Student - February 22, 2012

A little Nepal in Forum

Text:: Gastredacteur

Typical Dutch

The power outage in the Forum building on February 13, 2012 was a one of a kind event. It is not every day in the Netherlands that you get to see people panic due to the lack of electricity for an hour. Especially as everything is so well planned and organized. But it is a part of everyday life in Nepal where people do not have electricity for 12 hours per day, even in the capital city of Kathmandu (before it was 14 hours and plans of extending it to 18 hours per day were being discussed).

Within a few minutes the Forum, which was bustling with hundreds of students, felt like a deserted island. Many students started to leave the building for electricity hunting. Murmurs and complaints could be heard everywhere as the students could not use their computers or the internet for their studies. Amidst all the chaos and confused faces, it was rather pleasing to see people actually communicating and laughing with one another face to face because of the power outage. The announcements in the building made it sound like the railway station and I could not help but smile as this event somehow brought me closer to the life that I am so used to back home.
This may not be typical Dutch but it surely was intriguing to watch and experience how dependent we have become on the modern amenities of life such as electricity. Furthermore, it was somewhat disturbing to realize that we have become so used to this easy life facilitated by tons of modern comforts. Nevertheless, during this time of adversity, it was comforting to see people going outside, enjoying each other's company, and making each other laugh- just like in Nepal!
Anukram Adhikary - MSc. Management, Economics and Consumer Studies