00:08:06] Nepali, English, and Hindi.

[00:08:07] It's not A or B. It's not dark or white. There is a gray area. So it's also A, B, C,

[00:08:33] more plural. And the development is a journey, it's a yatra from one stage to the next where

[00:08:42] you do well.

[00:12:43] So it's a better facility, better protocol, better facility, better services, better dealing.

[00:14:06] So it was very, very painful. It was frustrating.

[00:16:07] You worked with a lot of young people and so you have a pulse on what they're feeling,

[00:16:17] right? And what's their frustrations. And I think we'll come back to Ajay Day on

[00:16:24] looking at the development trajectory over the last 30, 60 years. But what are you

[00:16:30] sensing today as you look back? What's worked for us and for the young people?

[00:16:36] Just to clarify, young people's pulse is very difficult. Generationally, the

[00:16:51] generation change is very rapid. If we had taken 30 or 35 years of generational change

[00:17:02] in my generation and my generation's generation, then in the next 10 years, owing to technological

[00:17:04] development, owing to rapidly changing world, I think it's very, very difficult to say

[00:17:10] that it's a very challenging task to keep the generational pulse. I wouldn't claim

[00:17:14] I know what young people desire today. That is not what I would claim.

[00:17:19] But I found one interesting thing in this conversation.

[00:17:23] Whether Nepal is made or not, it's not a binary question.

[00:17:30] But I think an important question is, for whom did Nepal become made and for whom did it not become?

[00:17:36] If we look at the trends of migration, both immigration, seasonal migration, work migration,

[00:17:43] and migration, then yes, there is a generation of Nepalese that are migrating or emigrating

[00:17:50] altogether. There are two. But who is going? Who is coming back?

[00:17:57] People are coming back. They haven't come yet. They are coming back.

[00:18:01] And if I do something by staying here, then there are fools like me.

[00:18:06] We have people like this.

[00:18:13] More and more, I've started contemplating, for whom did Nepal become made and for whom did it not become?

[00:18:18] Again, as brother said, I will go into my own story.

[00:18:22] Because I was a very privileged background person.

[00:18:25] Born in Kathmandu, studied in a private school in Kathmandu,

[00:18:29] education wise, access, three daughters in the family,

[00:18:34] and my father-in-law had to face cultural obstacles,

[00:18:41] as a Nepali woman, to a large extent.

[00:18:47] I didn't get much encouragement.

[00:18:49] I was a very privileged generation.

[00:18:55] So, when asked who lives in Nepal, I was a privileged person.

[00:19:00] Because my life, if I emigrate to America or somewhere else,

[00:19:05] it would be very difficult.

[00:19:09] Even after studying there, I saw that organization.

[00:19:12] While doing that organization, what I realized is that I am not someone there.

[00:19:16] Here, the daughter of the farmer, the niece of the farmer, so and so,

[00:19:20] I know a lot of people.

[00:19:23] I know people in authority, so my life is very easy.

[00:19:28] I don't want to get the life here.

[00:19:30] So why should I go abroad?

[00:19:32] So for whom did Nepal become made and for whom did it not become?

[00:19:35] Nepal has become made for me.

[00:19:37] Because I faced challenges in my life.

[00:19:40] Everyday life is not a struggle for me in Nepal.

[00:19:43] Whereas, for whom did it not become?

[00:19:47] Every time, again, I come with this privileged life,

[00:19:50] international trips, I frequently take international trips.

[00:19:54] While going there, the line at the airport,

[00:19:57] the fear that I have to form here,

[00:20:01] that I don't want to cross immigration,

[00:20:03] that I will be caught,

[00:20:05] a big poker file,

[00:20:07] and people who know if all the documents are in the right place or not,

[00:20:11] and those people who have been to Qatar or Dubai,

[00:20:16] I don't know where they have gone from there.

[00:20:18] They are completely lost.

[00:20:20] Those people, they have not become Nepal for them.

[00:20:23] So they are taking the biggest risk of their life.

[00:20:26] In a world that has never been seen,

[00:20:28] I am doing something, not doing anything in Nepal,

[00:20:31] I am doing something there,

[00:20:33] as small as possible, I don't know.

[00:20:35] Whatever it is, even if it is a rock,

[00:20:37] I will do something.

