GVN Changemakers Blog #10

Nepal: Westernization Leaves Children out in the Monsoon

by: Samuel Shetler

I was once told this short story about Coca Cola which stands as a parody of Western influence on Nepal.

“As a rural family in Nepal, resources never increase, but can often decrease due to the monsoon cycle of life. Families share resources and labor with their neighbors enabling them just enough to live off to get by. One day something odd happens. Today this family has a Coke. So, another family sees the drink and decides to try it and buys one. Soon enough the demand for Coke is great enough that the local tea shop decides to start selling them. Now once a week, if not more, the families will buy a Coke.”

Jaggu - Brighter Futures Children Home, House Manager (Nepali)

Shining Stars Children watching T.V.

Western ways are not looked down upon in Nepal but rather looked to as the solution to their problems. There is little reflection amongst the people to whether or not these ways will benefit their people and society as a whole. This increasing cultural trend is not just affecting the vulnerable minded youth but politicians and policy makers alike. Urban culture in Nepal is built around a need of Western visitation which often only involves exploitation, short visits or the furthering of western ways. Those who bring corporations are profit driven with little concern for social consequences. This at times can apply to the tourists too. The incorporation of western values have seen numerous detrimental effects on Nepali life such as their subsistence, increased prostitution, increased drug use and the breakdown of family life. By way of balance, there have been some positive effects, primarily including increased rights for women, decreasing followers of the Hindu caste system, semi-democracy, and factory work.

END OF THE RANA RULE

In February 1951 the Rana rule, which “represented the darkest phase in Nepali history” (Shrestha , 34) was ousted and Nepal became open to the west through the reinstated Shah dynasty. The Shah did not make conditions better for the Nepali people, especially with the one party government called the panchayat system. They simply opened the borders. The Shah rule was more concerned with hatching plots to stay in power than solidarity. They allowed a tourism industry to grow because of the visible financial benefits.

THE HIPPIES

Thamel, Kathmandu Nepal at night

The Nepalese people were considerably isolated from the rest of the world up to the 1960’s. In the 60’s and 70’s the hippies and the Peace Corps arrived from the U.S. bringing American culture with them. The hippies who were the inspiration of the tourist industry now in Nepal, were driven by the ideals of ‘finding yourself’, ’seeking God’ and ‘communicating with other people’, ideals fundamental to the hippie movement.

90’s

The increased trend of globalization in the 90’s contributed to growth in Western culture, consumerism and cultural commercialization. The tourism industry was well in place by the 90’s in Nepal and the tourism industry continued to gain speed. There were tourists who wanted to trek the Himalayas, experience Buddhism, volunteer and live on the cheap.

SUBSISTANCE

Fighting the monsoon to save the crops

Before, the 60’s Nepal’s dynasty’s squashed ideas of Democracy and westernization. They had a strong collectivist culture that was primarily dependent on family. The major source of livelihood was and still is almost wholly dependant of agriculture. This culture however, has been skewed in the cities and the surrounding villages.

When you can barely feed yourself and your family on what available resource you have, that is subsistence.

Nepalese culture and family organization goes “hand and hand” with its subsistence. Westernization is the meshing of two cultures so they seem more alike, western families are individualistic and Nepali families are traditionally patriarchal. This dissonance is breaking down their culture and perpetuating the cycle of poverty.

CHANGE OR DIE

Thamel street kids and I

People will adapt and change so that they can try and reach subsistence levels, it is human instinct to survive. As such, Nepalese people were forced to take advantage of their new increase in traffic and interest from the hippies in the 60’s and created a tourism industry. Mass mediums of media such as the internet, music, movies and magazines have infiltrated the cities of Nepal especially the Kathmandu Valley with great fervor. Hospitality is Nepal’s number one source of income in the tourist districts, which now heavily seek to cater solely to tourists needs.

FAMILY BREAKDOWN

In Nepal people will come to together to work on community building projects; such as, digging water ditches to allow fresh Himalayan water to flow into the villages. In first world countries we would expect the state to provide these services and if we did help we would expect to be compensated.

The family unit (Pariwaar) is most essential to Nepali life. However, this family unit is under attack because of modernization and increase in population.

