All eyes have been on Nepal since last week when a large but loosely organised protest by young people in Kathmandu turned into a revolution that brought down the government. On September 8th, many groups of young college and school goers took out a peaceful protest march in Kathmandu. There had been rising anger about systemic corruption and nepotism among the political class that was the foundation for these protests.

The immediate trigger, however, was a government announcement of a social media ban.The announcement of the ban itself was due to a government requirement that tech companies register in Nepal and many not having done so but was also seen, by many of the protesters, as a way for the government to silence dissent and criticism. For many weeks before the protest, videos had been circulating of so-called “nepo babies”, that is, children of rich and influential people flaunting lavish lifestyles while much of the rest of Nepal was dealing with poverty and the lack of jobs and opportunities for advancement.

The government came down hard on the protests. Police fired into the crowds and at least 19 people were killed on 8th September. Things then got out of hand. On the 9th, there was widespread violence in anger and retaliation. Mobs set buildings, including the parliament, ablaze, and attacked politicians, their families and anyone who as seen to be close to power. More people were killed with a reported death toll of 51 by the weekend. The prime minister KP Oli resigned, army patrols took over the streets and rumours and speculation took over. The power vacuum has led to fears in Nepal of foreign interference, or a push for a return to monarchy, or even a takeover by the army. Meanwhile, Gen Z-ers have been holding public town hall-style meetings on the online platform Discord to discuss their agendas and a way forward. On Friday night, they voted for Sushila Karki, a former chief justice, to lead the interim government.

In this episode, we look at what Nepal’s GenZ and others hope for in the coming days, months and years, and what about Nepal’s politics, economy and society they see as needs fixing. Nayantara Narayanan speaks to the Ujjawala Maharjan, a poet and educator from Kathmandu, Anjali Sah, a law student in Kathmandu originally from Madhesh, and Tashi Lhozam, a climate activist and social scientists from the Humla district in the highlands of Nepal.

This episode is also available on

🎧YouTube: https://youtu.be/qQwZGV6gWVk

🎧 Apple podcasts: https://apple.co/4n0KJx3

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