[00:20:39] I meet a lot of Nepalese who are going abroad.

[00:20:42] While traveling abroad.

[00:20:44] I think they have never been to Nepal before.

[00:20:47] I feel like that.

[00:20:49] So I see this as a question of

[00:20:52] how did we,

[00:20:54] just sitting in a meeting,

[00:20:56] it was an interesting thing.

[00:20:58] How did Nepalese,

[00:21:00] we are experts in analysis,

[00:21:02] from the history, from the historical,

[00:21:04] from the history regime,

[00:21:06] we do a lot of historical analysis.

[00:21:10] What should we do today?

[00:21:12] What needs to be done to change?

[00:21:14] We can't do that.

[00:21:16] That's a very interesting segue.

[00:21:20] But I still want to dwell on the past a little bit,

[00:21:23] before we look forward.

[00:21:25] So in this space,

[00:21:27] there are actors that drive this,

[00:21:29] in our development.

[00:21:31] There is the government, bureaucrats,

[00:21:33] political establishment and governance.

[00:21:36] And there is the private sector and markets.

[00:21:38] There is civil society and the media.

[00:21:41] And then there is development partners.

[00:21:43] And then of course we can never ignore

[00:21:46] where we are,

[00:21:48] the location,

[00:21:50] our geopolitics associated with that.

[00:21:52] So in my view,

[00:21:54] I feel like,

[00:21:56] before I express my view,

[00:21:58] what has been the biggest failure,

[00:22:00] we don't have to talk about each actor,

[00:22:02] but what has been the biggest failure?

[00:22:04] So we've established that

[00:22:06] Nepal-Banyaki-Banana is

[00:22:08] a binary thing.

[00:22:10] We can agree on how much is made and how much is not.

[00:22:13] And who is made and who is not made for,

[00:22:15] that is also there.

[00:22:17] But then the actors that are responsible for this,

[00:22:20] and it's not about just ascribing blame,

[00:22:23] but what has been the biggest failure amongst these guys?

[00:22:30] The biggest failure is...

[00:22:32] The biggest.

[00:22:34] That comes to mind.

[00:22:36] When I look at myself,

[00:22:38] and I think of you,

[00:22:40] I never thought that I would go abroad.

[00:22:54] I never thought that I would go abroad.

[00:22:57] I never thought I had to go out,

[00:22:59] though I had lots of opportunities.

[00:23:01] There were opportunities to work here and there,

[00:23:04] but I didn't give them.

[00:23:06] And to serve the country,

[00:23:08] that was also not there, frankly.

[00:23:10] What was there?

[00:23:12] To stay here and work here,

[00:23:14] and to add knowledge,

[00:23:16] that was the imagination.

[00:23:18] I wanted to be a big scientist.

[00:23:20] I worked in hydraulic water,

[00:23:22] there were many scientists who worked in water,

[00:23:25] I wanted to be like them.

[00:23:27] I never knew that

[00:23:29] you can't be anyone else,

[00:23:31] you have to be yourself.

[00:23:33] You have to know what the path is.

[00:23:37] Before 1990,

[00:23:39] it was a different era.

[00:23:41] We were a closed society.

[00:23:43] There was a political system.

[00:23:45] We couldn't even talk about it.

[00:23:47] I tried to publish a journal called Water Nepal.

[00:23:51] That was not possible.

[00:23:55] What could we do?

[00:23:57] Maharaj Dhiraj,

[00:23:59] I was born in Marani,

[00:24:01] I was born in Marani.

[00:24:03] That was the system.

[00:24:05] It wasn't politically open.

[00:24:07] We didn't try.

[00:24:09] In the 1980s,

[00:24:11] I came to a situation of water,

[00:24:13] a situation of water,

[00:24:15] a situation of roads,

[00:24:17] I knew that we had problems,

[00:24:19] but I had faith.

[00:24:21] I had faith in doing things.

[00:24:23] I believed that we would change,

[00:24:25] that we would reach the state.

[00:24:27] I had faith in myself.

[00:24:29] I had faith in myself.

[00:24:33] But the characters that lead us,

[00:24:35] political leaders,

[00:24:37] from my perspective,

[00:24:39] they think that

[00:24:41] what we understand is right,

[00:24:43] that's all we have to do.

