He excitedly came to Kathmandu after completing his SLC in Budhabare VDC, Jhapa, but unfortunately his perception of the capital city was wronged by the unmanaged waste in major areas.[break]
The crowd and the names of locations confused him. People seemed rude and in a rush most of the time, unlike in his village.
Youths flocking to the capital in hopes of better educational and work opportunities have been on a constant rise lately, since the development and facilities provided to them in rural areas is not up to their expectations. They carry hopes for an upgraded life in Kathmandu.
Ghanashyam is a two-year-old resident in Kathmandu and he has adjusted with the city life well.“I regret not getting opportunities back in my village that the people here have since childhood,” he says.
Similarly, Nirmal Aryal, 19, was baffled by the way his peers from within the capital dressed and talked frequently in English. “I tried to imitate them but my friends at hostel made fun of me, saying it was unlike us, the villagers. I often ordered for samosa and tarkari because I didn’t know what a hotdog or pizza was like. Back in village, the ideal dress was a cotton shirt and worn with cotton pants.”
He comes from Pithuwa VDC in Chitwan. “The crowd here was maddening but I learnt the etiquettes from my college friends. Now I seem like any other youth residing here,” he adds.
For Ghanashyam and Nirmal, adaptation was fair since initially they found people with whom they could relate to, people from outside the Valley. For some, coping is difficult since they are burdened with family expectations. They ought to earn and send money back home at young age.
The story of 14-year-old Ranjita Mandal from Koiladi VDC in Rajbiraj seems pitiful at once but at the same time one can say that she has a better life here. She said, “I was sent to Kathmandu two years back to do domestic work in a house and my owners would send money back home and take care of me.”
Since Ranjita’s mother tongue is Maithili, she couldn’t adapt well here and therefore she wasn’t sent to school for two years. Currently, she is attending second grade at a government school. “I’m given meals, education and my boss’s child is like a friend. At the same time, I’m supporting my family back in the village, so I’m satisfied,” she added.
Ramesh Shrestha, 21, recalls coming to Kathmandu from Khare VDC in Dolakha at the age of 10 during the post-Maoist conflict. “We didn’t have higher secondary school in my village, so I was sent here to stay with my uncle. I was always in senior company while traveling since I was small.” His biggest worry was befriending girls in school here.
He shares, “We never sat with or talked to girls in the Village. I ran away when my female classmates came to shake hands with me. The openness among the male and female classmates here amused me.” Ramesh is currently living in a rented room and earning by teaching computer at an institute and supporting his younger brother who also recently came to Kathmandu.
Youths seem to have a perception that the people residing in the city are trapped in a cobweb of a fast-paced life which makes them self-centered, adding to their hesitation to mingle with the city people who have had better facilities and opportunities since childhood.
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