CNN Heroes from Nepal

"CNN Heroes of the Year 2010" went to Anuradha Koirala of Maiti Nepal.To all of us who are aware of socio-economic status of many villages of Nepal, Maiti Nepal and Anuradha Koirala are not unheard of. Maiti Nepal, established primarily to rescue Nepali girls trafficked to India into prostitution, has expanded itself to accommodate women suffering from family violence, torture, and social hatred. Anuradha Koirala has sacrificed her life to help those women become independent and live a meaningful life. The objectives of Maiti Nepal and its affiliated organizations reflect the true service to humanity. We need to respect the existence of other individuals if we expect to receive a meaningful status from society. Lets be grateful for what Anuradha Koirala has done to change the social inequality and support those helpless women, who would otherwise suffer throughout their lives. But, as evident from the recent uproars in Nepal and India about rapes and assaults, these sort of crimes had not subsided a bit. Instead they display a social loophole in which women are constantly assaulted in one form or other- be it within one's own family, or from outsiders. Anuradha Koirala has made all of us proud not only by becoming "CNN Heroes of the Year 2010" but also by changing our mind, and increasing awareness among people in remote villages about girls trafficking, which is such a heinous crime. This award is not an end but just a recognition of a tremendous work and service to a better cause that Koirala has worked tirelessly throughout her life.Please be grateful to such heroes in the world, and the bravery and courage they have shown to fight against the existing traditions, and inequality in society. 

I had the privilege of watching both Anuradha Koirala (Maiti Nepal) and Pushpa Basnet (ECDC) receive the CNN Hero of the Year awards. Anuradha received the honor in 2010 and Pushpa followed her in 2012. Although both of their works were based in Nepal, they received applause and praises from all over the world. Both times when Anderson Cooper announced the winner of the coveted award, I was filled with joy. They had represented Nepal in an international arena through their selfless service for a very genuine cause. The kind of service they devoted their lives on is often neglected in Nepal, and most other developing countries. They rose above the cynics and critics to carry on with their mission. I’m sure we recognize they had lot of obstacles on the way, but they never gave up. The award not only does a justice to their service but also to their perseverance and self-belief. Moments after the social media were filled with ovation for our heroes, as well as frustrations towards our politicians. In 2010, as Anuradha landed in Tribhuwan International Airport, guess who was at the receiving end: some of our politicians. Such an act of shame on their part not to recognize their negligence towards the nation. Yet they didn’t waste a moment to hop over the news felicitating the Heroes. I often felt like saying our heroes are worth more than your felicitations; they have done tremendous job despite the limited resources they had. Only if these politicians could learn something from these heroes, Nepal would be so far ahead.They really need to realize the national interests are beyond the interests of their parties. If they truly understand anything from these heroes, they need to show us, the people their comprehension by putting it to work. If they do not comprehend, then they don’t deserve to welcome our heroes at the airport. And guess who is celebrating this honor more than us: our politicians. Yeah, you heard it right. They are busy in toasting for Pushpa's success at top-notch restaurants in the capital. And guess where is the money coming from? I don't even need to tell you where it comes from, you know it very well. I feel like reiterating what my school principal used to say: "What a shame, what a shame."