[00:24:45] We don't have to do anything else.

[00:24:47] They think that.

[00:24:49] That's what I think.

[00:24:51] That's a big reason.

[00:24:55] The fact that you are not heard.

[00:24:57] You are not heard.

[00:24:59] You are not heard.

[00:25:01] I don't have a binary.

[00:25:03] I am talking about the 90s.

[00:25:05] I am talking about the 90s.

[00:25:07] In Nepal,

[00:25:09] there was a political opening.

[00:25:11] Multi-party democracy,

[00:25:13] individual freedom,

[00:25:15] free press,

[00:25:17] regular elections,

[00:25:19] human rights and all that.

[00:25:21] That opened up the political space.

[00:25:23] People like me,

[00:25:25] in the 90s,

[00:25:27] in that political space,

[00:25:29] to descend the civic,

[00:25:31] it opened that space and I did that.

[00:25:33] I did that with real intention.

[00:25:35] I was critical.

[00:25:37] I asked questions. I challenged.

[00:25:39] Not just me, there were others too.

[00:25:41] There was Tapka.

[00:25:43] That contestation and challenges

[00:25:45] led to a development

[00:25:47] that was popular.

[00:25:49] A dialogue was needed.

[00:25:51] The dialogue of development

[00:25:53] was big. We will see it in water.

[00:25:55] We will come to that.

[00:25:57] You listen.

[00:25:59] There was a saying in water.

[00:26:01] Nepalans have a lot of water.

[00:26:03] They have a lot of water.

[00:26:05] They can generate electricity.

[00:26:07] We don't need that.

[00:26:09] We cannot use it.

[00:26:11] That is why we have to be free in India.

[00:26:13] We should be rich in Saudi Arabia.

[00:26:15] That was the same from here too.

[00:26:17] I, Nepal,

[00:26:19] became a country

[00:26:21] and I wanted to be a country.

[00:26:23] I said that.

[00:26:25] The ministers, friends, journalists,

[00:26:27] thought leaders would say that.

[00:26:29] We challenged that.

[00:26:31] We challenged that at home.

[00:26:33] We challenged that at India.

[00:26:35] We challenged that with

[00:26:37] political position.

[00:26:39] We had to ask

[00:26:41] uncomfortable questions.

[00:26:43] That is why

[00:26:45] we should not

[00:26:47] get involved in this.

[00:26:49] They ask questions.

[00:26:51] They say that development is against us.

[00:26:53] We had to face that.

[00:26:55] We faced it.

[00:26:57] But we didn't lose.

[00:26:59] We fought.

[00:27:01] We are still fighting.

[00:27:03] It has been 70 years.

[00:27:05] We have left the country.

[00:27:07] We are not going abroad.

[00:27:09] I want to say

[00:27:11] a small thing about going abroad.

[00:27:13] We are going to Australia

[00:27:15] in the airport.

[00:27:17] And

[00:27:21] I will tell you.

[00:27:23] I will not go to Telmali.

[00:27:25] They asked me

[00:27:27] about our

[00:27:29] plan.

[00:27:31] My son has not married yet.

[00:27:33] He doesn't have any grandchildren.

[00:27:35] And then

[00:27:37] I went to the cinema.

[00:27:39] They asked me to go to the cinema.

[00:27:41] I said I don't know.

[00:27:43] That is the stereotype.

[00:27:45] That is the way you are.

[00:27:47] That is a very fair point.

[00:27:49] I would like to bring you in on this conversation.

[00:27:51] Because

[00:27:53] we are going abroad.

[00:27:55] That is the way it is.

[00:27:57] It is easy to villainize

[00:27:59] this whole

[00:28:01] outward migration

[00:28:03] and people not finding.

[00:28:05] In my view, that has been

[00:28:07] the bedrock of what has enabled

[00:28:09] whatever achievements

[00:28:11] we have had on

[00:28:13] the economic front.

[00:28:15] Right?

[00:28:17] Please.

[00:28:19] Migration is our

[00:28:21] historical way of going abroad.

[00:28:23] We know that.

[00:28:25] Going to Mughlaan

[00:28:27] is our

[00:28:29] historical way of going abroad.

[00:28:33] Let's talk about that.