As the population increases there are less resources and increasing feuds amongst family and community. The disputes can lead to separation of family units and resources. These resources that are already far stretched and interdependent on others will either make the family fall into debt, lose their land or try and earn an income from an urban area.

Western culture is based on individuality, such that everyone seeks to take care of themselves and their own. Here in the U.S. where I live, children will grow up with influence from their family, preparing them to go out into the world on their own, to make some sort of life for their own family. Then we will visit our family members who are usually at a distance on the holidays and special occasions.

In Nepal, children will grow up within their family group and this is their identity. Everything they do is to provide resources for the family.

Gloomy Thamel

“There has been some positivity from westernization. It has brought more equality. People see that there should be more equality between male and female as it is recognized in the western world. But perhaps older generation may not always agree with this. Some think men and women’s role should be very separate. Also we are affected by the technology, clothes, food etc. It is not the case that me and my peers want to be like westerners but we also find it interesting. We have especially been affected by western music, which we really enjoy. On the negative side there is the problem that Nepali culture may get lost. Or young people will think traditional values are a waste of time because they are able to experience other cultures.”

-Bijay Kakari (Nepali student)

Only 4% of Nepali citizens live in rural areas which are still greatly affected by western ways. The idea of being on your own doesn’t exist, for the majority of Nepali’s. An example of this is that when you marry your spouse they move into your family’s home and you continue to provide for the family, there is no separation. Privacy which a lot of Westerners cherish is nearly non-existent in Nepal. The idea seems counter intuitive to the people who share everything. ‘Parma’ is a concept in Nepal where families will provide labor or share labor in their community when others are in need. They do this because they realize their interdependence on each other. When a family is in need they will assist because they could easily be in need tomorrow. This idea is further reinforced by the harsh environmental conditions by which your food source can be easily taken away by the monsoon that happens every year.

CASTE SYSTEM AND THE NEW GENERATION

The caste system is not legally bounding by the new government in Nepal since the ousting of the Shah Dynasty but the people undoubtedly feel it’s undercurrent in everyday life. The breakdown of the Caste System can be considered a positive of westernization.

The limitations of the caste system are as follows; the majority of people are excluded from major choices regarding economic, military, and basic decisions though they are the ones who bear the most burdens. This leads to civil unrest. It is impossible or nearly so to better yourself from your birth status. This environment of determination from birth maintains the status quo.

“I don’t think it will ever go away. Even to marry, people look for partners who are of the same caste. If they didn’t care then they wouldn’t look for that. Although, some have changed. Also in jobs they say they are equal opportunities employer but the “lower castes” rarely get the jobs because they didn’t get the education in the first place. Therefore how are they supposed to apply for the jobs?” – Bijay Kakari (Nepali student)

Children growing up in today’s Nepal are either increasingly individualistic or too far away from modernity and are in medieval times. Most children struggle against their parents Hindu Caste System if they have been introduced to popular culture.

THE CHILDREN OF VSN HAVE NO FAMILY SUPPORT

It is hard to think that the 31 children I cared for at Shining Stars Children Home in Nepal don’t have this essential lifeline. They are either orphans, post street children or displaced from the Maoist conflict and unlikely to ever return to their impoverished rural areas.

THEIR FUTURE

Prisoner Assistance Nepal Children Home visits a local shrine.

I often think to myself at night before I fall asleep, what will they do if they don’t get a higher education? What will they do if they do get a higher education? What will they do with no family? How will they find a job? How can I help them while they are still young and have time to figure out how they will have to fit into their changing country and world. Western ideas are prominent in their everyday lives, tourism is a major source of employment but it also means a devaluation of their traditional and cultural ways.

The trend of westernization in Nepal will certainly not decrease but will only expand. The government is in a constant frenzy of chaos and is struggling to form a constitution that will hold its semi-democracy together. If a strong government could be in place there would be hope for some kind of social program for the rural poor and displaced children. For now these disadvantaged groups can only rely on ill-allocated foreign aid and nonprofit organizations, both of which further increase dependence on the west. The best thing Global Volunteer Network can do is continue to provide volunteers to existing nonprofits inside the country, facilitating local solutions to the local problems.

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Samuel Edward Shetler