Going to America

By: Prem Prasad Sigdel

We have the culture of congratulating to those who have got American visa these days. We regard them as lucky and praise them in such a way that they have won something great irrespective of their sorrowful future days and detachment from their family, community, society and the country. Certainly they are lucky because it is quite tough to get American visa; or they may have got what they have tried in their life. America is a land of dream and they have been successful to go to the dream land; besides that we have one of popular cultures to congratulate them as one of social norms. Not only that those who have got visa of so-called developed countries would also post such status on face book. They seem as if they have won the battle putting garland, khata, vermilion and so on.

Ignoring the future prospect of the person and the society, people have been expressing congratulations and the words of respect. Our luck has been determined according to the visa we have got from foreign country. Nobody seems concerned the nation, its values, culture, tradition or so on. Irrespective of our status and nationality we have praised those ignoring the above mentioned social disruptions of the nation. It’s evident that we have been the agent of antinationalism of searching something great. The great what we have regarded is a petty thing from which we have been selling ourselves and our generations. The person who have got visa should have spent much money (almost NRs 40, 00,000.) which is a sufficient amount of money if they have initiated any enterprise themselves. They seem ignorant what they have spent rather fantasize the dreamland, America where they can earn much more than they spend. Their parents have also been excited to spend money for their children after +2 educations. They don’t see the future of their children; rather they have forgotten the fact that they have been able to make such economic status in the nation. The parents have hated their motherland so much that they have presented the example of rotten mind. Most of the parents have wrong conception that their children have gone to America in academic programs. They don’t realize the fact that their children have gone for diploma program not for bachelor’s program. However, they have made guffaw that their children have gone for ‘study’ to America.

On the other hand, we have such culture that we don’t respect those who have been living or working in the country; they have been conceived as incapable or unlucky. We don’t value them as patriots who have contributed for the nation as our culture has been set accordingly. One of the persons who has been working as campus chief and school teacher has just applied for American visa. He told that he couldn’t get any respect from his partners, family members, and society, so he came to Kathmandu to apply American visa from Chitwan. He stated that he has felt humiliated living in the country and wasn’t satisfied with the dealing of the people of his contact. The societal belief and the initiation of brain drain of the person have been contradictory to me. Either he might be incapable to get American visa or he might have some more expectations or talent that couldn’t fulfill in the country. He expressed that he doesn’t like to live here anytime more which comes out of revenge. Both the characters: the initiator and the initiated are the traitors of the nation as I have to evaluate. His obsession shows that his only option is to go to foreign country at any cost. I have evaluated that the positives have exceeded the negatives of the persons. He may be successful to go to foreign country as a revenge of the etiquettes; but he is going to lose his family, community, society, nation and so on. In the name of revenge he is going to lose everything which will have turned into irreparable loss in his life. The symbol of revenge and emotion would lead the initiator and the initiated into danger from all sides.

I have found double loss from the side of the receiver or the sender country. The interpretations that they get visa of being talent is wrong thinking of the receiver country. If they have been capable why they have spent so much money to go to foreign country to be alien. If they aren’t able to understand the meaning of alien how we can believe them as the talent man. Rather they can be good labors with good amount of obsession. Since they are ready to quit their motherland today, can they be treacherous to the foreign land tomorrow or not?  If they are really capable, why they don’t invest money for the prospect of them and their country. Thus we can’t regard them as the capable persons rather they are opportunists or traitors of the nation. They have been resided with mean feelings who have no creativity at all. They have been the example of parasites which are always dependent to others and their living is impossible without taking others’ blood. Or they aren’t the creator rather destructor of others for their living. It was evident that we have to revise the meaning of capable or talent in relation to their contribution to the society or the nation and their creativity.

In other words it’s a brain drain in which some contribution can be seen from the condition of the nation whereas they are responsible for majority of the causes. Those who have gone to American and mostly to European countries have got good percentage or are able in cognitive methods of reading of reading not the good creators. The cause of brain drain has been connected with the socio-political condition of the country. While taking this aspect we have forgotten the duty of the citizens. Should they think about the future aspects of them and the country or not? Since their brain has turned into drain, there is no question of patriotism, love to family, society, nation and so on. It is said that they have to spend almost 40 lakhs NRs to go to America according to Kantipur Daily. The article by Achyut Wagley mentioned it in a vigorous way. He has pointed out the mistakes of the academic institutions and their inability to enhance them with the skills. It happened but we have to produce the patriot not the traitors and our education also hasn’t been set accordingly unless we have forgotten our duty for the nation. The nature of formal education of all the countries is same of producing. We may have some mistakes that we have no entrepreneurial mind at all. He has focused on the management education only which should ensure entrepreneurialism. Irrespective of the fact that we can be entrepreneur if we have such intention; neither our brain has gone to drain.

Wagley has positively argued that those who have spent to go for America is equal to a good amount of the American middle class family which can be used in the nation. So I agree with the logic that we must have entrepreneurial mind to uplift ourselves and the nation. Instead of investing for foreign country, they can invest in their native land. Rather they used to blame that they can’t get any opportunity in the nation. The blame is fake rather we should consider them as dishonest persons who have been working as like a traitor against the nation. They should created opportunity themselves or it’s not the nation to give them job all the time. The nation can give them opportunity to invest and do any business or job without any hindrance. I think it is not so negative in our country though we have been listening news of different types of faults. Rather we must be able to fight against them since we have been able to demolish the 240 years old monarchy from the nation. It would be their mistake that they can’t cash the money what they have which reflects their incapability. The receiving country should also think that they can do nothing in their nation as they have escaped from their native land. I want to question the receiving country and these persons: are they really capable? Does their mark sheet show the real quality?

