Our aim to capture provocative conversations that
parallel some of the pressing social issues that Nepal itself is
grappling with, including identity and politics, constructive dissent,
religious freedom and civic activism and responsibility. Suggested
ideas include, but are not limited to:
We hope these themes will give important insights
into many of the pressing issues and trade-offs that Nepalis are
facing in the current period of political transition.
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Episode 1 Dreams
and Sacrifices |
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1.
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Questions to Explore:
Why do Nepalis go to America to fulfill their dreams? How does
the ground reality differ from the dreamland? How does one make
their dream come true? What kind of sacrifices are involved?
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Possible Stories:
Nepali immigrant in the US who is unable to return home as his/her
dream didn't come true; Someone who was able to accomplish his/her
dream (with or without sacrifice); A professional who sacrificed
his/her career to educate his children in the US; Someone who
goes to the US for capacity building/training to advance his/her
career in Nepal; Someone who is paying a heavy price after a
fake marriage with an American to secure a green card. |
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Episode 2
Nepali Students: Mission and Realities |
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1. |
Questions to Explore: Why
is the US a priority for Nepali Students? What attracts students:
a subject area unavailable in Nepal, the education system, or
the desire to secure an international degree? How do Nepalis
afford to study in the US? How do students prioritize subjects,
cities and colleges? What role does social network or peer pressure
play? What makes students leave their education? What do students
want to do after completing the studies? Do they feel compelled
to return to Nepal? |
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2. |
Possible Stories: A student
who has recently graduated with good grades in Nepal and is
preparing to go to the US for further studies; Students from
different faculties who are already studying in the US; A student
who has to work part or full time to pay the fees for education;
A student who has left their academic program to work fulltime;
A student preparing to return to Nepal to contribute to society. |
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Episode 3
Labor and Employment Opportunities |
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1. |
Questions to Explore: How
do Nepalis recoup the money spent to get the visa? What are
the employment opportunities for Nepalis in the US? Are there
difficulties in finding appropriate jobs to match existing skills?
Do Nepalis work odd jobs at odd hours? Are there employee rights
and security mechanisms? How do people find jobs? What are the
problems and risks for illegal migrants? |
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2. |
Possible Stories: Fresh
migrants and students who are looking for a job; A person who
was a professional in Nepal but is now working an odd job; An
organization or person advocating for labor rights for Nepali
migrants; An illegal migrant who is frequently changing job
and is challenged to find a job on a regular basis; A person
who has stayed in US for long time but is unsuccessful in finding
an appropriate job; A film artist who was popular in Nepal but
works at a subway station in the US; A person who paid more
than a million rupees to immigrate from Nepal to work in US
but is unemployed; A person who has entered on a tourist visa
but is working. |
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Episode 4
Money, Money, Money: Business and Entrepreneurship |
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1. |
Questions to Explore: Can
Nepalis afford to start up a business initially? What are the
reasons behind the success of Nepali entrepreneurs? Role of
banks and investor opportunity? How does the system support
small entrepreneurs? What do Nepalis do with the money earned
(send to Nepal or invest for more prosperity)? Should the Nepali
government provide duel citizenship to Nepalese- Americans?
Do Nepali-owned businesses market Nepali products in the US?
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2. |
Possible Stories: An entrepreneur
who owns several restaurants; A Nepali who has an established
company in the US and is also investing in Nepal; A millionaire
Nepali who started with an odd job but prospered; A variety
of views from Nepalis regarding what they strive for: success,
money or respect; A NRN leader advocating for duel citizenship
to the Nepali government; A Nepali family marketing Nepali products;
A person trying to establish his/her own business in the States,
explaining the hurdles and support accessible. |
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Episode 5
The System: Rule of Law |
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1. |
Questions to Explore: What
is the system that governs the US? Traffic rules and why people
abide by them? What are the policies toward legal and illegal
immigrants and how do they affect Nepalis daily lives? Do migrant
citizens play a role in maintaining the rule of law? What is
the role of the police and how does the public view them? Are
all people, including illegal immigrants, entitled to legal
assistance through the public defense system in the US? What
are the consequences for minor and major offenses? |
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2. |
Possible Stories: The status
of Nepalis in the US with different visas and the way government/local
administration responds to them; A Nepali immigrant punished
for committing a traffic violation; A Nepali filing marriage
certificate or birth certificate; A Nepali, without the resources
to pay for a lawyer, being brought to court in the US; A Nepali
deported to Nepal for breaking the law. |
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Episode 6
State Services |
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1. |
Questions to Explore: What
federal, state and local services are available to immigrants?
