Kathmandu: They were still in pregnancy or cradle when Narayanhiti Palace became a crime site. On the night of June 1, 2001, the shelling echoed through a marble hall, leaving almost the entire royal family, including King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, deceased. Gyanendra Shah, the king had no hope, later took the throne. But by 2008, between a peace agreement with the Maoists and the end of the end of a decade long civil war, which left more than 17,000 dead, the monarchy was abolished. Nepal’s Post- For the 2000 generation, the palace is more museum than memory.
And yet, the past is back. In older houses, nostalgia are not whispering, but in the form of mantras – ‘Raja Aau, Desh Bachau’ – Tikok and Facebook feed, protest portal and complexes. In private institutions, the youth are asking the difficult questions of the republic. What is it given, in addition to a carousel of a nation in the principal ministers and the flow? Since the formation of a republic in 2008, there were 13 separate PMs in Nepal, often through delicate alliance. A school administrator said, “They have come at the age of rolling blackout, political instability and a broken job market. It is not just a changing face. It is a lack of direction. Every few months, every few months, there is a new education policy … a separate entrance exam.”
In classrooms where teachers once prepared students for examination and jobs, now in conversation it shows that the country should lead – elected politicians or kings – and whether their votes matter at all. “We are going to teach mathematics and science,” said a principal Sagar Acharya in Chitwan. “But these days, it seems that we are modeling Parliament.” The 20 -year -old student, Smriti Acharya, never thought that she would attend a protest rally. “I didn’t live through the monarchy … but I lived through this system – and it’s not working.” His friend said, “When a new PM brings every year, what future are we going to plan?”
The churning is not just political – it is individual. Students see that classmates disappear abroad in search of something better. According to the migration for the international organization, more than 3,00,000 students have left the country for higher education in the last five years. The Foreign Employment Department of Nepal said that more than 1,10,000 student visas were issued in 2022. Student absence has increased since protests on 28 March. Even in schools that avoid political discussion, stress is clear. A teacher said, “There is a strange energy right now – one is bigger than hunger.” Sociologist Tara Rai said that protest is more than only one royalist revival. “This is a generation that has only known anarchy. The generation’s activism lies in disillusionment, not Notelzia. For them, the king is less one figure than a symbol – order, identity, to rally around some.”
For many people, however, there is no monarchy solution. “Looking at the option, I will still choose a democracy,” another student said. “It can be messy, but it gives us an opportunity to participate and participate. I just want a system that works.” Despite increasing stress, the Ministry of Education has not issued any formal advice. But internal sources say that informal instructions have been sent to “avoid sensitive political discussions” in classes. Nevertheless, it is difficult that students are already arguing online. Hashtag and remixed protest mantras continued to spread to Instagram and Tikok. A digital media analyst said, “This is how students now join.”