[00:28:35] Nothing anti-migration if I am trying

[00:28:37] to give that.

[00:28:39] The question is

[00:28:41] the question is

[00:28:45] People vote in two ways.

[00:28:47] In one ballot

[00:28:49] if you live in a democracy or even if you live in a non-democracy

[00:28:51] in Russia, elections are happening.

[00:28:53] So in general

[00:28:55] people vote in two ways.

[00:28:57] One in a ballot box and one in a leg.

[00:28:59] And the voting done by the leg

[00:29:01] I think

[00:29:03] is a bigger representation of what works for me.

[00:29:07] So the question is

[00:29:09] yeah

[00:29:11] sorry, sorry.

[00:29:13] So exactly

[00:29:15] as an individual human being

[00:29:17] I firmly believe

[00:29:19] I firmly believe

[00:29:21] that for myself

[00:29:23] for my family

[00:29:25] for my children

[00:29:27] I will always look for better opportunities

[00:29:29] for self-development.

[00:29:31] So in terms of looking for better opportunities

[00:29:33] I vote in the leg.

[00:29:35] In that sense

[00:29:37] it is not just leaving a country.

[00:29:39] It is you voting with your feet.

[00:29:41] And saying

[00:29:43] this is better than that.

[00:29:45] So migration as a trend

[00:29:47] I have nothing against it.

[00:29:49] It is a historical fact in Nepal.

[00:29:51] That's fine.

[00:29:53] The question is

[00:29:55] what can we do to make Nepal a place of origin?

[00:29:57] What can we do to make Nepal a place of origin?

[00:29:59] So what can we do to make Nepal a place of origin?

[00:30:01] So what is the biggest failure

[00:30:03] that you mentioned earlier?

[00:30:05] The biggest failure

[00:30:07] one big thing

[00:30:09] in all aspects

[00:30:11] when I heard about the 90s

[00:30:13] I was small enough

[00:30:15] when our first round of democracy came

[00:30:17] but I remember

[00:30:19] in the 40 year revolution

[00:30:21] I was in Dilip Bazar

[00:30:23] and from there

[00:30:25] the victory

[00:30:27] the victory

[00:30:29] that was won

[00:30:31] I remember that.

[00:30:33] I remember that.

[00:30:35] But I remember that.

[00:30:37] That sense of hope

[00:30:39] So in the context

[00:30:41] of 90s

[00:30:43] when I was growing up

[00:30:45] versus now in Nepal

[00:30:47] I was worried

[00:30:49] about the sense of hope

[00:30:51] that was lost

[00:30:53] that sense of hope

[00:30:55] that we lost

[00:30:57] that sense of hope

[00:30:59] that we lost

[00:31:01] If we talk about the 90s

[00:31:03] we say that our generation

[00:31:05] had a good education system

[00:31:07] I also feel like I have

[00:31:09] a good education system

[00:31:11] but my generation

[00:31:13] couldn't ask critical questions

[00:31:15] my generation

[00:31:17] we have not taught

[00:31:19] critical thinking

[00:31:21] to my generation

[00:31:23] our education system

[00:31:25] why are we like this?

[00:31:27] If things were better

[00:31:29] if we had aspiration

[00:31:31] as a new nation

[00:31:33] to slowly lose that hope

[00:31:35] they fought their battles

[00:31:37] at one point

[00:31:39] they asked critical questions

[00:31:41] so did we lose that?

[00:31:43] were we too complacent?