What is the relationship between paying taxes and receiving
services (Medicaid Medicare, social security, public defense
system)? How is solid waste management and maintaining the cleanliness
of the community upheld in the US? What are the consequences
of not paying bills, taxes, etc. on time or at all? Does the
state provide K-12 education to all children? |
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2. |
Possible Stories: A family
who has recently migrated and trying to get established; A family
long-since migrated sharing how the hurdles were overcome; An
illegal immigrant trying to receive state services; Illegal
immigrants in need of Medicaid and other state benefits; A Nepali
serving Nepali migrant in NYC that won a case against the municipality
(garbage issue). |
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Episode 7
Politics |
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1. |
Questions to Explore: How
do Nepalis select their leaders (local, state and federal) and
what are their priorities? How do Nepalis view the American
political system? What do they expect from their elected representatives?
What is the link of interaction between leaders and their constituents?
What is political demonstration and protest in the US? How are
Nepalis involved in US politics? How are Nepalis involved in
politics in Nepal? How did their familiarity with the US political
system affect their acceptance/rejection of the 2006 democracy
movement in Nepal? Are state apparatuses and political parties
democratic? |
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2. |
Possible Stories: A Nepali
who is involved in campaigning for the US elections; A Nepali
who has been involved in a peaceful protest or other form of
demonstration; Nepali who is elected to a school board, city
council, or other local government office; A lawyer who can
explain about the US electoral system, including the primaries
and federal governance. |
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Episode 8
Civic Engagement and Responsibility |
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1. |
Questions to Explore: What
is the individual migrant relationship to local government/administration
and associated responsibilities? Is the US able to maintain
trash or litter-free public spaces and neighborhoods? Is there
a culture of controlling noise pollution? Why do people serve
on local bodies such as a school board? Not disturbing other
people during your own protest? |
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2. |
Possible Stories: A Nepali
with a dispute against the state, a business or an individual,
and is able to protest the problem without disrupting other
people; A Nepali serves on his/her local school board and is
able to improve the school; A Nepali doing construction in a
neighborhood or a member of a band and can discuss American
norms for controlling noise and limiting it to certain areas
and times. |
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Episode 9
Nepali Identity: Culture and Tradition |
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1. |
Questions to Explore: What
is American culture and what do Nepalis like about it? How have
Nepalis adapted American culture and balanced it with Nepali
culture and traditions? What are the factors that gradually
motivate Nepalis to follow American traditions (one example
might be how NRNs start to follow a credit culture, especially
in terms of housing)? How do they balance western and eastern
culture? How do Nepalis celebrate Nepali festivals and maintain
other rituals? |
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2. |
Possible Stories: A family
where some members follow Nepali culture and others follow American
culture and festivals; A recently-migrated family who is learning
about American holidays and festivals; An individual who promotes
Nepali culture and tradition among immigrants; Celebrating Nepali
festivals in the US and maintaining Hindu rituals; A Nepali
priest who continues his profession in the US; Nepalis that
belong to Nepali societies/organizations and participate in
traditional gatherings. |
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Episode
10 Nepali Identity: Generation Gap |
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1. |
Questions to Explore: How
do lifestyles change after migration? How do second-generation
immigrants care and support elder parents (Nepali or American
custom)? How is it for both the visiting relatives and the immigrant
families when extended family come to visit? What are the issues
surrounding marriage among young Nepali youth in the US? Do
Nepalis in the US live in joint or nuclear family structures? |
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2. |
Possible Stories: One of
the first Nepali migrants to the US explains the generational
changes in his/her family; A family who migrated to US decades
ago whose children have no cultural or linguistic relationship
with Nepal; Parents who work to maintain a balance between Nepali
and US culture; A family who is undergoing the difficulty of
children finding acceptable partners; Elderly parents/grand
parents who are on a short term visit to the US to visit family. |
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Episode
11 Nepali Identity: Inclusion and Discrimination |
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1. |
Questions to Explore: How
do Nepalis in the US compare discrimination in the US (ie: racial)
to discrimination in Nepal (ie: caste)? What mechanism/laws
are available to immigrants through state and federal governments?
How do people from different backgrounds adjust to the multicultural
community in the US? Do Nepalis in the US see themselves as
their own specific ethnic group or caste or do they consider
themselves more Nepali? How do Nepalese identify themselves
among other South Asians? |
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2. |
Possible Stories: Nepali
immigrants in a city where there is a mix of different cultures;
A Nepali family living in a small community where they are a
minority; A Nepali who faced racial or other discrimination
and how that person coped with the situation, both personally
and legally; A Dalit Nepali family fitting in to the US and
into the Nepali community; Nepali perspectives on their inclusion
within Nepali Diaspora organizations in New York City. |
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Episode
12 Reflections of America or Nepalis seeing Nepal Differently |
