BORDERLANDS

The previous time leaders of various student unions came together was for a shutdown last month to protest the government's decision to hike fuel prices. Together, leaders of student unions affiliated with the Maoists, UML and NC set about vandalising vehicles that dared defy their strike.

But this time the same student leaders weren't burning tires on the streets, they were paddling furiously to keep their rafts on track on the white waters of the frothing Trisuli River. For two days last week, they left behind their political ideologies, rivalries and worked as a team to hone their leadership and communication skills.

"It is extremely important for young student leaders to be team players, which is what we tried to enhance through the program," says Megh Ale of Borderlands, which organised the two-day white water rafting program for young politicians in collaboration with the group, Demo Finland, a Finnish cross-party co-operation, seeking to foster mutual understanding and a constructive and inclusive political culture in developing countries.

And in the evening, after a day on the river, huddled around a camp-fire on the banks of the Trisuli the student leaders vented all their frustrations on the leadership of their parties. They all agreed that their leaders lacked the vision to drive the country forward, and there was an utter absence of trust.

Said Mohammed Rafi Halwai of Madhesi Youth Forum: "If everyone of us trust each other and communicate effectively most of the tasks can be completed on time."

The exercise also simulated the importance of trusting the leadership and the responsibility of the leader to take the team forward. Participants were divided into groups irrespective of their political affiliations, and they had to raft down the Trisuli. The main goal was to move ahead as a team to get to the destination. And they did just that.

"Metaphorically the raft became the nation, and they had to take it forward," explained Ale, who said the student union leaders needed the same skills in navigating politics today.

Sarita Rayamajhi from All Nepal National Free Student Union (ANNFSU) Kavre felt mixing up the participants across party lines in one boat underlined the importance of trust and teamwork. Rayamajhi was so happy with the outcome, she felt the leaders of political parties should also have been part of the rafting program. "Maybe then they would learn to put nation building ahead of their party's needs and trust each other more," she told Nepali Times.

Nima Giri of Nepal Student Union felt there is a wide communication gap between student wings and their parent parties. "We don't want to be mere appendages to the parties to be mobilised only as a show of strength on the streets, we want them to take our plan of action seriously," Giri said.

The student leaders all agreed that the rafting exercise will have a positive impact on upcoming union elections which is usually national elections in a microcosm, and makes it to the news for all the wrong reasons.

"Since we got to interact and work with our friends from other parties, the level of tension and animosity will definitely decrease during the election," Giri said.

Most of the young leaders have common goals but rarely get the platform to connect with each other on a personal level. Basu Gautam of Demo Finland said: "We want to create a lasting bridge between the student wings of different political parties so that they can work alongside each other."