But one face hardly fails to appear in the crowd.
Clad in daura-surwal, and more often than not, even a topi visible on his head, nineteen-year-old Ish Aana (Ishan Adhikari) is sometimes in the front row to agitate or sometimes backing the movement hidden away from the crowd.[break]
The Occupy Baluwatar Movement decrying violence against women, the White Butterfly Movement to save trees, the Rs 10 Campaign for flood victims in the far western region, and the Hanumandhoka anti-privatization campaign, among others, have seen the young boy’s exceptional concerns for the country.
Following some developments at his school when he was just 14, Ish Aana turned into a rebel. The incident forced him to quit one of the prestigious schools in town where Ish Aana had been enrolled by his parents with much hope and aspirations.
This was how it all began when he says, “I never secured high grade though I was an active student in my school. One day, I wrote a letter to the principal and ‘resigned’ from St Xavier’s in Jawalakhel in 2009. I wanted a teacher, who wasn’t popular, replaced by a better one. The management refused to do so. There were some other issues, too, and frustrated with the entire system, I left the school without telling my family about it.”
Ish Aana gradually learnt that the issues of his school were far too small compared to the mess the country was in.
“I’m not involved in the movements for popularity or any selfish interest. I have always been guided by my inner voice. If I feel the cause is right, and if it’s good for our country, I feel motivated to be in it. Our country has many talkers and thinkers but few actors. We need good leaders, and as a youth, I feel responsible to fill the gap,” he concludes.
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