When a group of likeminded Nepalis in the US got together to launch www.samudaya.org in January 2005 they were looking to start a discussion forum where Nepalis could come together and talk about issues ranging from politics to music in cyberspace.

Then February First happened. And ever since, Samudaya's work has been more towards spreading awareness amongst the youth for democracy, pluralism and free press.

"We are critical towards the current regime and this government assumes that if we are against them, we must be with the other side. What they fail to understand is that we are critical of anyone who is against democracy," says Sarahana Shrestha, 23, a multimedia designer from New York who runs samudaya.org in her freetime.

Sarahana is a new breed of committed Nepalis who are using the Internet to bring international Nepalis together with a common commitment to the future. But back in Nepal, the royal regime promptly blocked samudaya.org, it remains among a dozen websites that can't be access from Nepal. But that only made Samudaya more popular, although Sarahana admits it made it more difficult to get participation from Nepalis in Nepal.

But that problem can be overcome. Samudaya and other blocked sites can be accessed to several proxy sites, as well as through a mirror site, www.everybodybreed.com.

Sarahana says one doesn't need to be in Nepal to do something for the country. "Just because you are away does that mean you stop caring." she said during a visit to Kathmandu this month. The Samudaya team wants to break the myth that young people can't, and shouldn't, work for social reform whether at the grassroots or policy levels. Samudaya has also started Creative Dissent Nepal, a movement of people working towards supporting and promoting democratic ideals through participatory, creative and non-violent activism.

In Kathmandu for a brief visit this month, Sarhana told us ith conviction: "A new Nepal is possible but young people need to be involved."

Mallika Aryal