Ashika Tamang: A Hero In True Sense

Many things have been rapidly changing for the past few months in Nepal. For instance, the purity of the Gen Z revolution and its agenda have been buried somewhere amidst a lot of unwanted and unexpected issues. The strength of the newly formed interim government seems to be shaky sometimes. The general public was fed up with the old K P Sharma Oli-led government's practice of nepotism in the whole system of the country and unfortunately, people have started talking about smelling the same in the present government as well. The politically inclined people are busy forming their parties to take part in the upcoming election. 

Different rallies and protests are continuously going on in several parts of the country. However, during this unrest situation also there is also one person who is tirelessly working for a cause, i.e., to raise public awareness in different social issues and help the needy ones. This person is none other than Ashika Tamang. Ms. Tamang has begun her public appearance as an actress but her recognition was limited in this identity until she started her social movement. She first came into the general public's attention when she started posting her videos on social media. They were all about unfair social practices in Nepal. She raised her voice against everything that she found unjust. 

Animal lover 

Although people took her lightly in the beginning, she did not care about that. Some people even trolled her for every action she took to make people aware of the situation. She would directly attack people verbally who were engaged in misbehaviour, such as littering or urinating in a public place. Doing all this, she was simply trying to fix their manners. She spoke against high pricing in bottled water or food items in the highway hotels, misuse of government vehicles and many other such things.  She was nicknamed 'Khasini didi' after she posted a video where she was crying and urging people not to slaughter animals such as 'khasi, khasini...' 

Whatever people said, Ashika neither budged nor altered from her focus; she was determined to expose the ugly side of society. Gradually, she started to win people's hearts and made her identity as a social activist. She became a social media sensation for her consistent fight against all sorts of chaotic situations in the country. 

Ashika's other side was seen during and after the Gen Z revolt on the 8th and 9th September, 2025. On those days, she was on the street supporting the youths. When hundreds of people were injured and rushed to different hospitals afterwards, she firmly stood by them. She visited the hospitals to inquire about them and supplied monetary and food support. She visited the injured people's dwelling place with sacks of rice, cartons of fruit and biscuits along with money. She visited the families of martyrs to extend emotional and financial support. She collected all the money from organising crowdfunding. As a whole, Ashika Tamang tirelessly served the victims of Gen Z movement at the best of her capacity. 

These moments were really emotional. She was named as 'national didi'. Some people even compared her with Florence Nightingale. On those days, people saw compassion, selflessness, effort and hard work in her. Those who had made fun of her earlier started begging for pardon publicly. She became an inspirational figure. At present, most of the other people are busy with political calculations but Ashika is after something else. She has come up with a brilliant idea of 'Rupee One Campaign.' For this, she has urged donors to donate at least one rupee for the purpose of distributing warm clothes to school children in remote areas. 

These days, she is busy visiting different schools located in such areas to serve her purpose of distributing warm clothes to the needy students. According to a news report, she has already distributed warm clothes, school uniforms, school bags, shoes, boots and other stationery items to more than 1,500 students studying in different community schools across six districts which range from Dhading to Darchula. She aims to reach out to 5,000 students via this campaign. Through the 'Rupee One Campaign,' Ms. Tamang has once again shown us a real picture of our country as she showed us the real Gen Z youths. We live in city areas and talk about human rights, AI, climate change or geopolitical issues. 

Tip of the iceberg

But there are places in the same country where little children still struggle to fulfill their basic needs. These children are seen in shabby dress with worn-out school bags and tattered shoes. Finding them in such a poor condition, Ashika cannot control herself and breaks down in tears. Videos of these innocent children also make us cry. At least, Ms. Tamang is trying to bring some happiness to their lives. In a way, Ashika Tamang is doing a governmental job. It is the government's duty to ensure about welfare of its citizens. It must be aware of the overall condition of the country. 

Whatever Ms. Tamang is showing us is only the tip of an iceberg. UNICEF highlights that every child has the right to food, clothing and a safe place to live so they can develop in the best possible way. Nepal has also ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990. So, it has incorporated child rights into its constitution but sadly, the implementation side still looks incomplete. Ashika has emerged as a real hero who has dedicated her life for a good cause. If her 'Rupee One Campaign' can bring a significant difference in the needy children, why not the governmental initiatives to uplift their quality of life?   

(The author is the director of Vidya Shilpa Academy, Damak, Jhapa.)