Never before in the history of the world had such a movement taken place as the one witnessed last week in Nepal. It was initiated by the Gen Z consisting of boys and girls of ages varying between 13 and 28 seeking to root out the rampant corruption in Nepal. The movement was gathering momentum at a fiery speed, and the sudden ban on social media only added fuel to it. It blew out of all proportion when the police fired bullets at the young demonstrators, some in school uniform, killing 19 demonstrators on the first day, which has now spiraled to 72.

It raised a hue and cry around the country, and the Minister for Home Affairs Ramesh Lekhak had to resign. The agitating crowd was not satisfied with the solitary resignation of the minister, and the Prime Minister had to follow suit albeit the next day.

What followed was more shocking. The angry mob, mostly the infiltrators, torched the national landmarks, such as the Parliament building, the Supreme Court, and the 122-year-old historic government Secretariat building, the Singha Durbar, constructed in 1903. Others included corporate buildings, a star hotel, residences of former prime ministers, ministers, and other politicians. The angry mob manhandled former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, his spouse, foreign minister Arzoo Deuba as well as the finance minister, Bishnu Paudel, badly injuring them.

The triggering factor of such an unimaginable event was the shameless corruption practised by the ace politicians of the political parties and their subordinates, including some bureaucrats. In order to camouflage it, the top politicians became prime ministers irritatingly for umpteen number of turns. The whole of the country had raised this issue in varying tones, and it culminated into a national voice after it was undertaken by the Gen Z.

This incident is reminiscent of the story entitled 'The emperor's new clothes' where a dress crazy emperor places an order to two swindlers wishing to fire the incompetent officials after they said that it could be seen only by capable persons. All the higher officials, including the emperor, realised that there was nothing in the loom but described it as the most beautiful cloth, fearing they may be declared unfit for their post. The emperor marched in the street amidst the chanting of how beautiful the cloth was. Suddenly a child disclosed the nudity of the emperor, which was later reiterated by all the people. In Nepal also, it was the Gen Z that brought this issue in the open.

The incident brought to the fore Sushila Karki, a staunch opponent of corruption both in words and spirit during her term as a former chief justice of the Supreme Court. No wonder that she was chosen as the interim prime minister by the Gen Zees and subsequently appointed by President Ram Chandra Paudel. The Parliament has been dissolved, which has however faced opposition from the parties in power.

Karki has demonstrated her smartness by already declaring the dead demonstrators as martyrs and forming a small four-person ministry. Now, she has to ensure the speedy rituals for the dead demonstrators along with the laying of a foundation stone for Gen Z's Martyrs' Memorial, if possible, on either side of the existing one in Tundikhel.

The Prime Minister should initiate action towards punishing the infiltrators who have damaged public and private property. Some of those involved in the arson of the Singha Durbar palace have already been arrested by the Army. The Gen Z have already denied their involvement in such criminal activity. The political appointees should be asked to voluntarily resign in the face of their irrelevance, for which the Gen Z relatives of the respective persons should facilitate. Forceful exit of these persons may lead to reinstatement by the Supreme Court, bringing embarrassment to the new government.

Steps should be taken to reconstruct all the damaged buildings. For the new construction, cost-effective techniques like bamboo-reinforced laterite soil and bamboo grids could be used for the walls and floors. The government has already agreed to the proposal of Tirtha Raj Bhattarai, the Mayor of Diktel, to use bamboo to the extent possible after he staged a fast-unto-death strike in Maiti Ghar triangle. The interim premier has also hinted towards this possibility.

For the buildings affected by fire, a rapid visual assessment should be conducted classifying them into mild, moderate, and intense damages, duly recommending and implementing suitable intervention. The historic building like Singha Durbar should be returned to its original form while the new ones may make a slight departure, if needed, but not losing the identity. Institutes like Nepal Engineers Association can do it effectively as evidenced in the wake of the 2015 killer earthquake.

The Premier should talk to the political parties who have already raised a hue and cry about the dissolution of the parliament, little realising that it had already become obsolete after the Gen Z's movement. Gen Zees should nip the dissent in the bud by talking to the disgruntled party leaders who happen to be some or the others' relatives.

The former premier, home minister, secretary, Chief District Officer, the firing police and the likes should be immediately tried in the Special Court for the gruesome murder. The post-democracy era politicians and bureaucrats should be investigated for their unaccounted wealth. The Election Commission should be mobilised immediately for holding the election in time. These problems can be solved following the strategy of involving the Gen Zees and the martyrs' parents. The duo should remain united for the departed souls to rest in peace.