Bold eyed, pony tailed, medium built, a sweatband tucked just above the forehead and always sporting a backpack which he slings in style, he looks like someone who has just stepped out of a gym. But there is something about his eyes. He just does not fit into this daring supposition.
Walking in a familiar pace, he exchanges greetings, pats on the back of some of his compatriots as he meets them on road and moves on. [break]A few meters away and almost like a daily ritual, he runs his fingers on the nearby parked rickshaw to its intricate designs and settles himself in a corner, just enough to escape the sun. A minute or two, he shifts stances, slings his backpack in front and unzips a beautifully carved sarangi.
Suddenly his gaze transfixes elsewhere as he pulls out the bow from his jacket’s inner pocket and plays a heart rendering tune. As the smell of coffee wafts in the neighborhood, a sign that yet another morning has begun in Thamel, 27-year-old Manoj Gandharba rehearses one of his many compositions. It is soulful to say the least. His eyes swell but no one sees him. No one hears him.
And for the past 10 years, this Nepali chhoro has been doing the same day after day following his father’s legacy. This young musician, who first arrived in the capital when he was 16, starts his day early in the tourist hub, when many can hardly imagine themselves getting out of bed.
Every morning as the fortunate see their sunny side up set just a foot below their mouths, a disillusioned Manoj silently questions his existence, his struggle and the reflection that he sees of himself on the gleaming glassfronts of cars and pubs.
Be warned, similar is the story of many young Nepalis who live away from the world of Friday nights, the extravagant shopping malls, the I-see-it-first shoes, KFC, TOEFL tests and the internet. Caught up in the vicious cycle of poverty and inflation, their world is different in far-fetched villages with no roads and access to basic necessities like drinking water, food and sanitation almost non-existent.
38.8% (11,233,319) of the populace (28,951,852) is between 16 and 40. [Central Bureau of Statistics/US Census Bureau 2010] | 51% of Nepali girls aged 15-19 years are illiterate. [WHO, 2003] | 43.87% of all people living with HIV are between 15-29 years, with a high rate of new infections. [UNAIDS/WHO, 2008]
Every year, 400,000 youth enter the job market in Nepal, but the unemployment ratio to the population rate is 18.3%. Unemployment rates among the youth between the ages of 15 and 29 are at least twice that of adults. [Nepal Labor Force Survey, 1998-99] | Foreign migration over the past eight years has helped relieve some of the youth unemployment in particular and contributed to 17.4% of Nepal’s GDP via remittances by the end of 2007/08. [Department of Labor and Employment Promotion] | The number of internet users as of June, 2010 is 625,800, which is 2.2% of the total population. [Internet World Stats]
What does all this mean in an era engineered by information technology? Clearly that the young people matter and they be given their due space as citizens of the youngest republic which the world is watching as it prepares to write a new constitution.
They are the fearless ones as ‘The Bold List’ shows. They are not just outstanding in their own careers, but also exemplary citizens with that knack to run an extra-mile, their willingness to take risks, the ever progressive, that desire for change…that boldness.
In ‘Hindsight’ are examples that portray the spirit of youth, ever dauntless and moving forward despite unfavorable circumstances and lack of platform. They are the hope in which the future of Nepal rests because their dreams and ideas are shared by 11,233,319 strong majorities. They are the voters whom the old and inefficient leaders must woo.
The notion that youth are the ‘future’ of this country must change for they are the ‘present’ of the future that they will envision. They are the foundation on which Nepal can realize its aspirations.
You just can’t miss them.
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