Rejoinder: Death of nine Nepali students in the US is not an epidemic By Kashish Das Shrestha in New York
In a recent article in Nepalnews, a few professionals talked about the safety and even economics of safety for young Nepali adults in the US. The article was triggered by and based on the unfortunate events of nine Nepali students dying in motor-vehicle accidents and a robbery in a span of about 4 weeks. While all of the consulted professionals- all of whom I respect but none of whom have been a young adult in the US for sometime- noted that Nepali students are somewhat reckless in their driving, and perhaps not oriented enough in the traffic rules of the US, and while the author noted that the government hasn't taken any notice of it, none of them mentioned the fact that this problem is not Nepal specific. And it is perhaps in part the fault of the media who raised the question when there was none to ask.
First of all, did the Nepali students even die because of their own fault? Icy roads cause several fatal accidents in the US every winter, regardless of the drivers' nationality. It just happened this time one of them was a Nepali studying in Alabama. In the Minnesota incident, the three Nepali students that died were passengers of the vehicle, not the driver. And the car that struck them was being driven by an 82-year- old man. The Texas accident too wasn't the Nepali students' fault. It seems the vehicle with four Nepali students was struck by another car attempting to overtake. And the Nepali student who was shot by two armed and jittery robbers clearly didn't die because of being new to the American way of life.
So the question really isn't if Nepali students are safe, but rather why the news of these students' deaths has become such a big deal.
How long has it been since the Nepali diaspora in the US was well established with organized communal networks, and how long has it been before local media in Nepal started competing for news about "study abroad" or news related to the Nepali Diaspora? The answer is simple; not very long. It's quite clear that the last 15 years has seen a drastic growth in Nepalis studying, working and living in the US. The last decade has in particular seen Nepali parents and students dream of "further education in the US." The socio-political crisis in Nepal has also aided greatly to convince young Nepalis and their parents that leaving the country is, indeed, the wisest choice.
As the Nepali diaspora in the US grew in the 90s, so did the "virtual" or "online" Nepali communities, most of which were developed and filled by young Nepalis, particularly those who were, who have or was in the process of studying abroad.
I remember hearing news about Nepali gang fights in Nebraska in the early 1990s. Yes, Nepali gangs fighting with other Nepali gangs in Nebraska, just like the ones at home; khukuris and what not. I know for a fact that several young Nepalis have attempted and unsuccessfully robbed banks in Hong Kong in the mid ‘90s.
I know Nepali students in Russia used to get into gang fights with either Russian Gangs or sometimes Nepali Gangs, this too in the early 90s. But I don't particularly remember these topics being discussed by adults, professionals (media or otherwise) or even Nepalis in general because back then news like these only travelled by word of mouth, when someone who knows someone you know or know about was involved in the incident. But can you imagine an all out gang fight amongst Nepali gangs in the US going unnoticed by the media radar? Even if the media radar missed it, the online Nepali community would surely be buzzing with a news item like that (although the smaller and more regular party brawls doesn't draw any attention, or maybe the local news media in Nepal just haven't picked up on it yet).
Because the Nepali community in the US is still growing and a significant portion of that community is built by Nepali students or young Nepali adults, it is not surprising to find them in the news; be it an unfortunate one such as a death in a car crash, or a fortunate one such as topping a business course in a New York college. The point is, since there are just so many young and curious Nepalis in the US now, and since the adult Nepali community is mostly tied down with a fixed lifestyle of family or a full time work, chances are it will be the young Nepalis that will make most news headlines, if any.
We must also keep in mind that there are deaths like these in other South Asian communities too, Indians, Pakistanis, Chinese, to name a few. But those communities have been around for so long and their population is so large that the frequency of deaths, natural or otherwise, is high as well. But not necessarily because they are not well oriented in the ways of life here in the US.
Yes, I absolutely agree that Nepali students do tend to get carried away in their new found independence in a foreign country. I have myself seen many Nepali students imagining themselves to be the ultra hip characters they have seen on television as they roll up in their cars with bass thumping out of their windows. I have seen then drunk and driving, and getting into fights. But I have also seen that in just about every community I can think of. And it would not be justifiable to stereotype Nepali adults abroad into that fixed persona.
So are Nepali students safe in the US? Of course they are, just as safe as a student from any other country or the US itself. The accidents and deaths are unfortunate, but they are not specific only to Nepali Students or Nepali community. It's just that now news items are better distributed than it used to be and students studying abroad is such a hot topic for the media. It is, after all, only when the media printed the news in front pages and the unfortunate coincidence of a series of deaths in a short span of time that has raised the incomplete question "Are Nepali Students in the US safe?". This is not an epidemic, just a series of unfortunate incidents. At the risk of sounding cold, I have to ask the question: isn't it natural that with more Nepalis of all ages living abroad, we should only expect that more Nepalis will be dying abroad, regardless of how and at what interval? The gravest devastation is perhaps the fact that the family cannot see the body before it is cremated. But is it riskier just because it happens outside of Nepal's geographical boundaries? No it's not. And certainly not because the young Nepalis in US are more careless than those who drive their own cars in Nepal.
SOURCE:-
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/archive/...s_jan06_10.php 
Death of nine Nepali students in the US is not an epidemic -
15-01-2006, 09:29 AM
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