Growing up in a remote Nepali village, brothers Mausam and Praven Kulung dreamed of a better life for themselves and their family. Sons of peasants grew up in poverty. There was almost no work for generations the villagers had little choice but to go abroad, he writes Deutsche Welle (DW).
Their village had no right school, nor developed infrastructure. The brothers were forced to leave home to continue their education in the capital, Kathmandu.
From the modestly lit room he rents, Mausam Kulung says Nepal's political leadership has shown a complete lack of interest in the country's youth. "They betrayed the youth of this country and never cared about our future," he told DW.
Kulung adds that this simmering sense of betrayal finally bubbled to the surface during the recent anti-government protests.
Both brothers decided to join the demonstrations, fueled in part by social media posts showing children of Nepal's wealthy class, the so-called "nepo kids", enjoying luxury.
"Those videos changed something in us," Kulung said. "It was a wake-up call. We were furious at a system that had fueled inequality for decades."
"He died in my lap"
Thousands of young Nepalis share that dissatisfaction and frustration. Almost half of the country's population is under the age of thirty, and their anger at what they described as decades of corruption and political stagnation has become impossible to ignore.
When the government shut down all social media in early September, citing that the companies were not properly registered, frustration exploded on the streets of the capital. Mausam and Praveen Kulung joined a growing crowd of young protesters demanding change.
However, what started with shouts and banners turned into violence and chaos a few days later when the police opened fire on the protesters, killing 19 of them - including Praveen Kulunga.
Mausam held his elder brother as he died. "He died in my lap. I couldn't save him," he said.
However, sadness turned to determination. "Our fight is not over," Mausam says. "It has only just begun. We will not allow these corrupt political parties to remain in power."
Nepal in a political vacuum
Nepal, a Himalayan country with a population of around thirty million, is no stranger to political turmoil. Since the abolition of the 239-year-old monarchy in 2008, after a ten-year civil war, the country has changed more than ten governments.
Days of violent protests in Nepal have claimed at least 72 lives and left hundreds injured, according to the Ministry of Health.
During the unrest, enraged people set fire to the parliament, the Supreme Court, political offices, luxury hotels, media houses and thousands of other buildings, including ministries, but also the homes of politicians and businessmen.
The student groups that led the protests claim that the violence was caused by outsiders. Among those leading Generation Z in the protests is Kamal Subedi, who says his task was to mobilize and unite various student movements around a common goal – the overthrow of a corrupt leadership.
"The vandalism that happened on the day of the protest was not ours," Subedi told DW. "They tried to denigrate our movement."
"They were mostly older men who made their way through the crowd," Subedi added, calling them "infiltrators."
On the streets of Kathmandu, many share the same feeling – that their movement has been hijacked and is out of control.
Political vacuum in Nepal
The protests led to the resignation of the prime minister, who was then replaced by the former president of the Supreme Court, Sushila Karki, as interim prime minister. Addressing the Generation Z movement, she promised to "end corruption".
Karki was sworn in after days of uncertainty and intense negotiations to fill the political vacuum. New elections are scheduled for March 2026.
During negotiations on the formation of an interim government, some political groups called for the restoration of the Nepalese monarchy, abolished in 2008 in favor of a republic after decades of unrest and turmoil.
Protest leader Subedi, who was one of the negotiators with the army chief during the decision on the interim prime minister, said that supporters of the pro-anarchist RPP party also approached the negotiators and asked that the army consider the return of the king.
"We have made it clear to the army that we do not want the king back," Subedi said.
Gyanendra Shahi, a spokesman for the RPP, told DW that the party supports the monarch as a "symbol of authority and unity" who would be "more respected" around the world.
However, Prakash Rimal, former editor of the Himalayan Times newspaper in Kathmandu, tells DW that Nepal is "long past the stage" where monarchist parties would have a serious chance of taking power.
Rimal, who closely followed the protests of generation Z, believes that their struggle is "directed against the political system that they consider corrupt."
Generation Z is looking to the future
For Generation Z protesters like Mausam and Subedi, the fight is not over – on the contrary, it has just begun. They talk about the continuation of the struggle, not only against the old political order, but also for the creation of a new future.
With elections scheduled for March, Nepal's politically active youth are meeting to discuss the formation of a new political party, in which Generation Z would play a central role.
"We don't want any old corrupt parties or old guard. We need democratic renewal and new leaders," Subedi told DW.
For Mausam, who buried his brother after the protests, the fight became personal. "I will not let his sacrifice be in vain," he says. "We are ready to build a new future for Nepal."
Source: Deutsche Welle (DW)
