- An old video of a schoolboy calling out to the youth to rise against injustice and corruption has gone viral
- In the clip, Abiskar Raut, the head boy, is heard sharing his dream of building a new Nepal
- Calling youth, the torchbearers of change, Raut urged them to "rise"
Burning parliament, ministers running for their lives, mob dancing on the streets - that is the scene playing out in Nepal for the past two days. At the centre of the political unrest are Gen Z protesters who not only pushed the government to revoke the ban on 26 social media apps but also forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and President Ram Chandra Poudel to resign, bringing Nepal to its knees. Amid the fiery protests in the country, an old video of a schoolboy calling out to the youth to rise against the injustice and corruption has gone viral.
The viral video, reportedly from an annual school function, features Abiskar Raut, the head boy of the Holy Bell English Secondary School. In the clip, Raut is heard sharing his dream of building a new Nepal.
"Today I stand here, stand here with a dream of building a new Nepal, with a fire of hope and passion burning within me. But my heart is heavy because this dream seems to be slipping away. Rise and shine, futures of this upcoming imperial empire," Raut said.
Welcoming everyone to the 24th annual programme, Raut took the moment to bring attention to issues of unemployment and corruption prevailing in the country.
"I put myself before you this moment to shed light within your consciousness by piercing the dark limbus that circles above you. I am present here today to immortalise a monumental change in the course of history. Nepal, our mother, this country gave us birth, nurtured us. But what did it ask in return? Just our honesty, our hard work, our contribution. But what are we doing? We are bound by the chains of unemployment, seeing a broad source of opportunities. We are trapped by the selfish games of political parties. Corruption has grown on a web that is extinguishing the light of our futures," Raut added.
Calling youth, the torchbearers of change, Raut urged them to "rise".
"If you do not raise your voices, who will? If you do not build this nation, who will? We are the fire that will burn away the darkness. We are the storm that will sweep away injustice and bring prosperity," Raut added in a passionate speech.
Remembering ancestors, who "shed their blood to give us this nation", Raut reiterated that "we cannot lose it. We are the fire; we will burn every despair away."
The schoolboy asked his peers to decide - either drown in the darkness of despair or rise as the sun of hope. "Will we change the fate of this nation, or will we let it remain in shackles?"
Raut also reminded schoolmates of King Birendra, who once said, "Even if I die, shall my country live on", and asked to "carry these words in your heart and engrave a monument of change in the course of history."
"Nepal is ours, and its future is in our hands. Jai Yuga! Jai Nepal!" he ends with a rallying cry.
Gen Z Protests In Nepal
On Monday, Gen Z took over the streets of Nepal to protest the ban on 26 social media apps, including Facebook and YouTube, in the country. The protests pushed the government to revoke the ban. However, the movement snowballed into an agitation against the current regime as enraged protesters demanded PM KP Sharma Oli's resignation. The protesters set PM Oli's private residence on fire, took over the parliament and set it on fire as well. Follow live updates here
Protesters also set fire to the residence of former Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal in Dallu. Rajyalaxmi Chitrakar, his wife, was burned to death.
The Nepal Army has taken full control of Kathmandu airport and the Secretariat Building. Many Indian Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims and tourists are stranded due to the closure of the airport and suspended flights.
At least 19 protestors have been killed, and over 100 have suffered injuries.
