Nepal Now: On the Move
We're talking with the people migrating from, to, and within this Himalayan country located between China and India. You'll hear from a wide range of Nepali men and women who have chosen to leave the country for better work or education opportunities. Their stories will help you understand what drives people — in Nepal and worldwide — to mortgage their property or borrow huge sums of money to go abroad, often leaving their loved ones behind.
Despite many predictions, migration from Nepal has not slowed in recent years, except briefly during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. About 1 million Nepalis leave every year to work at jobs outside the country. Tens of thousands go abroad to study. Far fewer return to Nepal to settle. The money ('remittances') that workers send home to their families accounts for 25% of the country's GDP, but migration impacts Nepal in many other ways. We'll be learning from migrants, experts and others about the many cultural, social, economic and political impacts of migration.
Your host is Marty Logan, a Canadian journalist who has lived in Nepal's capital Kathmandu off and on since 2005. Marty started the show in 2020 as Nepal Now.
Nepal Now: On the Move
Spotlighting Tharu, and Madheshi, food and culture in Nepal
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Welcome to Nepal Now, the podcast where we discuss new ideas and approaches to move the country forward. My name is Marty Logan.
I hope you don’t mind a slight digression to start. A few weeks ago I met a friend, someone I see every few months. One of the first things he said to me was, 'I see your podcast is on a break'. We chatted for a while and later I realized that I had no idea he kept up with the show. This has happened to me regularly this year: every so often I meet someone who says they've been listening or that they met someone who mentioned Nepal Now.
When I started the show more than two years ago I imagined it becoming a viable piece of journalism, one that might generate a buzz, or at least a mention, among people interested in development and positive change. From what I can tell, that has not happened. I think we've gathered a small audience, like my friend above, which is relatively stable but not evidently growing. This has discouraged me – and I will admit, after musing over the future of Nepal Now regularly during the past couple of years, that I might discourage too easily. But now I wonder if I've failed to communicate clearly to you, dear listeners, my vision for the podcast.
So I will say very clearly now — I'm not doing this as a hobby, but as a journalism initiative. And frankly speaking, I think that we could have, and should have, more listeners, but I need your help to spread the word and attract more fans. That’s how we will make Nepal Now a sustainable venture. So please, share this episode with at least one other person you think would like it . You can click on the share icon (the one with the up-pointing arrow) in your podcast app, which is probably where you’re listening now. On social media it's even easier — just share one of our posts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn.
Thanks very much. Now on with the episode.
Today we’re chatting with Sanjib Chaudhary.
He’s a communicator I got to know through his Twitter account, where he posts about the food, flora and fauna of Nepal’s tarai or plains region. Many of his Tweets are about the culture of the Tharu indigenous people, who are native to the tarai, or Madhesh region. Sanjib himself is Tharu.
And now, since it seems to be a day for speaking frankly, I have to tell you. When I invited Sanjib on the show I assumed that his social media activity was driven by Tharu nationalism, or Madhesi nationalism. But after you listen to our conversation I think you’ll agree that’s probably not the case—Sanjib just wants to share the new things that he discovers on his travels.
And one other confession: I put Sanjib through the nerve-wracking experience of recording this episode in visual as well as audio format. Sure he works in communications, so putting on a lapel mic, posing for cameras, and being told you can move your hands here but not there was nothing new to him. But it’s still something he didn’t sign up for when I invited him on the show.
This episode will be available on the Nepal Now YouTube channel as soon as I work up the nerve to see how funny I looked on video.
Resources
Sanjib Chaudhary on Twitter
Sanjib
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Music by audionautix.com.
Thank you to Himal Media in Patan Dhoka for the use of their studio.
