Photo by Mira Crane ’27
NEPSO hosted a vigil on September 13 to raise awareness about the ongoing situation in Nepal.
By Mira Crane ’27 & Alia Bloomgarden ’29
Global Editor | Staff Writer
During the first week of September, Nepali youth overthrew the government.
Violence erupted on Sept. 8 with student demonstrations protesting a government ban on multiple social media platforms, as well as allegations of government corruption, according to The New York Times.
Government security forces opened fire on the protesters, and the controversy led to the prime minister’s resignation. The following day, Sept. 9, parliament and other government buildings were set aflame by angry crowds.
An interim prime minister, Sushila Karki, was named that Friday. Karki is a former chief justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court and will be the first female prime minister Nepal has seen, the BBC reported. Karki’s appointment was supported by Gen Z leaders.
Prashuna Tamang’26, president of the Nepali Student Organization — abbreviated as NEPSO — explained many Nepali citizens' view of the government leading up to the regime change. She said, "Growing up, we would always only learn about how the government's corrupted.”
According to Tamang, the government was inefficient, with no transparency and a large income gap within the country. Although Nepal went through many prime ministers, alternating almost every year, the same few prime ministers and two political parties were always in power, Tamang stated.
Many small parties didn't have a say or chance of gaining power in the government. She said that this system felt like a joke and her friends would call it a "love triangle.”
A month before the regime change, there was a movement on TikTok to expose corrupt politicians and their families. But Tamang never realized the movement had gotten so huge.
She explained, “I went back home this summer and everything was okay. And this was literally a month ago.”
A few weeks later, her sister told her she was going to a protest. Tamang didn’t think much of it. It was supposed to be a peaceful protest, after all.
However, according to Reuters, on Sept. 8 nineteen students were killed and more than 100 injured as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets.
Tamang was shocked when she awoke to the news.
She explained, “I knew that people had anger in them. I get where the rage came from.”
While the students began the protests, Tamang said, “Other political parties took this as a means to, like, spread their own propaganda … they were the ones who started the violence and it was not the peaceful protestors. So I think the infiltration kind of really made the situation bad.”
Tamang and NEPSO wanted to honor those who fought and died battling corruption. So, on Sept. 13, NEPSO held an evening vigil open to the entire Mount Holyoke College community.
The event was held in the Gettell Amphitheater, which was adorned with a poster collage about the crisis and the Nepali flag. Members of NEPSO also drew a chalk version of the flag and a chalk map of Nepal; statements in English and Nepali were written in chalk on the stage.
The event opened with an introduction from Tamang, who thanked everyone for coming and explained that the event was about honoring the Gen Z student protestors in Nepal and the lives that have been lost.
She passed the mic on to another member of NEPSO, who spoke about the context behind the events that unfolded in Nepal during the week of Sept. 8. This member discussed protests where students lost their lives and the appointment of a new caretaker prime minister. According to her speech, there is now a fragile but genuine sense of hope, and what happens next will shape Nepal’s future.
After this speech, attendees went up to the stage to receive candles, which were then placed around the Nepali flag and other pieces of chalk art. Tamang gave a speech about how the event was in solidarity with Nepal, and was intended to honor those who lost their lives and educate the Mount Holyoke community about recent events in Nepal. She also mentioned that the political turmoil was personal for members of NEPSO, many of whom have family in Nepal. All those present observed a moment of silence, and the evening ended with Tamang playing Nepal’s national anthem.
She explained that NEPSO’s goal is to spread awareness of the situation in Nepal across campus. “We felt personally for our own selves that we needed to honor the lives lost. Because we are here in a foreign country, we're not able to do anything, but at least we can spread awareness about what's happening to a wider audience and also stand together,” she said. “Because, since the event that has occurred in Nepal till present, the Nepali students have been very strong knit, and we've been there for each other and we also want the campus community to know what's happening and also support us.”
When asked what she wanted people on campus to know about the situation in Nepal, Tamang said, “At least from the NEPSO community we want, we want the campus community to know that the situation, the Gen Z protest that was happening in Nepal was just not about social media. It was as a result of youth, just citizens getting fed up [with] the long standing corruption, the bureaucracy, the oppression that the youth were facing in Nepal.”
She wants the wider audience to understand why the protests started, and to know that lives were lost during them. Tamang believes the future is hopeful. She explained that although Interim Prime Minister Karki was chosen in chaos, she believes Karki was the best candidate. As chief justice, Karki stood up against corruption. Tamang also believes the chosen cabinet members are good candidates.
According to Tamang, while the future of Nepal has a bright potential, the situation is confusing. Although the prime minister has been overthrown, the political parties that had a strong hold on Nepal still exist and corruption is so strongly rooted in the current system.
As Tamang put it, “The war has just begun.”
Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27 contributed fact checking.