[00:31:45] My generation was too complacent

[00:31:47] then in the year

[00:31:49] 1962-1963

[00:31:51] I don't think I was

[00:31:53] that complacent in general

[00:31:55] to open system change

[00:31:57] I don't know where we went wrong

[00:31:59] I don't know where we went wrong

[00:32:01] but I just want to bring in

[00:32:03] I just want to bring in

[00:32:05] I have felt a lot in Nepal

[00:32:07] problems in the system

[00:32:09] we need to change

[00:32:11] we all have a mentality

[00:32:13] and I don't know where it comes from

[00:32:15] I don't know how to change that

[00:32:17] is this mentality

[00:32:19] that my father, government

[00:32:21] and government will

[00:32:23] solve all my problems

[00:32:25] as if I am not responsible for my life

[00:32:27] in some ways even our vocabulary

[00:32:29] is kind of

[00:32:31] you should also watch

[00:32:33] the television reporting

[00:32:35] whether it is small

[00:32:37] or big

[00:32:39] or

[00:32:41] about sociality

[00:32:43] the reporter always ends with

[00:32:45] I want to concentrate on government

[00:32:47] so we are not taking control

[00:32:49] of our own

[00:32:51] why did that mentality come

[00:32:53] is it because

[00:32:55] we have studied history

[00:32:57] and since the time of

[00:32:59] the rule of law

[00:33:01] and the mentality of

[00:33:03] poverty and poverty

[00:33:05] has been transferred

[00:33:07] and that is why we are making our system

[00:33:09] even now

[00:33:11] in government

[00:33:13] a common citizen

[00:33:15] and I am not using

[00:33:17] anyone's source force

[00:33:19] I am simply taking out

[00:33:21] I am taking out a person's

[00:33:23] source force

[00:33:25] you should not do this

[00:33:27] you will get such a bad result

[00:33:29] what do you think

[00:33:31] after passing the national service

[00:33:33] and coming back

[00:33:35] from behind the desk

[00:33:37] will you get some kind of right?