They have blamed that there is opportunity in the nation ignoring the fact that the money what they have taken can be invested. In spite of the possibility, they have been making pretentions to flee towards foreign land rather than investing money to enhance national development by creating employment. It would be easy to reduce corruption and to make irresponsible bureaucracy responsible. It is evident that their brain drain contributes to suffer the nation either this or that way. Mostly, the persons who have been to foreign country would be the siblings of the so-called intellectual persons or the civil servants.  The parents have been thinking to send their children to foreign countries ignoring the national benefits of their future generations. Their life may be successful, but the life of their future generations would be rotten if they have done like that. It means they have been running after petty benefits ignoring the future of their children and others. Do they think about their duty of nation building? Can they escape blaming the nation? When they blame the country of not giving them the opportunity, do they realize what they have done to build the nation? When they point others by one finger four of the fingers have been showing them. It means that they don’t realize the duty of the nation rather putting their future in risk blaming others. The Kantipur Daily has pointed out that these people have been responsible to advertise the nation as one of the poor countries in the world. The newspaper further stated that the amount ($40000) is not less amount than the middle class American families have which help them to sustain with flat and car. It is evident that Nepalese been wandering like the musk deer who can’t identify their scent themselves.

A popular American moral is that we should think what we can give to the nation not asking from the nation. It supports that they don’t have nationalism or morale to their motherland. We have deliberately blamed that our education system is failed or it’s not behavioral or practical. We have spoken ignoring the fact that the system of formal education is to make people to know how to read, write, and doing arithmetic (3Rs). It has indirect connection to the job or there no such job which can directly influence the job rather the personnel should be trained or they should have learnt themselves how to tackle the job obstacles. The second point is much applicable in our context. We should see the other side or our social construction which encourages them to go abroad or they have regarded the persons who have gone to foreign countries as best.

Moreover, those who have involved in bribery are also thought to be ‘brave’ persons. Our social system has directed them accordingly so that the youths have been trying to go to foreign countries without evaluating their future prospects. They are ready to sell their dignity out of revenge and emotion neglecting the nationality or patriotism. They have such conception that they would get much more from other nations not from their nation. This thinking itself is defective which makes them unloved towards their family, community, society, nation and so on. Education has the responsibility to make them aware regarding the above mentioned issues and it is their mind that they should have control. They feel proud of blaming the nation and politicians who never try to improve the situation of being ethical. They have been playing the game of loser either they blame to the politicians or they have been feeling lucky to go to foreign country. People start to think abroad after Lower Secondary education which is one of their aims in the future. I have heard that the old people would react that ‘son would go to foreign country so that he shouldn’t read in school’. Our social construction is that we don’t believe ourselves; the fault has been residing within us; rather we blame for politicians. We think that the nation belongs to the politicians not of ours; rather we have been destined to go to foreign country. The parents have been feeling proud; the children have been making their aim; and the politicians or the policy makers have been pursuing remittance. Hence they have been feeling win, win situations as the product of rotten mind.

We have been used to for living under hegemonious culture so we can’t have dignity in front of others. We feel something wretched when America rejects our visa which means we always value others. We don’t hold our head high in spite of abundant possibilities. We have been ready to praise others and their system but we don’t try to promote our family, community, society or the nation. Those who can’t manage their family can’t manage others. The receiver country should also think them whether they can be fruitful to their nation or not. I think the foreigners have also been running after the money they have paid.

Except few NRNs I haven’t found any of them earning good amount money. I have found that they can’t even come to their home when they have lost their parents and family members. They pretend that they don’t have leave or so on; instead they have been affected by the money. It proves that they are the best traitor rather than the intellectuals or lucky persons. The above evidences have proved whether they are lucky or unlucky or traitor. These persons should pay tax to the nation stating all of their income neither the country should eliminate their citizenship. The nation can’t be the home for them when they are old; they have sold their youth in the foreign land and return to the motherland when they are old or useless. Neither there is the fault of our education; nor is the fault of the rulers. It is the fault of those who have been playing double role of cursing the nation and making it a platform of their old age only.

We have been hearing the grim tales of them and think of rescuing them. Those who play truant at first would have been awarded by the nation. Are they better to be punished or prized? Do they go there as the representative of the nation? Those who have deceived the nation would have got prize from our nation which is quite puzzling. If we have accepted them as our true citizens we should rethink about the nationality.

Those who have served nation would be ignored as incapable and those who have played truant would be given prize. Thus we should restructure our social norms and values according to the modern time. We respect those who have spent their productive years in the foreign country but we don’t pay attention to those who have been living here. Those who have irrigated the desert make our country barren still we have been taking them as our own citizen. Since they can grow vegetables in the desert can they grow any more grain for their family or not? They have been longing to go to foreign country selling all the property of the nation ignoring other family members; still we have been being affectionate to them. Should we think them as traitors or not? Yes they are traitors who have taken our money, brain, labour, skills to other countries or they have disrupted our social norms and values.