Ensure Justice For Gen Z Youth

 Last week was totally unexpected. I was aware of the fact that the young generation of Nepal, named Gen Z, was going to protest against the abrupt social media ban by the former government and the growing corruption in the country.  Since such protests are not unusual in our context, I did not pay that much attention. However, one thing was quite interesting in this Gen-Z protest: it was happening across the country at the same time.

It was Monday, the 23rd of Bhadra, 2082. That day, I was a bit busy at home with my household chores. When I got free, I was curious to learn about the consequences of the protest. But what I saw on the mobile screen took my breath away. It was just out of my imagination. Every newspaper was yelling, 'Police fired the gun! Police fired the gun!' By the end of the day, there was a news story that 19 people were killed and hundreds were injured. Among those 19, 17 were in Kathmandu and two were in Itahari. While I was writing this article, the death toll has reached more than 70. It has been more than a week since that protest, and many things are happening in between, but I am still stuck there. My inner voice is continuously asking, 'Why gunfire? Weren't there other means to disperse the crowd? Is it ethical to shoot the disarmed youngsters?' 

School and college students 

The term Gen Z, which was only used on online platforms and among digitally literate people, suddenly became popular among the public. Some were heard saying Gen Z, some Gen G, some Gin-G, some Zen-J, and some J and J. Until now, most of the common people know that the Gen-Z group includes those people who were born between 1997 and 2012 A. D. So, they belong to the age group 13 to 28.  This means that there were a lot of school and college students who were minors and in their uniforms. Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Nepal is a State Party, it is clearly mentioned that 'every child deserves safety, dignity, and the right to live without fear. Immediate and strict legal action is imperative against any violence targeting children during protests. Their rights must be upheld without compromise.'

In this condition, how can a State head order the police force to fire a gun targeting the students just like that? It is an inexcusable violation of children's rights. Those innocent children were simply asking for their freedom of expression. Unfortunately, their voice was silenced. It seems like it was a planned murder. Many of those deceased students were the only children of their parents. It was hard to see the lamenting people who lost their dear ones in no time. 

We are all grieving this time, but some of the Indian media have portrayed the Nepali youths as social media addicts. They have claimed that the Zen-Z protest was organised only because of the social media ban. How incorrect a message they are delivering to the whole world! But the world is also watching all this, and the world's people can analyse the situation themselves. 

In fact, not only the youngsters, but all Nepali people were affected massively by the ban of most social media platforms. For example, these days many people are doing online business, different organisations also find the social media platforms more convenient for their day-to-day communication. Not only city people but also the village people use social media to sell their products. It should be remembered that the Gen Zeers are digital natives, and what one feel if they are prohibited from entering their own native country? By and large, a majority of people became the victims of the unnecessary decision to ban social media.

Let's go back to the same Gen Z protest. If the government had not become so cruel on the first day, I am sure the second day's destruction would never have happened. What the government should have realised is that the young people of this generation are educated and quite aware of the national and international affairs. Being global citizens, they are studying the world closely. They were out on the street with a good cause; they were merely asking for a corruption-free country. Was their demand so dangerous that the government had to open fire? Were those protesters criminals? This stupid and unforgivable act of KP Sharma Oli-led government has been strongly criticised everywhere. When Sushila Karki, now appointed Prime Minister, went to support the Gen Z protest on the second day, she also condemned this act as being a 'mass murder.'

Revolution

After the Gen Z protest turned into a revolution on the second day, the old government collapsed. Even though the new government has decided to declare martyrs to those who lost their lives during the protest and to provide one and a half million rupees as compensation to their families, these martyrs have not received full justice yet.

It is the newly formed government's duty to find everyone responsible for the death of the innocent young people and punish them according to the law. Then only the Gen Z movement will be successful. Great poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota was wise enough to write, 'Natipnu hera kopila, nachudnu paapa laagdachha, nachyaatnu fula naani ho, dayaa ra dharma bhaagdachha...'. Here, the poet is addressing little children, but it is equally applicable to adults and relevant to the incident of September 8.    

(Published in an English Daily The Rising Nepal on Friday, September 19, 2025 ) 

[The pictures on this blog are posted here with permission from their owners or have been gathered from various sources on the Internet. If you are the copyright-holder to any of the photographs herein do not hesitate to contact me. They will be swiftly removed if desired so.]

