Posted by: wisesoul August 4, 2011
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I was born in Nepal...my dad was born in Nepal too..but probably my grandfather migrated from India..my mom is an
Indian..though she has a Nepali citizenship now...some of my siblings were born in India too..but anyways, they all are
i went to Kathmandu after my SLC for +2..the first thing was to find a room to stay..me and my friends would walk all day
people have called me 'dhoti' several times..whats wrong with dhoti? you will wear it too if you had to farm in scorching sun
Indian..though she has a Nepali citizenship now...some of my siblings were born in India too..but anyways, they all are
Nepali too..my home is just a few miles away from India..if the roads were good we'll probably get there (India) in
minutes...very large part of my family is Indian...we speak hindi to communicate..if we talk to relatives we speak in
hindi...we can speak nepali too but we dont choose to..it just doesn't feel natural when we communicate in nepali..i speak
maithili, nepali, hindi or english whatever is required..shreeman gambhir made me feel proud..but jana gana mana gives me
goosebumps too..i don't create those goosebumps intentionally though..it comes naturally..here in the US, when someone asks
me "what are you? an Indian?"..i do not hesitate to say yes..
i went to Kathmandu after my SLC for +2..the first thing was to find a room to stay..me and my friends would walk all day
looking for rooms..you know how hard it is..we saw there was no curtain on a window..we stepped inside that house..we saw the
owner sitting in her balcony..we asked politely, "aunty kotha khali cha?"..she replied "cha tara madhesi lai na dine"...we
were speechless...walked out with our hearts in our throats..but we kept looking..and one very nice aunty let us stay in her
house..we knew not all of them are same so we weren't hopeless..i wish they would understand too that not all of us are
same..
people have called me 'dhoti' several times..whats wrong with dhoti? you will wear it too if you had to farm in scorching sun
of terai..anyways..i dont get bothered by their ignorance..i wonder if they are burnt in daura suruwal or the same dhoti in
their funeral..there are a lot more stories about the 2nd degree treatment we get in Nepal..at the same time when we go to
India..they can't even tell we are from Nepal..when we go to a hotel in India..and they say "kya haal hai bhaiya?
baithiye..boliye kya lau khaane me?"...what can i say it feels like home and like we are their brothers..and remember there
are thousands like me in Nepal who feel this very same way..even here when I meet any Indian they treat me like a family
member..
I have a friend..his name is Ricardo (Ricky) Fernandes..he was born here..so he is an American..he has a lot of benefits of
being a hispanic..so many scholarships and financial aids are just a few to name..his parents migrated here some 40 years
ago..they can speak english but not so fluent..but its not a problem for them at all..because wherever they go there is
someone to help them with a 'hablo espanol' badge on their t-shirt..when they have to call any customer service..this is what
the hear "marque dos para el español"..our grandparents won't go to any office by themselves...because they won't understand
Nepali and there will be no office to help them in Hindi..my friend also has a tat on his arms..it says 'viva mexico'...he is
an American though...he was born here..the way they live is so mexican..when they communicate with family or relatives or
friends they dont speak english..they speak spanish...but they are Americans...Ricky says he is a mexican...but he is an
American..as a matter of fact one of my American friends once told me that she was 25% each of Ukranian, German, Lithuanian
and American..Yes I was born in Nepal. I am a Nepali! But, I'm also half-indian!
Hispanics are here in a very large number..they are important for America..so they are not ignored..America didn't even had
to give them a separate state..but still they are happy here..and proud to be Americans of Hispanic ethinicity...we are also
in a large number in Nepal..but we are ignored..by the government..by the people...roots are roots guys...stop making your
own people feel like foreigners in their own land..Nepal is as much ours as it is yours..you can't change a person..I'd hate
to see Nepal divided furthermore..but why can't we follow the path of 'Unity in Diversity' like the great nation of US..like the great
nation of India..
nation of India..
Jai Nepal! Jai Hind!