Kathmandu-Kabul-Kathmandu: Prem Awasthi feels his roots getting shallower

Nepal Now: On the Move

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From Kathmandu to Kabul is not really that far in this era of daily intercontinental flights. And today’s guest Prem Awasthi is also fortunate in that he gets to make the return trip home at least every six weeks. But still, he already feels that less than a year after migrating to work abroad, his roots in his homeland are somehow shallower.

If you missed it, Prem was the first ever guest of the show after we relaunched earlier this year to focus solely on migration and Nepal. In that chat, he told us about his early life in Doti district, in Nepal’s Far West region. When he spoke you could hear his deep attachment to that place, so I wonder—for him, does living and working in Kabul not only mean being away from his country, but does it also signify one more step away from his deepest roots, in his home village?

In our latest chat, which we recorded at Himal Media in Patan Dhoka, we also discuss if Prem has become comfortable in his new, less visible role, on a much larger team, that he’s taken on in Afghanistan. His tasks there are much different than during the nearly two decades that he worked on the frontlines of humanitarian assistance for the UN in Nepal.

Finally, Prem has some thoughts for others who might be contemplating a similar move.

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Music by audionautix.com.
Thank you to Himal Media in Patan Dhoka for the use of their studio.

Chapters

1. Kathmandu-Kabul-Kathmandu: Prem Awasthi feels his roots getting shallower (00:00:00)

2. Getting settled in Afghanistan (00:05:20)

3. Is the work meaningful? (00:09:30)

4. Learning about Kabul and culture (00:17:00)

5. Treatment of women and girls (00:25:45)