Apropos of the op-ed “Gender stereotype” (THT, September 6, Page 8), everyone would envy the writer who had the rare privilege of living under four generations of patriarchs including great grandfather. Too bad that they did not contribute much towards removing the gender stereotype. Most of us are not as fortunate to share our roof under so many male peers. But that has probably helped in our upbringing devoid of gender stereotype. My father treated both girls and boys as equal not through talks and speeches but by sheer action. He fetched water and bade us boys to do the same at a time when this was an exclusive prerogative of women folk. He would take us out to buy vegetables, clean, cut and cook them. He also taught us to make wood fire, tea, cook rice, dal, meat and fish, and wash our dishes and utensils, laundry our clothes and iron them, clean toilets and other household chores. Very few males did all these when we were growing up in Kathmandu. In fact, some of my subordinates used to laugh at and make cryptic remarks whenever I walked into my office with bags of vegetables during lunch break.

Unlike today we had to stay late in office without overtime and had no time for grocery in the evening. My father taught my sister and me to ride bicycle and climb trees. I don’t remember my sister ever playing with dolls nor did we play with toy cars. My father was also consumed by a desire to try and train my sister as first female pilot for which he took her to Safdarjung flying club in New Delhi. My father had no such plans for me. But he did teach me to tend to garden which today empowered young Jyapus to refuse to do. I must also inform that we were not taken as normal family in our neighborhood for doing all the girly works. Today our neighbours still consider us abnormal when we male members sweat it out in the garden and do our laundry and dry them on our terrace.

Gender issues are not going to go away simply because politicians talk about it or I/NGOs are against it. I suspect that gender empathy is embedded in genes. To treat everyone as equal was imbued in our mental system by my father.

Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu

Australia tip

I am writing this piece to focus on why young students who have passed Grade Twelve fail to understand the ground reality of Australia. Most of the students tend to think that experience letters, like one of working in a restaurant, will enable them to find a job easily.

It is a misconception. One has to have pragmatic ideas and knowledge about hospitality. It is better to work genuinely in the hospitality sector in Nepal before coming to apply for a hospitality job in Australia. You do not need to be a professional cook or chef to hit the ground running.

Your basic ideas to cope with the kitchen culture would be tremendously worthwhile when you enter the Australian kitchen. Try to be yourself to mould your future in Australia.

Shiva Neupane, Melbourne