Nepal and Development: what’s in between?

RASHI MAHARJAN, Daayitwa-Worldlink Fellow 2022

The citizens of Nepal are too quick to repulse the government for any kind of inconvenience that arises; for problems like poor infrastructure, bad governance, peaking inflation, inaction amidst the pandemic and the list goes on. However, there are grave problems that keep lingering around and it needs to be addressed. Sadly, we are too comfortable with the idea of staying silent and ‘resilient’. Understandably so, there might be numerous reasons behind this silence. For instance, we are used to seeing the same problems that h..

The privilege of having a purpose

RASHI MAHARJAN, Daayitwa-Worldlink Fellow 2022

“What is your purpose?”

For our ancestors, there might have been an easy answer, but for a generation like ours with choices and possibilities ever so abundant, one would really have to sit down and ask, “What is my purpose?” The nature of this question is rather urban-centric, if I go to Karnali province, where the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is the highest across provinces at 39.5%, I would probably realize that rather than searching for a p..

Incessant Rain: Of Living Dreams and Creating Countless Opportunities

RAKSHYA SILWAL, Daayitwa-Incessant Rain Fellow 2022

Do you remember watching Kung Fu Panda? A lovable out of place panda, son to a duck, goes on a rather unexpected journey to find his place in the world. Nostalgic yet? 

A good movie stays with you, even after you are done watching it. What you saw on the screen is what you remember. However, what you see isn’t the only thing that is going on in the movie. All the work that goes behind the scenes is an important part of making the story more compelling. As a layperson, I was..

Dismantling the Political Nihilism of Nepalese Youths: A Perspective on the Nepalese Development Cycle and The Larger Picture

by NISCHAL SHRESTHA, Daayitwa-Fusemachines Fellow 2022

It’s no surprise to us that, when it comes to politics and governance, although the latter constitutes vast differences in meaning, implication, and form of the word, is generally seen as a zero-sum concept largely by the younger generation of Nepal. If we tune into any TV or Radio Stations, social media, and communication platforms especially those that are popular with the younger groups such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even Tiktok. The winds of discontent, disenchantment, and exasperation are all too familiar and pour..

En route to equal world for all

Are affluent businessmen reaping the benefits of the agriculture loan subsidy program?

ANUPAM UPRETY, Daayitwa-CIB Fellow 2022

Agriculture is the biggest sector of Nepal with more than 60.4% of households being engaged in farming, providing 64.54% of employment, and contributing 27.7% to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, low agriculture productivity has been a long-lasting problem that aggravates food insecurity in Nepal. There are several factors contributing to low agriculture productivity in Nepal, such as shortage of agricultural labor, inadequate land management and underutilization of cultivable land, shrinking farm size, scattered farmlands and fragmented landholdings, ..

The Names of Our Grandmothers

RAKSHYA SILWAL, Daayitwa-Incessant Rain Fellow 2022

One of my earliest memories of going to school was learning to answer the question “What is your name?” I had learnt the answer to that question by heart. I had also learnt how to write it. In a notebook, which had blue and red horizontal lines on every page and which was referred to as the ‘English copy’, I would write the sentence “My name is Rakshya Silwal”.

I would write the sentence over and over again as kindergarten homework or classwork assignm..

The Wild West of Nepal: Untapped Gem and Land of Unparalleled Heritage

NISCHAL SHRESTHA, Daayitwa-Fusemachines Fellow 2022

Starting from the geography itself, the Western Frontier of Nepal has always been very unique. Whilst the Eastern regions are more ajar to the steady winds of the Monsoon that come from the Bay of Bengal every summer, which hits the North Eastern Himalayan region first and gradually makes its way towards the Central and Western regions of Nepal. The Western Frontier relatively speaking lies further away from the Oceans in comparison to its Eastern Counterpart and thus gets less precipitation, particularly in remote mountainous regions of ..

Gender and Entrepreneurship in Nepal

ANUGYA KUNWAR, Daayitwa Fellow 2021

“Economic equity is an enormous empowerment of women. Having jobs that provide income means that women can be a more effective force, a more equal force, in the political process. Women with income take themselves more seriously and they are taken more seriously.”-Betty Friedan 

An inclusive and sustainable socio-economic transformation of the nation cannot be imagined without the equal participation of half of its population. Comprising 51.5% of the populati..

Breaking Down the Culture of Change

SATISH BAJRACHARYA, Daayitwa Fellow 2021

Throughout history, change has been difficult. Breaking the shackles of normalcy and going against the well-established norm has always been a continuous struggle. Despite the presence of these antecedent conditions in history, our culture, values, and norms have continuously evolved. We have to agree that change is difficult but it is a process of making things better, not for oneself but for the betterment of the society in itself. In Adam Smith’s words, the progress of society has been made by the ingenuity of philosophers or people of speculation. I..

