By MATEUS FERREIRA/Head Writer
The Nepali Student Association held a vigil at Lake Tyler this September to remember the lives lost and hope for a better future, after Nepali “Gen-z” revolution.
According to NPR, turmoil in Nepal began on Sept. 8 when police opened fire on anti-corruption protesters as they tried to breach parliament walls. In retaliation mobs torched buildings, looted shops and banks. As a result 72 people died and thousands were wounded. The majority of the protesters were in their early teens and twenties.
“So it’s very emotional, these kids whom we lost is the age of my own kids,” said Santosh Aryal, a UT professor who left Nepal eighteen years ago. “So its very emotional. Words are not enough what we are feeling right now.”
The NPA set up a memorial table draped with Nepal’s flag and surrounded by soon-to-be lit candles. A poster board stood upright on the table with the faces of victims of the violence and an image of the new interim prime minister.
“In Memory of the Lost Souls.
You stood for truth.
You dreamed of a better Nepal. Your light was taken.
but it sparked a fire in all of us,” read the poster.
As a crowd amassed around the display, speakers took turns eulogizing and offering prayers for those who passed away. When the sun began to set, attendees took turns lighting candles.
“This is a bitter sweet moment and when you talk about a protest — no protest is a hundred percent perfect,” said Shashwat Karn a Nepali UT student. “Those lives were lost and we want to make sure those contributions don’t go to waste.”
Flowers were placed between the candles and on the Nepal’s flag. Placing their hands on their hearts, the crowd began to sing the Nepali national anthem.
”We’re sad for the lost lives, but at the same time, there a joy in our hearts,” said Karn. “The joy is that the corrupt government, which had been in power for decades — say, like last 50 to 60 years — is now gone and nobody could fathom, nobody could imagine that these people could be overthrown”
As the crowd began to thin, a small remnant made mostly of young UT students stayed. Lit only by the candle light, they began to sing “Phoolko Aakhama,” by Ani Choying Drolma. The lyrics partially translate to:
“Let my heart be pure, (let my) speech be (like) Buddha’s
Let my feet kill not a single insect
A good world opens in the eyes of the good”
What led to the revolution?
Amid growing frustration of government corruption, a social media movement began highlighting the disparity between the children of elites and regular citizens. Using hashtags like #Nepokids, the trend spread pictures of the rich holding Prada bags worth twice the average income of a Nepali.
According to the New Yorker, around 2,000 thousand Nepalis leave the country daily for livelihoods elsewhere. Many of those who stay are in the informal sector as domestic servants, porters and cleaners. In 2024, Nepal’s youth unemployment rose to 20.8 per cent. A third of the country’s GDP comes from Nepalis abroad sending money back home.
“Well, the hope for the future of Nepal is that we can sustain ourselves,” said Shashwat Karn, a UT student. “We do have a lot of potential. The youth is very educated, but sadly due to lack of opportunities and the ongoing corruption, people choose to move out.”
On Sept. 4 the government suspended most social media platforms. Corruption experts labeled this as an attempt to quell the anti-corruption movement online. By Sept. 8, thousands of protesters flooded the streets of the capital, Kathmandu.
”That was the revolution the real gen-z started but you know when there is some type of movement there are always insertion of the bad people,” said Aryal.
The Future of Nepal
After the chaos Nepal’s army spread out across the country in a bid for order. During this time, youths cleaned the streets and checked in on the injured at hospitals.
By Sept. 12 the country had elected an interim prime minister, Sushila Karki, through online polling, on chat portal Discord. Karki is 73 years old and is the first female chief justice of Nepal. Her voters cited her Judicial record tackling corruption as the reason for their support.
“I hope this revolution will bring peace In Nepal and political stability in the development of jobs for our new generation,” said Aryal. “Opportunities and peace will be improved.”
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