Recalling Labor Day during the Lockdown in Nepal

            It is hard to say whether it’s my addiction and affection towards social media or the social media’s strong domination over my actions that is changing my daily routines. These days, scrolling Facebook right after waking up feels more important and refreshing than getting up and having breakfast. Following my usual routine, this morning also I opened my Facebook to read some news, memes and to enjoy plant photos shared by different newspapers and indoor gardening groups that I liked and followed on Facebook. Unlike other days, the newsfeed seemed more decorated and filled with wishes and slogans of the Internation Labor day since it was the 1^st of May of 2020. Suddenly, my mind started recalling all the painful photos of the Nepali workers during lockdown that have been shared on Facebook for a couple of weeks ago. Coincidently, I also found a decade-old photo from my archive where Porters are carrying heavy loads on their back were crossing New Road at Kathmandu on the 23^rd of June 2010. This random photo encounter and the decorated Facebook wall on a special day of workers encouraged me to convert some of my thoughts and feelings about the Nepali laborers into texts on this Labor Day.

Porters with heavy loads crossing New Road at Kathmandu.
(Photo from the archive, 23rd of June 2010)

            Being far from home and family is difficult in both good and bad timing. But thanks to my old photo archives with several photos of Nepal, and even more thankful to multi networked social media that are keeping me active and busy during this social distancing. It is obvious that the world is going through a tough time due to the global health pandemic- COVID19  declared by the World Health Organization. The daily life of most people across the world has been more difficult than before because of the uncertain financial crisis, lack of basic needs, and increasing unemployment. But the pain and struggle of working-class people are hard to compare with the rest of the society at this pandemic period in the national and international arena.

            Today is the 1^st of May of the year 2020, an important day in the history of labor unions and workers' rights. Initially, the labor movement in America was dedicated to the social and economic achievement of the workers. Nowadays, it is widely celebrated as a day to respect, acknowledge, and rejoice the priceless effort, hard work, and contribution of the workers across the continents.
 In Nepal, International Labour Day is called Majdoor Diwas. Although Nepal is celebrating the first of May since 1963, the public holiday was announced only from 2007.  Every year, International Worker's Day gets special attention in the local and global arena with various functions, such as Rallies, Speeches, Fests, and many activities in order to celebrate and tribute the achievements of the working class. In the previous years, there used to be big Rallies covering the roads inside and outside the Kathmandu Valley organized by different Unions under direct/ indirect political influence.

 It may sound unreasonable to argue that all the workers were forcefully encouraged to participate in those rallies representing different companies. However, the market status and work-related facilities offered by the government and the organization to many labor groups were so unsatisfactory that it is hard to claim all were happily and willingly on the road to sweat and suffer in the heat without a sip of clean water. I have seen many May Day celebrations in Nepal in which workers, regardless of their work and company nature, used to join the street rallies sweating while walking in the sun and singing some so-called pro-labor slogans which are yet far away from implementation in reality. Watching and reading news about their sufferings in the name of the May Day celebration has always been a bad and helpless feeling for me.
 

This year, there is no show-off celebration to see and big fake promises made by the leaders to hear as the country is under lockdown due to the Coronavirus outbreak. I would have been happier to see the workers enjoying their holiday with nearest and dearest unlike their suffering from the past years in the hot streets. But this global health pandemic did not grant the chance to enjoy their public holiday rather gave a bunch of troubles and sufferings for those working-class and a big disappointment for me as a helpless supporter of them in this situation.

Workers on (Social)Media during the Lockdown

At the moment, my home country is also under the lockdown just like in Norway, the country I’m studying in now. Despite this corona chaos, I’m, as usual, making photos, checking social media, posting, and commenting every day making my addiction, even more, stronger besides my academic task. As a media student, I'm sometimes skeptical about social media addiction because of its ambiguity and it's intertwined impact, especially when it comes to consuming too much raw data and information available on those platforms. Nevertheless, the same social media is now somehow helping me to distract from the possible stress and consequence of this uncertain situation. 
There are several pros and cons of social media in general, but their role to bridge present fragmented friends and families during this isolation and lockdown is invaluable. Facebook, even introduced a CARE emoji

Facebook added a care emoji
Photo: google.com

to help people expressing their love and care feelings more explicitly.  In this respect, I’m happy to be a part of this Computer-Mediated Society. Also, I’m more thankful for today's advanced technologies and social media which have made us able to enjoy a limitless (virtual)social connections even during the most inconvenient phase of (physical) social distancing.