My Learnings so far as a Daayitwa Public Policy Fellow

RUPESH THA, Daayitwa Fellow 2021

Applying for the fellowship was a journey of self-discovery that led me to deeply reflect on my personal experiences and scientific interests that guided me to pursue a career as a researcher. Daayitwa Nepal Public Policy Fellowship is a growing roster of merit-based professional fellowship opportunities that provide entry into a first job or career change, work experiences, and cultivate emerging leaders and change-makers, and social enterprises. Therefore, I was very concerned about my application. I was having a difficult time putting into words how..

Journey of a Self Proclaimed Advocate for the Himalayas

TASHI GURUNG, Daayitwa Fellow 2021

Inundated with thoughts, my mind wandered around and across dimensions while I forcefully tried to fall asleep. Continuously rolling right and left, exercising breathing techniques I learned from watching youtube, and even trying to count imaginary white sheep with long circular horns failed me. After several failed attempts to fall asleep, I get a notification on my cell phone that is placed strategically upside down next to my pillow. I resisted reaching out for the phone to avert the risk of insomnia. After a whole 13 seconds of irresistible strug..

Daayitwa Fellowship: A Journey of Self-Acceptance

ANUGYA KUNWAR, Daayitwa Fellow 2021

Hopscotching between the dual identities of an Indian mother and a Nepali father, 7-year-old me never truly felt that I belonged in either of the countries. The Indian-accent laced Nepali that tumbled through my mouth often led my Nepali friends to call me dhoti. As a defense mechanism, I found my solace in English and accepted the identity of always being the ‘other’ in Nepal. The years from seven to seventeen were spent here trying to perform ‘Nepali-ness’ without fully feeling that I was accepted. The undergrad journey rolled in and soon I found m..

Living in a world where success is measured in numbers

SNEHA AGRAWAL, Daayitwa Fellow 2021

My career and the journey in finding the purpose of my life have been a roller coaster ride. Similar to many of my friends and millions of people, I have switched my career and aspirations multiple times. When we are 15/16, we are expected to know what will be good for us or our life’s purpose. This is hurled on our faces by placing three options in front of us- Science, Commerce, and Humanities. What will a 15-year-old know about these, especially when there is so much to explore in the world and within ourselves? Meanwhile, Commerce and Humanities are frowned upon by our families, relatives, and society. 

Chaos is Beautiful

SATISH BAJRACHARYA, Daayitwa Fellow 2021

The quest to understand life itself seems to be a bit difficult. One tends to often question themself: Why am I here? What is my purpose? Why am I so useless? Am I doing the right thing? Beneath these questions lies the ultimate reality, which is the conflict that each and every one of us is facing in everyday life. Chaos, ambiguity, and conflict seem to be a part of everyone’s life. With chaos, conflict and distress come pain, and with pain comes growth and progress. When I came back from India in 2015 after the earthquake, I was agonized by ..

COVID, coming home, and crafting our place

LIZA PAUDEL, Daayitwa Fellow 2021

I saw it first on Instagram – post after post filled with outrage from people I follow. It was hard to understand what was going on. As I pieced together the news, I felt a succession of emotions: first confusion, then anger, finally settling into a sense of deep sadness. “New rule requiring women under 40 to take approval from family, local ward office to go abroad proposed”. I am under 40 and I live abroad, and I have lived on my own for more than 10 years. Yet, somehow, the government, my government, still only sees my father or m..

Breaking Shackles, Building Aspirations

RAJ KHAREL

Have you ever experienced a feeling where hearing a piece of single news completely drains you out of energy and makes you think ‘WHY’? I felt that way when I read about this 16-year-old girl who was found hanging on a tree one day after her wedding, just because she had fallen in love with and had married an (also underaged) boy from an ‘upper’ caste. I know this incident isn’t unique and is not even the worst among tragic stories that we find every day in our newspapers, but there was something about thi..

Prelude: Beginning a Journey as Daayitwa Public Policy Fellow

MANISH JUNG PULAMI

Many of us have seen the difficulties and shortcomings of society. And, we know that the emotions of a person are stirred more quickly than a person’s intelligence. I think my journey also starts like such. My grandfather used to tell me, "Being a human, the true essence of life is in altruism, and only simple creatures aim to survive… there is more than surviving". But I used to question myself, is helping the needy is the permanent solution? But the proper aim is to try and reconstruct society on such a basis that difficulties in human life ..

Taking One Step at a Time at Daayitwa

SMRITI JOSHI

The question about who I am has always bothered me. My life has always been revolving around fulfilling the roles and titles that other people have given me. Perhaps, it is because nobody asked what I wanted, and I complied and did what I was told to do. I thought to be obedient would assure my conformity in society, but the vicious circle of expectation never stopped. I get questioned, get patronized about my choices and dreams. This feeling of being trapped changed something inside me. For the first time, I want to devise social constructs and follow my heart. I wanted ..