My name is Suresh. I am a journalist with a master's degree in political science.
Nepal has had numerous shifts in governance since the end of autocratic Rana rule 74 years ago. The current political system of Nepal operates based on the constitution promulgated since 2015.
Before the Constituent Assembly elections, King Birendra Shah promulgated a constitution in 2047 B.S., establishing a ceremonial monarchy. However, the monarchy and this constitution were later replaced by an interim constitution in 2063 B.S., which faced resistance, particularly from the Madhesi community. Protests erupted, leading to the Madhesh uprising and hundreds of casualties.
At 18, I began my journalism career at Janakpur FM, a local language radio station, where I reported on these events.
My youthful passion sometimes led me to present news in a biased manner, openly opposing police actions while supporting protesters. People in villages and cities would listen to the radio throughout the day. Women working in kitchens, farmers in fields, and shopkeepers were avid listeners. Driven by emotion, I presented aggressive narratives in support of the protesters through live broadcasts.
While I remained silent on incidents of police injuries caused by stones thrown by protesters, I exaggerated even minor injuries sustained by protesters due to police baton charges, framing it as police brutality.
Reflecting on these events, I realised much later that my actions and conduct as a young journalist during that time were inappropriate.
Through my involvement with IofC, I began taking an hour of inner listening every morning, which helped me realise that my mistakes in the past had contributed significantly to social unrest.
I witnessed how, during cricket matches in Madhesh, we would cheer for Indian teams against Nepal’s Pahadi teams. Similarly, during cricket matches in the hills, people supported Darjeeling over Madhesi teams. These experiences prompted me to observe the biases within our society and the challenges of unity. I realised that as long as we remain divided as Madhesi or Pahadi, we cannot truly identify as Nepali.
Young people from Madhesh, including myself, organised a youth camp in Giranchaur, Melamchi, located in the hills. We also invited Pahadi friends to Raghunathpur village in Madhesh to celebrate Holi together.