Opinion | What it means to be a neighbour
Summary
Polarisation quietly erodes neighbourly trust, turning people into identities before names and weakening the everyday bonds that hold communities together. The piece argues that Nepal’s diversity survives through relationships, not just institutions, and that communal tension destroys the invisible doors of neighbourhood life.
Key Points
- Polarisation changes how people see one another, making religion come before personal identity and weakening social trust.
- Everyday neighbourly bonds—tea shops, festivals, children’s play and shared routines—are described as the real foundation of society.
- The article uses Kaptanganj in the Eastern Tarai as an example of how communal tension can leave a settlement feeling unfamiliar even when nothing physically changes.
- It argues that Nepal’s strength lies in its diversity and shared relationships, and that democracy depends on preserving neighbourliness.
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