[00:33:39] all these are Nepali

[00:33:41] I have also studied Nepali

[00:33:43] I don't know

[00:33:45] where it comes from

[00:33:47] but however much I interact

[00:33:49] with the people

[00:33:51] they are the people's service

[00:33:53] don't laugh

[00:33:55] you passed the national service

[00:33:57] you are the people's service

[00:33:59] but that people's service

[00:34:01] will never give us

[00:34:03] respect

[00:34:19] I do not paint

[00:34:21] brushes

[00:34:23] not all politicians are bad

[00:34:25] not all bureaucrats are bad

[00:34:27] in fact I have met a lot of altruistic people

[00:34:29] in Nepal

[00:34:31] who really want to develop Nepal

[00:34:33] but how do we incentivize

[00:34:35] people

[00:34:37] the more authoritarian

[00:34:39] I behave

[00:34:41] the more I will go up

[00:34:43] then yes, I am going to behave as an authoritarian

[00:34:45] I will not respect you as a

[00:34:47] so just to

[00:34:49] we only have about 15 minutes before

[00:34:51] we open the floor to the audience

[00:34:53] so when you hear about it

[00:34:55] there are two things

[00:34:57] one, the system has changed

[00:34:59] but the mindset hasn't

[00:35:01] and the space opened up

[00:35:03] but there is no one to hear you

[00:35:05] and now it's closing

[00:35:07] but I don't want this to be

[00:35:09] just an analysis

[00:35:11] and delving on

[00:35:13] things that were not right

[00:35:15] as far as

[00:35:17] we are aware of the possibilities

[00:35:19] we are hearing about

[00:35:21] so let's pay attention

[00:35:23] I feel like one of our biggest assets

[00:35:25] people talk about our natural endowments

[00:35:27] and we forget that our demographics

[00:35:29] is one of our richest endowment

[00:35:31] this young energetic

[00:35:33] educated force that's coming

[00:35:35] through

[00:35:37] the demographic

[00:35:39] of 16 to 45

[00:35:41] dividend

[00:35:43] about looking forward

[00:35:45] you know like

[00:35:47] how can we really leverage that

[00:35:49] asset

[00:36:13] why is this happening

[00:36:15] why do we only look at the government

[00:36:17] why do we say my father

[00:36:19] why do we say that

[00:36:21] we are the only one

[00:36:23] in this field

[00:36:25] we have no self-confidence

[00:36:27] we have to look at

[00:36:29] our state's structure

[00:36:31] and evolution

[00:36:33] late Parit Pradeep Giri

[00:36:35] asked a question before

[00:36:37] we had so many protests

[00:36:39] we did this and that

[00:36:41] we fought

[00:36:43] we played

[00:36:45] but our state's

[00:36:47] character

[00:36:49] changed

[00:36:51] wherever the state went

[00:36:53] whatever it went

[00:36:55] it was not the same

[00:36:57] let's take a name

[00:36:59] Nepali state

[00:37:01] is a hum pipe

[00:37:03] in this hum pipe

[00:37:05] there is a revolutionary

[00:37:07] person

[00:37:09] he is

[00:37:11] like making

[00:37:13] sausages

[00:37:15] something goes in it

[00:37:17] I don't want to say

[00:37:19] I don't want to say

[00:37:21] we have to look at our state

[00:37:23] we are the worshippers of power

[00:37:25] I am the one who

[00:37:27] is in power

[00:37:29] I am the old worker

[00:37:31] I am the minister

[00:37:33] I get benefits

[00:37:35] I can reach places

[00:37:37] I am a middle class family

[00:37:39] I have seen

[00:37:41] I have worked a lot

[00:37:43] when I go to government office

[00:37:45] I feel like a fool

[00:37:47] when I go there

[00:37:49] I don't feel

[00:37:51] that I have sense of self

[00:37:53] why is it not wrong

[00:37:55] if it is like that for me

[00:37:57] we will talk about other things

[00:37:59] in the last 6-7 months

[00:38:01] I have

[00:38:03] come to this

[00:38:05] I have come to this

[00:38:07] government colleagues

[00:38:09] they are smart, bright

[00:38:11] educated, travel

[00:38:13] there is nothing unknown

[00:38:15] but there is no opening for conversation

[00:38:17] there is a monologue

[00:38:19] this is also there

[00:38:21] we have done this

[00:38:23] resilience, adaptation

[00:38:25] this is also there

[00:38:27] if there is a policy, why not?

