Sajha Sawal show and it certainly proved to be a steep learning curve. It turned out to be an open discussion on race, ethnicity and communalism, and not just by those parading on the streets demanding ethnic rights.I was on the set of Sajha Sawal, excited to hear the opinion of young Nepalis, and was abruptly thrown into the spotlight when the show’s host popped a question about the lyrics in my song Ma Chahi Nepali. My answer — given the fumbler that I am when it comes to public-speaking, on top of my laboured Nepali, zero skills in diplomacy and 100 per cent raw honesty was: “When growing up, my aunt repeatedly suggested that I must marry a guy from my ethnic community, but because of all the coaxing I chose to stay away from them as a form of rebellion.” And that was it. That was all it took for all hell to break loose. My Facebook notifications started erupting at one ping per second. There were 100 at first, then 200, 300, and soon thousands of messages had flooded my fan page inbox, mostly voicing strong rage against what I had said. Right then I knew that my day (and my life?) would not be the same anymore. During the first phase of the controversy I apologised relentlessly. I realised that I had unknowingly hurt the people of my ethnic group, and hated that feeling. The second phase was like watching Clash of Clans unfolding live on social media, as those attacking and defending me had a go at each other. When the dust started settling in the third phase, I became aware of cyber-bullying as a serious crime, and also of the deeply-rooted ethnic sentiments in our society. The legion of young Nepalis who were fearless in expressing their opinions gave me the assurance to be unafraid to voice mine too. I have always believed that we Nepalis are beautiful because of our diversity, and this controversy taught me to learn more about my own cultural heritage and traditions. This was the very diversity I was proud of.
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