Indra Kumar Tripathi, who teaches at a school in Malekhu, was in New Road this Tuesday filling in a DV (Diversity Visa) lottery form. This is his eleventh attempt. His wife Gayatri was trying her luck for the ninth time. The husband-wife duo has been filling the forms in every year, hoping to get lucky and fly to America one day.

"There are no jobs in Nepal and there's no law and order either," Tripathi says. "We don't see a good future here." In the crowd that had gathered outside the DV centre, there were not only youths like him but many older and experienced faces as well.

In a cyber caf� in Kathmandu, Santosh Khatri of Kapilbastu was filling in DV forms with his wife Sadhana, who works at Mega Bank. Khatri, who is trying for the first time, accused the political leaders of ruining the country. "If things were fine here, who would want to leave their loved ones and move to an unknown place," Sukriya Giri of Bhaktapur exclaimed.

Every year, towns across the country witness a large number of people lining up to apply for the lottery. Wednesday is the last day for submitting the DV forms this year. Nepalis who have completed 12th grade are eligible to apply for the DV. Two years of work experience in an occupation recognised by the US Labor Department are also accepted in place of a degree.

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