[00:38:29] why did you

[00:38:31] or our system

[00:38:33] of youth

[00:38:35] I don't believe

[00:38:37] in my opinion

[00:38:39] after Mahabadi protest

[00:38:41] the energy

[00:38:43] of youth

[00:38:45] which was

[00:38:47] in violence

[00:38:49] after peace

[00:38:51] the energy of violence

[00:38:53] was to be transformed

[00:38:55] in another way

[00:38:57] of political figures

[00:38:59] that transformation

[00:39:01] was not possible

[00:39:03] that I think was where

[00:39:05] the hope was lost

[00:39:07] that is why

[00:39:09] our system

[00:39:11] is very transparent

[00:39:13] to make it

[00:39:15] more transparent

[00:39:17] to deliver

[00:39:19] I will get normal service

[00:39:21] food, water, water, health

[00:39:23] my system will be improved

[00:39:25] that expectation

[00:39:27] that expectation

[00:39:29] that is what we lost

[00:39:31] and

[00:39:33] the reason for that

[00:39:35] we will find

[00:39:37] but that

[00:39:39] was lost

[00:39:41] and our internal cause

[00:39:43] is not only

[00:39:45] outside context

[00:39:47] which is playing

[00:39:49] I will make a small suggestion

[00:39:51] even though it is not that much

[00:39:53] but even though it is all

[00:39:55] in the same way

[00:39:57] in any subject

[00:39:59] forest, food, water, disaster

[00:40:01] climate change

[00:40:03] or energy

[00:40:05] there are things that have happened

[00:40:07] it is not something that has not happened

[00:40:09] the public contestation

[00:40:11] evidence, discussion, discourse

[00:40:13] changes in policies

[00:40:15] there are many figures

[00:40:17] there are many public figures

[00:40:19] that is why I said

[00:40:21] if Nepal is made or not

[00:40:23] we fall into a trap

[00:40:25] that is why

[00:40:27] reflect

[00:40:29] and see where we are missing

[00:40:31] that will help us

[00:40:33] in the future

[00:40:35] another one

[00:40:37] small one

[00:40:39] in the pandemic of 2022

[00:40:41] in Kanthipur

[00:40:43] a person who was in the 7th

[00:40:45] he had taken out

[00:40:47] for the last 100 years

[00:40:49] in Nepal

[00:40:51] he was a role model

[00:40:53] as you have seen

[00:40:55] none of them are scientific

[00:40:57] none of them are scientific

[00:40:59] none of them

[00:41:01] are entrepreneurs

[00:41:03] in the last 100 years

[00:41:05] there are no sportsmen

[00:41:07] only a few

[00:41:09] there are some helpers

[00:41:11] but that will show

[00:41:13] a part of our society

[00:41:15] where is our scientific book

[00:41:17] entrepreneurship

[00:41:19] where is our passion to think

[00:41:21] how to do

[00:41:23] that question

[00:41:25] I think

[00:41:27] we

[00:41:29] in this project

[00:41:31] we are bringing these conversations forward

[00:41:33] so I think to have conversations

[00:41:35] like this

[00:41:37] is trying to tap in

[00:41:39] bring back that hope

[00:41:41] recapture that hope

[00:41:43] as long as

[00:41:45] civil society

[00:41:47] organizations are

[00:41:49] true civil society organizations

[00:41:51] as in they have independent thoughts

[00:41:53] not

[00:41:55] donor driven

[00:41:57] you are so

[00:41:59] mired in

[00:42:01] policy

[00:42:03] that you want to blindly adopt here

[00:42:05] to

[00:42:07] independent debate

[00:42:09] forums

[00:42:11] I think that is the way forward

[00:42:13] in capturing that hope of that generation

[00:42:15] I just want to take it one step forward

[00:42:17] like we

[00:42:19] dwelled on

[00:42:21] how do we

[00:42:23] bridge that

[00:42:25] I think with Sambat we are trying to

[00:42:27] have these conversations

[00:42:29] how do we make sure these conversations

[00:42:31] are heard

[00:42:33] and implemented

[00:42:35] one step

[00:42:37] ahead

[00:42:39] conversation is not just about the elite

[00:42:41] so the conversations

[00:42:43] needs to be broader

[00:42:45] I feel

[00:42:47] because

[00:42:49] things change

[00:42:51] in 15 seconds video

[00:42:53] do imagination

[00:42:55] capture

[00:42:57] as long as people like us

[00:42:59] who now I believe are already

[00:43:01] an older generation

[00:43:03] as long as we dominate the debate

[00:43:05] we have no idea

[00:43:07] what these aspirants of these

[00:43:09] young people are

[00:43:11] priority

[00:43:13] and like we

[00:43:15] stuck in this system where

[00:43:17] my youth activism

[00:43:19] my background is in youth

[00:43:21] activism

[00:43:23] youth activism

[00:43:25] that time

[00:43:27] we felt

[00:43:29] that we rebelled

[00:43:31] that was a big thing

[00:43:33] these changes

[00:43:35] that was a big thing

[00:43:37] probably like periods

[00:43:39] when you are in your parents house

[00:43:41] you go to the kitchen

[00:43:43] to the prayer room

[00:43:45] to convince my family

[00:43:47] that this is a natural body process

[00:43:49] for a female as I grow up

[00:43:51] and I will not follow these rules

[00:43:53] I absolutely do not believe in your rules

[00:43:55] changing in my house was a big thing

[00:43:57] for me

[00:43:59] my generation's aspirations were different

[00:44:01] probably we were breaking down barriers at home

[00:44:03] in society

[00:44:05] in different forms

[00:44:07] now generation's case is not

[00:44:09] because I literally cannot

[00:44:11] communicate with them how will I understand

[00:44:13] their aspirations

[00:44:15] I am not on social media

[00:44:17] so I really don't know how to communicate

[00:44:19] with this generation

[00:44:21] so your project Sambhadna

[00:44:23] we should have had 18 year olds around here

[00:44:25] to tell us what is wrong with Nepal

[00:44:27] why they would like to go

[00:44:29] somewhere else

[00:44:31] not a conversation amongst people

[00:44:33] in some ways this conversation

[00:44:35] is also having

[00:44:37] echo chambers

[00:44:39] I think so

[00:44:41] we are still in an echo chamber

[00:44:43] that is a very valid point

[00:44:45] I think we have some young people in the audience

[00:44:47] I think this

[00:44:49] might be a good time to

[00:44:53] transition the conversation

[00:44:55] beyond us and into the audience

[00:45:07] exploring past, present

[00:45:09] and future perspectives

[00:45:11] if you found the conversation

[00:45:13] insightful and crave more

[00:45:15] lively interaction from the audience

[00:45:17] hop on over to Policy Entrepreneurs

[00:45:19] on YouTube for the complete live

[00:45:21] broadcast

[00:45:23] to sound out your thoughts and reflections

[00:45:25] join the conversation on LinkedIn

[00:45:27] Instagram and Twitter

[00:45:29] all at Project Sambhadna

[00:45:37] Thank you