“What would Nepal be like in the future in your dream?” A question that has been asked from one batch to another was asked in our classroom too. As the question was asked, I looked outside the window and began to see.
A man in Lalitpur needs to be in Katmandu in less than thirty minutes. However, he seems to be in no hurry. He starts his car’s engine and reaches his destination in no more than twenty minutes. Nepal has been proven to have the most efficient, smooth and accident free roads and traffic. It has all sorts of effective means of transport such as sub-ways, bullet trains and airways and so on; means that people once thought were impossible in Nepal. There is an international airport in each zone of the country.
Nepal’s natural beauty and cultural heritage in quite a good shape and is more popular than ever. The mountains are covered with spotless white snow and the rivers and lakes are as clear as crystal. Foreigners are dying for a chance to just look at them. The various heritage sites are being well maintained and many have been renovated. Places like Manang, Mustang, Pokhara, Gorkha and Lumbini are crawling with tourists being provided all the facilities imaginable.
Nepal, where people once had to live on six hours of electricity a day, generates more than enough hydro- electricity from its own rivers. It has reached our swift rivers’ full potential and now supplies lots of hydro-electricity to India, China and a number of other countries.
Agriculture in Nepal has developed at a level like no one could have possibly imagined. Farmers use modern tools and technology for agriculture and now grow enough crops to keep a country floating without any problems. Nepal is a top exporter of machineries, electronics, vehicles, minerals etc. It earns a huge foreign income each year and is now one of the most developed countries in the world.
Even the politics is at its very best. Political parties have signed a peace treaty and are keeping their word. Students yearn and pray hopelessly for strikes that never emanate. Education for everyone up to Grade ten has been declared free and the literacy rate has risen to 99.9% including adults. The government has lately been working on raising the literacy rate to 100%.
Nepal that once survived on donated money today donates billions of dollars to countries like Japan, China, Africa, Uganda etc. for their development each year. Moreover, Nepal also organizes various programs and has established various factories, institutes and embassies in other countries. Foreigners are fighting over a visa and seeking for an opportunity to somehow visit or even better settle in Nepal. Nepal, once the poorest known countries of the world has suddenly become the leading nation of all time.
As the picture got more and more unrealistic but fantastic, a sudden vibration shook me and I jolted right up. I finally realized that I had been day-dreaming about the Nepal of my dreams!
Ashmita Dangol
Ex-student
Little Angles, Hattiban