Subodh Kathayat, a third-year Computer Science student, and Alisha Hada, a first-year Architecture student, share their personal perspectives on the recent violent anti-corruption uprising that toppled Nepal’s government.
Just two months after arriving at NJIT from Nepal, Hada found herself watching her home country erupt through the fractured lens of social media and news outlets.
For many years, Nepali politics have been described by its citizens as a game of “musical chairs” between the same three leaders, including the recently incumbent K.P. Sharma Oli. Bribery was commonplace; “They buy votes,” explains Kathayat. “Supply 5,000 rupees and one dinner of masu bhat (meat and rice), and you get votes.” Their poor leadership was also very crippling to economic opportunities in Nepal. Political unrest, due to frequent and fragile coalitions, has led to huge inconsistencies in policies, delayed infrastructure projects, and a lack of a long-term economic strategy. Additionally, they have been known to exploit government resources for personal gain, discouraging foreign and even domestic investment. All of these factors have contributed to a culture where it is the norm to seek work abroad and send remittance payments home, which collectively accounted for roughly a third of Nepal’s entire GDP last year.
By 2025, the youth unemployment rate had climbed to an unsustainable 20%, leaving a generation of young people with a sense of hopelessness. This frustration was amplified online, where social media was a window into the obscene wealth of the elite. A relentless stream of videos on platforms like TikTok showcased “…the lavish life of ‘#nepokids’ — the sons and daughters of politicians — a huge contrast to the poverty in the nation,” Hada explains. For a generation with few prospects, seeing this blatant inequality on their feeds daily was very angering. Instead of taking accountability, the government decided to ban these social media apps. This was the last straw — “People said enough is enough,” Kathayat adds.
Local influencers began to use the platform to organize protests and share important safety measures, like dressing in school uniforms because it is illegal to shoot children under Nepali law. What began as peaceful protests in the Capitol escalated quickly as some of the protesters began to storm into the Federal Parliament Building.
“We heard from family that it got violent,” Kathayat recalls. “News of many deaths started coming in…it was really shocking. Some of them were kids, who had so much life left to live, but the bullets were real bullets. It made me angry, furious, and terrified for the people still fighting.”
During the protests, the Nepali government shut down the Internet, severing the communication for students like Kathayat and Hada. “For a while, I couldn’t contact my parents,” Hada says. “I couldn’t sleep until I could reach them. My father had just flown back to Nepal two days before the protests started.”
Here at NJIT, the Nepali Student Association served as a sanctuary for those affected by the tragedies. Recognizing the need for mourning, the NSA organized a candlelight vigil on campus with over 40 attendees. “We emailed Dean Boger about what was happening,” Kathayat explains. “We told her some of our brothers and sisters had died, and people were disturbed, like me personally. I wanted to do something so that I could at least put my mind off the violence. We thought NJIT would be skeptical, but she replied super quickly in support.”
One of the biggest misconceptions about the protests, the students say, is reducing them to being just about the social media bans. “People say, ‘Oh, it’s Gen Z addicted to their social media,’” Kathayat notes. “That’s maybe 2% of what was happening. This was about the blatant corruption, bad leadership, and abuse of power.”
The ultimate goal, they stress, is not just to protest but to create lasting change through the democratic process. Their message to their friends back in Nepal, and to their peers here, is clear and urgent.
“With elections coming up, we have to show the government, who doesn’t work for the people, that our future is worth more than masu bhat and 5,000 rupees,” Kathayat says.
The protests in Nepal are a reminder that in any country, a government’s legitimacy rests with its people. Whether in Kathmandu or here in the United States, the principles of accountability, transparency, and responsibility are universally important. As we reflect on the bravery of Nepal’s youth, it’s a powerful lesson in the importance of our vote in shaping the future.
