And the life we envision for ourselves looks within reach in the capital, or if not, at least out of the hometown we are striving to leave behind. [break]
The capital city attracts people from every corner of the country, and if Kathmandu seems too far, we always have the biggest city near us to help us with our plans. Whether it is for work, or for education, it’s natural to opt for greener pastures.
During an interaction talk program organized by National Youth Federation Nepal with the cooperation of the Ministry of Health and Population on “Internal Migration and Development: Role of Youth”, Dr Bhim Prasad Subedi, Professor of Geography at Tribhuwan University explained, “Migration is a reality. Migration stream is largely dominated by youth but no age wise details are available at present.”
Migration is indeed a reality. With so much of opportunities and chances available and centered mostly in the Valley, this is where the majority of us end up.
Fresh out of school or college, we move here with plans and dreams that we assume will be easily fulfilled. Education and work are two of the biggest causes of internal migration.
Though a small town will not lack educational institutions, students and their guardians will any day prefer one in a bigger city or the capital over those in their own towns. Also, a job in the capital pays more, though how much it really pays after you take the standard of living into consideration is debatable.
Paru Hangma Thulung, 16, is a resident of Jhiljile in Jhapa. She is excited to join class 11 at Little Angels’ College in Lalitpur. She says, “I’ve always heard so much about Little Angels’ College and I’ve always wanted to study there. After my SLC exams, I got myself admitted to the college and I’m very happy to be studying here.”
Paru will be living with her brother in an apartment which is only a 10 minute walk away from the college in Hattiban.
No doubt, Kathmandu has its share of good education institutions, places where you can enjoy promising careers and good jobs, better facilities and benefit from more awareness of the world at large.
However, certain downsides cannot be just shrugged away. With more and more people involved in internal migration, the villages are still not itching towards development. The many people who leave their homes behind only fuel the belief that the cities have everything.
Dipesh Ghimire, a member of the National Youth Federation Nepal, talks about his experience of traveling to more than 70 districts in the country. “Poverty in cities is more rampant than in the villages. We haven’t been able to get this message out to people in villages and smaller towns so they continue to come to Kathmandu with hopes.”
Marriage is another reason for internal migration. According to our tradition, a girl has to move in to the husband’s house and his family is her new family.
Utsha Shrestha Maharjan, 29, has been living in New Baneshwor since she got married. Originally hailing from Kushma Village in Parbat district, which is about 57 kilometers away from Pokhara, Utsha shifted to Kathmandu when she was in class seven.
She says, “My sisters sent me to Kathmandu to study. They thought that since Kushma is a small and conservative place , it was better for me to study in Kathmandu. I remember being very homesick and I would try to visit home even for a few days. Though I was used to the lifestyle here, it’s still odd to be living so far away from home.”
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