Glimmer of hope
It was a Saturday night and darkness reigned due to the regular power cut. I was out for my regular walk on the road after dinner. Suddenly, a bomb exploded at neighbor's house and all I could hear was a stunning silence as if my hearing had been impaired for a while.
Within a minute, a crowd of people arrived at the gate and I rushed to the spot too. The entrance gate of the house was dislodged from the wall it was fixed to. Yards away from the entrance gate, lay the bloody and heavily injured body of the security guard of the house. The road was covered by spiky nails and iron balls from the bomb. An ambulance arrived in minutes and took the injured guard to the hospital.
Next morning, I read in the newspaper that the bomb was planted by one of the underground armed outfit operating in our region. Many armed groups have risen amidst the political unrest in the country. They plant bombs and kidnap and murder people in the name of religious and political faiths. Amidst lack of security and political unrest, unemployment and lack of education have prevailed. People are left with very little option and a crippling poverty to deal with. Thus, most of the youth choose the shortcut of joining these groups for some quick money.
It was not so long ago when our country was a land of peace. But now lack of security and unrest rule the daily life here. Lack of options has resulted in unemployment and extreme poverty. It wasn't so long ago when my family couldn't afford a single meal per day. Rice and salt was our daily diet. Our secondary school didn't have fans in its classrooms and it took months before the books from government fund reached to us. For youths like us here, college education is a matter of chance than hard work and talent.
The bomb planted in my neighbor's house not only killed that innocent security guard but also his family's hopes and his children's future. Horrific imprints from such incidents are engraved in our minds as we work our way through, in the hope of a beautiful life. Yet these imperfections inspire me. The days of scarcity made me grateful towards the things that otherwise seem too minor to take note of. I realize the importance of every grain I swallow and every rupee I spend on buying books. These situations taught me to hope even in the gravest of the situations. I may be preparing for an education outside Nepal but such incidents remind me that my country needs me. With the education and experience I receive there, I hope to serve my country in a creative way. After my education I would like to return to my country because it is in desperate need of educated youth who can contribute towards saving a fractured nation.
It was a Saturday night and darkness reigned due to the regular power cut. I was out for my regular walk on the road after dinner. Suddenly, a bomb exploded at neighbor's house and all I could hear was a stunning silence as if my hearing had been impaired for a while.
Within a minute, a crowd of people arrived at the gate and I rushed to the spot too. The entrance gate of the house was dislodged from the wall it was fixed to. Yards away from the entrance gate, lay the bloody and heavily injured body of the security guard of the house. The road was covered by spiky nails and iron balls from the bomb. An ambulance arrived in minutes and took the injured guard to the hospital.
Next morning, I read in the newspaper that the bomb was planted by one of the underground armed outfit operating in our region. Many armed groups have risen amidst the political unrest in the country. They plant bombs and kidnap and murder people in the name of religious and political faiths. Amidst lack of security and political unrest, unemployment and lack of education have prevailed. People are left with very little option and a crippling poverty to deal with. Thus, most of the youth choose the shortcut of joining these groups for some quick money.
It was not so long ago when our country was a land of peace. But now lack of security and unrest rule the daily life here. Lack of options has resulted in unemployment and extreme poverty. It wasn't so long ago when my family couldn't afford a single meal per day. Rice and salt was our daily diet. Our secondary school didn't have fans in its classrooms and it took months before the books from government fund reached to us. For youths like us here, college education is a matter of chance than hard work and talent.
The bomb planted in my neighbor's house not only killed that innocent security guard but also his family's hopes and his children's future. Horrific imprints from such incidents are engraved in our minds as we work our way through, in the hope of a beautiful life. Yet these imperfections inspire me. The days of scarcity made me grateful towards the things that otherwise seem too minor to take note of. I realize the importance of every grain I swallow and every rupee I spend on buying books. These situations taught me to hope even in the gravest of the situations. I may be preparing for an education outside Nepal but such incidents remind me that my country needs me. With the education and experience I receive there, I hope to serve my country in a creative way. After my education I would like to return to my country because it is in desperate need of educated youth who can contribute towards saving a fractured nation.