‘We feel helpless’: Nepali workers in Chandigarh restaurants gripped by anxiety as unrest deepens back home

For Om Bahadur Thapa, a young worker at Mansar Café, staying in touch with his family in Nepal’s Gulmi district has become nearly impossible.

“The network is so weak. I couldn’t properly talk to them,” he said, visibly shaken. Like many Nepali migrants, Thapa supports his family back home, but the ongoing turmoil has disrupted both communication and financial transfers. “Farming alone cannot sustain them. Our families depend on us, and now we feel helpless,” he added.

Similar concerns echo across the city’s food service sector. At Casa Bella Café, Khusboo shared her anguish after her father returned to Nepal just a week before the unrest escalated. “I can’t focus on work. My mind is only on whether my father and family are safe,” she said.

Many Nepali workers had planned to return home in November and December—a seasonal tradition—but growing instability and indefinite curfews have cast doubt on those plans.

The unrest in Nepal began after the government banned 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. The move backfired, triggering youth-led demonstrations across the country.

At least 21 people have reportedly died, and over a hundred have been injured in violent clashes with security forces. Though the ban has since been lifted, curfews remain in place in Kathmandu and other districts. A government panel has been formed to investigate the violence, but public anger remains high.

“The protests reflect deep-rooted frustrations over political instability, unemployment, and corruption—factors that have pushed over half a million Nepalis to migrate abroad annually in search of better opportunities. Despite modest GDP growth forecasts of 4.5 per cent for 2025, Nepal continues to struggle with a jobs crisis. Youth unemployment remains above 20 per cent, forcing many to rely on overseas work—especially in India. Remittances make up nearly 25 per cent of Nepal’s GDP, but even these financial lifelines are now at risk due to the unrest. We came here to work so that our families can live better,” Thapa said.

“Now we cannot even send them money on time, and we are unable to know if they are safe.”

“For Nepali workers in Chandigarh, every shift behind the café counter carries emotional weight. With poor connectivity, uncertain safety back home, and disrupted travel plans, we are constantly worried about our loved ones back home. Until calm returns to Nepal, we are trying to continue our daily routines in India with heavy hearts – serving coffee with a silent hope for a message from home, and a safe reunion that now seems more distant than ever,” Khushboo told The Indian Express.

(Abhishek Goyat is an Intern at The Indian Express, Chandigarh.)