Speaking about media responsibilities in that issue, some of the media raised and highlighted the worker’s sufferings created by the lockdown and also requested authorities to make a helpful move. While plenty of other online and social media seemed busy to put more oil on their burning wound given by the uncertain lockdown and unsupportive government response. Facebook and YouTube like media users were constantly presenting the issues through news, interviews, photos of their painful situation along the highways.  I’m not saying all the media were unsupportive in raising their voices, but some of the media people seemed to misuse their struggling stories in order to get likes and comments through social platforms such as YouTube and Facebook. This incident proved that despite many positive sides of social media during this Social distancing phase, a purely professional journalism practice on social sites appeared to be rare due to many vested interests of the media practitioners and lack of ethics.

The situation of the Workers along the highways who left the capital due to the Lockdown. (Photo: Facebook)

In social media, photos of the Workers leaving the city in the mid-night, sleeping on the streets, lacking food and roof, carrying babies, and bag pack showed a suffocating pain of those during their unplanned and unintended weeks-long journey. It was hard to stop the tears while scrolling the Facebook pages for many days. The public was begging the help of the government to transport them safely with some vehicle’s arrangements, but our political layer is so thick that none of those voices, for the help of the laborers, reached the concerned authorities. Shame on the government and shame on decades-long so-called May Day celebration!

Having a middle-class family background, I can claim that majority of the middle and working-class people are fully dependent on the earning they get from their day-to-day or monthly jobs in Nepal to make a living of themselves and their families. At this phase, all the companies, industries, and construction sites are closed and many workers working in Kathmandu were self-forced to leave the capital in the middle of the night violating the lockdown restrictions.

 I’m not supporting their act of breaking the rules imposed by the Nepal Government, which could possibly cause more virus infection in the country. But I do understand that an empty pocket and hungry stomach force us to go beyond the restrictions, especially when the state ignores or fails to show the humanity for the neediest ones mercilessly. How can I believe that making a move to cross over 100 km long routes by feet with heavy loads and only leftovers foods was enjoyable for any of them?  I could imagine their suffering a bit less if the government was providing basic supports to survive this lockdown. I’m not claiming that the Nepal Government is irresponsible to all in this situation, as there was some news of immediate supports, such as building hospitals and implementing lockdown to prevent the virus from spreading. But, how can I proudly appreciate those attempts of the Nepal government in the cities, while most of the working-class people were starving and struggling hard along the highways on the way to their home and family?

Today, due to a weak economic status, corrupt political system, less effective governance, and uncertain lockdown in the country, many working-class people, who were used to attending celebration rallies on Labor day in the past, are sadly laying down around the streets and highways nearby the capital city. This situation is questioning the rationale of the long-celebrated Labor Day in Nepal. Originally, the first Labor Day celebration on September 5, 1882, in New York City, which is the epicenter of the Coronavirus outbreak now. As a passive and helpless supporter of those workers' rights, I really hope and wish that workers in New York are having less suffering than the laborers of  Kathmandu city during this lockdown. And on this special day, I do wish for appropriate and efficient government supports in need for the betterment of all working-class people around the world so that the nation-building can be continued without any class conflict in the future.

My heart goes to all the workers of the world, Happy International Workers’ Day 2020!

This text carries purely personal thought of the writer about the ongoing pandemic and workers' situation in Nepal based on viral photos and self clicked photos of the workers. None of the claims and comments are intended to offend or disrespect any media or authorities or individuals in this post rather an opinion-based narration of the issues in relation to the Labor Day celebration.