Sudan Gurung, the hero of Gen-Z, emerged from the devastation of 2015, and read what the connection between Nepal's movements and earthquake

Nepal's Prime Minister resigned after the ZenG protests. The protests were against the ban on social media but have their roots in the 2015 earthquake. After the earthquake, a man named Sudan Gurung emerged and formed an NGO called Hami Nepal. This organisation played a vital role in relief work. Gurung, who was once a DJ, became the voice of the youth.

Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned after the protests. This protest started on 4 September against the ban imposed by the Nepal government on social media. But the roots of this movement are linked to the 2015 earthquake. It is worth noting that a person named Sudan Gurung emerged in the Gen Ji protest.

The earthquake also shaped Sudan, who ten years later became one of the most powerful figures of Gen Z. When Nepal was struggling with collapsed houses and shattered lives in 2015, Sudan Gurung played a role that no one had expected. The earthquake had changed Gurung.

"A child died in my arms. I will never forget that moment," Gurung, 38, said at the time.

Moments after the devastating earthquake, Gurung’s first thought was to post an appeal online. About 200 volunteers showed up. They delivered rice to villages, pitched tents on school campuses and ferried the injured on borrowed motorcycles. That impromptu network became ‘Hami Nepal’ (We are Nepal). By 2020, it was registered as an NGO with over 1,600 members.

Voice of the entrepreneur turned youth

Gurung is not a professional politician. He is the president of Hami Nepal, which has transformed him from a local entrepreneur into a symbol of a troubled generation.

Gurung, once a DJ and owner of the nightclub OMG, has grown over the years from a grassroots relief initiative to a comprehensive platform for social engagement, disaster response, and post-earthquake rehabilitation.

Gurung's life was changed by the 2015 earthquake, which killed nearly 9,000 people, including his son.

After the earthquake, he mobilised around 200 volunteers for relief work using the internet media. Before the ban on internet media, Hami Nepal was quick to take charge. Gurung's team called for rallies on September 8.

PC:Jagran