Limit Your Social Media Time

 

'Ma'am, my son glues his eyes on the mobile phone all the time. He doesn't want to read any book or go out to play. I'm worried. What can I do?' a parent complained to me. To pacify her, I said, 'It's not only your son; other parents also tell me the same story. Yeah, it's really a serious problem these days.' At the same time, my inner voice was whispering, 'It's not only the children's fault. The parents introduce their children to the mobile phone first. They don't want to spend quality time with the children because they themselves have numerous activities to attend to on social media. It's natural for children to imitate their parents.'

When I observe my surroundings, I can see that almost all children sit in a corner of the room, enjoying one programme or another on their mobile phones. They are completely immersed in it; even if you try to speak to them, they do not respond. It is not surprising that the adult members of the family also use their mobile phones. This is the common picture of every household these days. With the advent of something, both advantages and disadvantages emerge. Initially, only its bright side is visible, but gradually the dark side also begins to emerge. The same has happened with the internet and different social sites as well. 

Discourse 

Now, the whole world is engaged in the discourse on how to prevent young children from becoming addicted to social media. Many countries have already started taking a strong initiative in this direction. For instance, last year the Senate in Australia approved that children under the age of 16 will be banned from using social media from the end of 2025, i.e., from December this year. If tech companies do not comply with this, they will be heavily fined. Like the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Norway, Greece, Italy, or even South Korea, these countries have also taken initiatives to restrict the use of social media platforms by minors. 

Who doesn't know about Silicon Valley? It is a region in Northern California that is a global centre for high technology and innovation. All top-class tech companies, such as Apple, Google, Meta, and many more, are located there. What is more interesting is that many employees of these companies also prefer not to expose their children to technology. Therefore, they send their children to the Waldorf School of the Peninsula, where computers are not used in the classrooms. Waldorf education emphasises children's holistic development. The goal of such education is to develop students' intellectual, artistic and practical skills, with a focus on imagination and creativity. It is believed that learning happens effectively if students interact with one another and with their teachers, and work with real materials in the real world. For all this, technology will not help.

There is a growing body of research that supports the view that social media has numerous negative effects on young children. For example, it is found that those who spend a lot of time in front of the screen tend to show more symptoms of depression, anxiety, mood swings, sleep deprivation and eating disorders. Cyberbullying can be another problem that happens on social media. There is a risk that students may be distracted from their studies, as there are numerous distractions that can capture their attention. Studies also show that early exposure to social media might cause attitude problems and risky behaviour in adolescence. In addition, there is a high chance that children are exposed to inappropriate or harmful content detrimental to their psychological development.

Parents' role 

On the one hand, there are numerous adverse effects of exposing children to social media at a young age. On the other hand, we cannot completely control their use of it, as it has become an integral part of everyone's life. However, it has many positive aspects as well, but the condition is that social media must be used wisely. Various research studies show that social media helps children to develop global connections, it provides them with different platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or TikTok to showcase their creative work for a wider audience, they can be updated with current world affairs, and they can find a lot of resource materials which are helpful in their studies, among others.

Parents have an important role in balancing children's on-screen and off-screen activities. First of all, they can set a particular on-screen time slot for their children. For example, after completing all of their homework, they can use the mobile phone for an hour, not more than that. Occasionally, parents must monitor the types of activities their children are engaging in on the phone. They should minimise their own screen time. Children imitate adults. The parents should spend a sufficient amount of time interacting with their children. There are a lot of topics they can discuss. This way, parent-child bonding will also be strengthened. Most of all, the parents can introduce their children to the book world. Once children divert their attention from a mobile phone to books, then parents' worry starts melting. But to develop children's reading habits, the parents must also read with them.

(Published in an English Daily The Rising Nepal on Saturday, September 6, 2025 ) 

[The pictures on this blog are posted here with permission from their owners or have been gathered from various sources on the Internet. If you are the copyright-holder to any of the photographs herein do not hesitate to contact me. They will be swiftly removed if desired so.]

