KATHMANDU, Dec 10: When presenting our national identity, most are prone to blurt out Mount Everest as a top reason to wave our flag, but pinning our patriotism on natural structures and being Buddha’s birthplace leaves little room to build our self-esteem from our own efforts and accomplishments.
As the Nepali touch weakens in the capital, Republica sat down with Prashmika Sharma, 18, a graduate from Chelsea International Academy, and Aashraya Bhattarai, 19, of National Campus, as well as Ashutosh Gautam, 17, and Ayushwi Mathema, 17, both from Ace Institute of Management, to uncover how westernization has played out in Nepal and where this leaves our future.
What’s your take on how Nepal is becoming westernized?
Ayushwi: It depends on the person. Some people will speak differently in an accent to be appreciated and noticed, others prefer just Nepali.
Ashutosh: For development’s sake, being westernized isn’t bad. But when we lose our culture and traditions, then there’s a slight problem there. If you’re westernized, it doesn’t harm development. Even if you’re too westernized, it won’t harm our work, or culture. If we feel our culture is important, we’ll celebrate Christmas but we’ll also celebrate Lhosar and Nepali festivals.
As the Nepali touch weakens in the capital, Republica sat down with Prashmika Sharma, 18, a graduate from Chelsea International Academy, and Aashraya Bhattarai, 19, of National Campus, as well as Ashutosh Gautam, 17, and Ayushwi Mathema, 17, both from Ace Institute of Management, to uncover how westernization has played out in Nepal and where this leaves our future.
What’s your take on how Nepal is becoming westernized?
Ayushwi: It depends on the person. Some people will speak differently in an accent to be appreciated and noticed, others prefer just Nepali.
Ashutosh: For development’s sake, being westernized isn’t bad. But when we lose our culture and traditions, then there’s a slight problem there. If you’re westernized, it doesn’t harm development. Even if you’re too westernized, it won’t harm our work, or culture. If we feel our culture is important, we’ll celebrate Christmas but we’ll also celebrate Lhosar and Nepali festivals.
Prashmika: I think development and westernization should go hand in hand. That will help you go into the world, you can communicate better and you can adapt better. If we go to a foreign country and tell people we’re from Nepal, they will ask where it is. After that happens a few times, we’ll stop saying we’re Nepali.
Aashraya: People who have a fake accent, they do it to show off and to get attention. They want to show that they’re something, they want to be popular. I feel more comfortable in Western clothes and if someone saw me in a daura surwal, I wouldn’t feel hip.
When it comes to clothes, language, or what’s “in,” why do you think Western traits have taken over? Were we raised this way?
Ayushwi: When it comes to clothes, we’re not comfortable. I think it is how our psychology developed when we were children. Our parents took us to buy pants and not kurthas. I don’t think everything Western is bad but there must be a limit.
Ashutosh: I think it’s also peer pressure which makes us dress this way. We’re not told not to wear daura surwals but when we look at others, we don’t want to wear our traditional clothes. When it comes to music, we listen to Nepali music. But we listen to what pleases us. And when it is rock Nepali bands copy, they want to make something that’s more pleasing to us.
Prashmika: Developed countries suppress us. We’re not developed and want to be more like them. You could say it’s because of globalization. When we make comparisons, we find Western things more attractive.
Aashraya: We’re just copying others. I think it’s bad that we copy. We have our own culture and we should stick to that.
Why do you think “development” means here?
Ayushwi: Okay, so if people are westernized, it’s not a big deal. If people celebrate Christmas, does it matter? If they celebrate Nepali festivals, that’s fine, too. The country will only develop if we stay here. Most of it has to be done by the youth.
Ashutosh: There’s a difference between development and Westernization. People haven’t been able to differentiate. If they go to malls or buy branded shoes, it doesn’t mean they are “developed.” For instance, people celebrate the Western New Year more than Nepali one. It’s not just that we’re copying but we do what pleases us and we enjoy it. But even then, we should continue celebrating our Nepali New Year and Nepali festivals as well.
Prashmika: We can say Nepal is developed if everyone in Nepal wears designer clothes and has his own car. We might say we’re developed but in rural areas, people aren’t rich and can’t afford these things. But they would like the same things as we do..
Aashraya: Since we were children, we’ve been raised with Westernization. Our grandfathers wore daura surwals but our fathers wore pants, and from there, our culture began to deteriorate.
To be “developed,” should we lose our traditions and culture?
Ayushwi: We’re very big on respect. We treat our guests well. We live with our parents. We don’t use their first names. They give us limits but they do it so we won’t have to regret in the future. I like things like these about our culture.
Ashutosh: We need to modify ourselves a little. Nepali culture has things like arranged marriage which should be changed. We should become more accepting.
Prashmika: We should be proud of our culture. Here we live with our parents, we take care of them. I don’t think western people do that. So this is something to be proud of. We have to maintain our culture and take it with us. If our parents can’t adapt with fast-paced life, then we should be able to accommodate with that.
Aashraya: People who have a fake accent, they do it to show off and to get attention. They want to show that they’re something, they want to be popular. I feel more comfortable in Western clothes and if someone saw me in a daura surwal, I wouldn’t feel hip.
When it comes to clothes, language, or what’s “in,” why do you think Western traits have taken over? Were we raised this way?
Ayushwi: When it comes to clothes, we’re not comfortable. I think it is how our psychology developed when we were children. Our parents took us to buy pants and not kurthas. I don’t think everything Western is bad but there must be a limit.
Ashutosh: I think it’s also peer pressure which makes us dress this way. We’re not told not to wear daura surwals but when we look at others, we don’t want to wear our traditional clothes. When it comes to music, we listen to Nepali music. But we listen to what pleases us. And when it is rock Nepali bands copy, they want to make something that’s more pleasing to us.
Prashmika: Developed countries suppress us. We’re not developed and want to be more like them. You could say it’s because of globalization. When we make comparisons, we find Western things more attractive.
Aashraya: We’re just copying others. I think it’s bad that we copy. We have our own culture and we should stick to that.
Why do you think “development” means here?
Ayushwi: Okay, so if people are westernized, it’s not a big deal. If people celebrate Christmas, does it matter? If they celebrate Nepali festivals, that’s fine, too. The country will only develop if we stay here. Most of it has to be done by the youth.
Ashutosh: There’s a difference between development and Westernization. People haven’t been able to differentiate. If they go to malls or buy branded shoes, it doesn’t mean they are “developed.” For instance, people celebrate the Western New Year more than Nepali one. It’s not just that we’re copying but we do what pleases us and we enjoy it. But even then, we should continue celebrating our Nepali New Year and Nepali festivals as well.
Prashmika: We can say Nepal is developed if everyone in Nepal wears designer clothes and has his own car. We might say we’re developed but in rural areas, people aren’t rich and can’t afford these things. But they would like the same things as we do..
Aashraya: Since we were children, we’ve been raised with Westernization. Our grandfathers wore daura surwals but our fathers wore pants, and from there, our culture began to deteriorate.
To be “developed,” should we lose our traditions and culture?
Ayushwi: We’re very big on respect. We treat our guests well. We live with our parents. We don’t use their first names. They give us limits but they do it so we won’t have to regret in the future. I like things like these about our culture.
Ashutosh: We need to modify ourselves a little. Nepali culture has things like arranged marriage which should be changed. We should become more accepting.
Prashmika: We should be proud of our culture. Here we live with our parents, we take care of them. I don’t think western people do that. So this is something to be proud of. We have to maintain our culture and take it with us. If our parents can’t adapt with fast-paced life, then we should be able to accommodate with that.
Courtesy: (SHREYA THAPA )myrepublica
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