A Cry from the Gen Z: What do we want?

Sasarpari Koirala, Kathmandu: Today, my heart is full of pain. In a world where I should be carrying a school bag, dreaming of my future, I am instead burdened with a loan I did not choose and a weapon I never wanted. This pain I feel is not mine alone it echoes in the hearts of thousands of students, workers, and dreamers who were supposed to shape this country's future, not abandon it. Today, that pain spilled red onto the streets. Across Kathmandu, Pokhara, Itahari, Butwal, Bhairahawa and beyond, thousands of youth rose in protest demanding justice, not just for social media, but also against the corruption and for their stolen futures. What began as a cry for connection has become a movement for real change.

We are not just a frustrated generation 'we are a generation betrayed.'

At the age where we should be earning, starting families, enjoying festivals with our parents, we are scattered across foreign lands, sweating in the heat of deserts, cleaning hospital floors, hanging from skyscrapers under construction, or serving food in restaurants in cities we can’t afford to live in. And the government? They celebrate our pain with a smile because our sacrifice fills their pockets with remittance.

We talk about democracy. But when social media is blocked, voices are silenced, and peaceful protests are met with batons what democracy are we talking about?

If a constitution can't protect my freedom of speech, my right to information, or even my right to be with my family then how is it serving the people? The walls of the National Assembly may have been broken, but if this continues, it won't be long before the

Constitution itself is torn apart by its own failures.

Sadly, today a bullet passed from head of a youth. I ask which constitution allows a head shot directly. In a country where even the harshest criminals aren’t given the death penalty, yesterday on around 20 innocent people were shot in head , chest and other organs simply for raising their voices for basic rights.

When the government banned social media platforms, I wasn't angry at first. I even thought maybe it’s good we're too addicted anyway. But soon, reality hit hard. That addiction was the only way for lots of parents to see face of their children, even if through a glitchy video call. 

Now, even that has been taken away. "Use VPN," they say. Sure, I can. But what about my 65-year-old grandmother, who just learned to press one button on Messenger to call me? What about the thousands of parents in villages who learned the word "Facebook" just so they could talk to their sons and daughters abroad?

We are losing not just access to apps we are losing our right to speech, our right to information, and slowly, our right to hope.
Every week, I hear news of someone from Nepal dying abroad. In Qatar, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia. According to data from the Foreign Employment Board, over 9,000 Nepali migrant workers died between 2008 and 2024 and those are just the official numbers. They left to find work because our country gave them no choice. And they came back in boxes, wrapped in plastic, with "fragile" labels and broken dreams.

Who is responsible? The government that never created jobs. The system that crushes entrepreneurs under taxes and bureaucracy. And when we try to start something of our own, there’s a list of rules longer than a passport queue in the consulate.
Now, even the nepotism is no longer hidden. From parliament to business, the children of politicians are reaping benefits they never earned. They are directors of companies, heads of NGOs, chairs of government-funded boards while the rest of us line up at foreign employment agencies, or wait six months just to get a passport.

Meanwhile, the private sector especially in health and education is bleeding us dry. A hospital bill of Rs. 5 lakhs for a common surgery. School fees higher than an average family’s yearly income. And every year, the government promises in the budget speech that they’ll improve these sectors. But where does that money go?

Nobody knows. Maybe to luxury cars for ministers. Or overseas trips for secretaries. Or parties for their sons. It’s Time We Stop Crying and Start Changing

We are tired of saying “Yo desh sudhriela?” (Will this country ever improve?)

We don’t need to burn buses or destroy roads. We need to organize, educate, and vote. We need to hold media, police and related authorities accountable, and call out corruption wherever we see it.

Why same corrupted people in the politics? We, the youth, the frustrated, the hardworking, the exiled we are the majority now. If we can line up for hours outside embassies for a visa, can we not line up to vote for change? And to the leaders who think we are still the silent generation you are wrong.

This is the era of exposure. Your nepotism is exposed, your crimes are documented, and your days are numbered unless you act now, and act right. This brief, yet bloody, chapter of today’s Nepal wasn’t just about phones or platforms. It was about belonging, freedom, and a generation refusing to be silent.

We, the students, the workers, the youth you have pushed us away, robbed us blind, silenced our voices, and now even cut us off from our families.

Do not be surprised when we rise. And when we do, we won’t be asking politely anymore.

We’re not asking for luxury we’re asking for a life worth living in our own country. We want access to education and employment so we don’t have to leave our families just to survive. We deserve a government that offers good governance, not corruption, where we don’t have to pay bribes for basic services.  We love our country, but true patriotism means protecting our people, culture, and freedoms not using nationalism to silence us. It’s time to embrace modernization and technology stop the red tape, and let us innovate. And politics? It should be about service, not retirement plans. We want leaders who show up when the country is hurting, not just during elections.

So how do we fix it? Bring back the stolen money hidden in foreign banks while people at home suffer. Investigate everyone, not just political enemies every corrupt figure should be held accountable. It’s time to let the youth lead we’re living the problems daily, and we deserve a voice in the solution. And most importantly, use your vote. If we want change, we must choose it. We’re not asking for too much we just want a Nepal we don’t have to leave to survive.

From the broken heart of a student, not a journalist.

From the soul of a citizen, not a voter.

From someone whose only crime was being born in the wrong country at the wrong time.
sasarparik@gmail.com
(Student of Gujarat University)

The views are author’s own.. ANM News is not responsible for her personal views