History, Hope And Frustration: Nepal’s Gen Z On The Frontline Of Protest

Young people have often stood at the centre of political shifts, but what took place in Nepal last month carried its own weight. The protests moved quickly from city to city, and the outside world watched it unfold on TikTok, in livestreams and through scattered Instagram posts. Young Nepalis turned social media into a stage, documenting what many are now calling the “Gen Z Revolution”. The question is how it started, and what it could mean for the country’s future.

To dig deeper, I spoke with three young people in Nepal. Veronica Gurung is a student of literature, model and pageant hopeful based in Pokhara. Ravi Pandey is a Kathmandu folk singer-songwriter, law student and cadet. And Sudeep Bhatta works in finance, creating content and training companies in Nepal on AI tools.

Their backgrounds are different, yet their stories overlap. Each pointed to the same root causes: corruption over decades, a weak economy, and limited opportunities for the young. Put together, their accounts sketch a picture of the frustration that has been building for years.

On a call, I first asked Veronica how things were in Pokhara. She said the situation had calmed since the first clashes. Ravi and Sudeep described a similar quiet in Kathmandu.

When pressed on what set off the movement, Veronica listed several triggers. Corruption and joblessness had created anger. A government ban on social media added more tension. But what really caught fire was the “Nepokid” trend on TikTok, where children of political leaders flaunted their lifestyles.

She recalled clips where some showed off luxury items. “One had a Christmas tree made of Louis Vuitton,” Veronica said. “Another showed their multiple cars.”

Sudeep added that such videos only sharpened resentment. “Corruption here is generational. The trend just reminded people of the injustice they already knew,” he said. Ravi remembered that after the ban, his TikTok feed was filled with the trend. “Every other video was about it. People in the comments would ask who was next.”

The first day of protests on Sept. 8 began with excitement. Veronica joined in Pokhara, half out of curiosity and half, she joked, because some saw it as an excuse to skip class. But the mood shifted when police used tear gas.

In Kathmandu, Ravi and Sudeep recalled the same pattern. Demonstrations began peacefully before rubber bullets and gas were used. “That’s when people crossed barriers and things escalated,” Sudeep said.

Veronica stayed home the next day. Her mother stopped her, warning she would face worse at home if not from police. Still, from her rooftop she watched as nearby houses burned.

Ravi said the same happened in his neighbourhood, where a politician’s home two doors away caught fire. “It burned for hours. The fire brigade couldn’t come because the whole city was burning,” he said. Eventually, neighbours worked together to put it out.

No one agrees on who began the destruction. Veronica and Ravi believe it was older opportunists and party members trying to stir trouble. Sudeep thought it was broader, saying that once protesters saw deaths and police violence, anger spread and people stormed parliament.

What followed the chaos was unexpected. Soon after the fires, videos appeared of citizens sweeping streets, clearing rubble and even repairing roads. All three said this was true. Ravi shared how his fellow law students helped preserve legal records in parliament. Veronica said her friends posted Instagram stories of themselves cleaning in Pokhara.

Technology also played a role beyond TikTok. Discord, a platform for chats and calls, became a space where protesters debated and even polled for interim leaders. Veronica described the thrill of watching people vote live. Sudeep explained that organisers from the Gen Z group Hami Nepal also met the army to discuss possible candidates.

Eventually, former chief justice Sushila Karki was named interim prime minister.

Asked what the youth thought of Karki, Veronica said many saw her as a maternal figure. “We studied her in school, her photos were in our textbooks,” she said. Ravi added that the main demand now is a strong anti-corruption body and elections, ideally with a directly elected prime minister. But he noted that constitutional changes would be needed first.

Sudeep agreed. “We want a less corrupt government, one that serves people instead of looting them,” he said.

As the three reflected, their words carried the same mix of optimism and doubt. Or, as Sudeep put it at the end of our conversation: “For the young people in Nepal, this is a moment in history — lived between frustration and hope, all in the same breath.”