Time To Redefine Haritalika Teej

 Traditionally, it is said that Teej is particularly a women's festival. I have been observing the celebration of this festival since my childhood. During this period, I have experienced a lot of changes. However, the mythology and definition related to Teej remain the same. Mythologically, Teej, also known as Haritalika Teej, is associated with Goddess Parvati. To cut a long story short, Parvati was in deep love with God Shiva, so she wanted him as her husband. For this, she went to a forest and performed penance and fasted for many days. Eventually, her wish was fulfilled. Since then, Hindu women started to fast on the occasion of Teej, praying to Lord Shiva to find a husband like him. This story suits the unmarried girls, so the married women fast for the longevity and prosperity of their husbands. I think we have to test the truth of this story at present.

By definition also Teej is associated with women. It is celebrated in some parts of India and Nepal. The Indian people celebrate the festival in their way, but in the context of Nepal, it should be celebrated for two days - 'Dar day' and 'Teej day.' In the past, Teej was celebrated just like this. The married women used to be invited to their maternal home for a big celebration. It was a time of reunion with their relatives and friends. The women would feel free from the domination of their mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law at the husband's home. They would gather together and eat different kinds of delicious food on the Dar day and they would fast, worship Lord Shiva, sing and dance as a Teej celebration.

Teej songs

Now the time has changed completely, and so has the way Teej is celebrated.  Then why define it in the same way as it was in the old days? When Teej approaches, there come different Teej songs in the market. These songs also reflect the society of the particular time. In my mother's generation, women used to sing sangini to express their feelings. The first commercial song that I heard was 'Teejako rahar ayo bari lai...' from a Nepali movie 'Kanyadan', which was released in 1991. This song explains the condition of Nepali women at that time, such as '...birsera ajalai karkare sasu, amaju nandale dieka aashu...' This song has very little or no implication in today's society. After this song, there came countless Teej songs which express women's sorrows, happiness, freedom, rights, or their empowerment.

 But in most of the songs, only women are highlighted. I wonder why it is so. On the one hand, we talk about gender balance, and on the other, we segregate ourselves in the women's sect on occasions like Teej. The popular singer Durgesh Thapa may also have realised this inequality between men and women, so he wrote and sang a song 'Hami pani nachnu parchha bicha bichama...' five or six years ago. Durgesh has tried to be inclusive through this song, which is a high demand of contemporary society.

The scenario of the Teej celebration has massively changed these days, particularly in the urban and suburban areas. The two-day celebration has been extended to two months. Many people complain about this; I am also on the same page. But nobody can do anything because this change is inevitable, as the condition of women is not the same as in the past years. Earlier, most women were housewives who would always be looking forward to opportunities to come out of the house. Teej would provide them with such an opportunity to go to their maternal home to celebrate the festival. 

On the contrary, these days women are affiliated with one or another institution; some even have their affiliation with multiple institutions. Because of this, a trend has been developed to have the Dar party only one day is not enough. In addition, the women of this age are not dying to visit their maternal home in search of freedom. They have already been free from their in-laws' domination because they either earn their own money by doing one or another sort of job or their husband is in the foreign employment. 

Thinking critically

When it comes to fasting, most of the women these days do not fast as strictly as women used to in the old days, when they used to fast without even drinking water. This cannot be possible these days. Because of different health issues, abstaining from food for an extended period has become risky. Furthermore, the women have become capable of thinking critically, and they do not believe that their one-day fasting brings longevity to their husbands. They simply fast and worship Lord Shiva for the welfare of the family or their mental peace. 

Anybody can do this regardless of being a man or a woman. A lot of men have also started to fast on the  day of Teej. Therefore, it is not a good idea to attach Teej only to women. There must be an equal participation of men and women in Dar parties, Teej fasting, singing or dancing. After all, Durgesh Thapa is right when he sings 'Didi baini matrai nachchhan jaile pani Teejama. Hami pani nachnu parchha bichcha bichchama....' In my opinion, Teej should be redefined as it is a festival of all Hindu people instead of defining it as a festival of women alone. 

(Published in an English Daily The Rising Nepal on Friday, August 21, 2025 ) 

[The pictures on this blog are posted here with permission from their owners or have been gathered from various sources on the Internet. If you are the copyright-holder to any of the photographs herein do not hesitate to contact me. They will be swiftly removed if desired so.]