KURAGRAPHYकुराग्राफी

Kishor Subba Limbu

Introduction

In this paper, I use Nepali the way Nepali people write nationality. It has been used in international publications, for instance, "Global Nepalis" (Gellner & Hausner (eds.) 2018), "The Politics of Belonging in the Himalayas" (Pfaff-Czarnecka, J., & Toffin, G. (2011)), "Working the Paper" (Shrestha, T.  2014), and "Nepali Diaspora in a Globalized Era" (Subba, T. B., & Sinha, A. C. (Eds.) (2015)).

 Generally, there are two types of migration in Nepal. The first is migration for basic needs (within the national territory and neighbouring countries, for instance, India, the Gulf countries, Malaysia, South Korea, and other Asian countries). The second is for the betterment of life (in the USA, UK, European countries, and the like).

Nepali migration in Portugal is a recent phenomenon dating back two decades. Portugal is one of the authorised foreign labour destination countries by the government of Nepal. Generally, Nepalis enter one of the European countries with different visa types, for instance, a working visa, a Schengen visit visa, a student visa, a family reunion visa, and the like. Then they enter Portugal and follow the legal procedures, like paying taxes and applying for a resident permit according to Portuguese law.

 Manika Bajracharya (2015) presents comprehensive data on the Nepali immigrants in Portugal: there were only 2 Nepalis who had residence permits granted in Portugal in 2000, and the figure increased to 2588 people in 2013 (Bajrachary, 2015). According to SEF, there were 4789 people in 2015, 5835 in 2016, 11489 in 2018, and 16,849 in 2019.

According to the Portuguese "Indicators of Integration of Immigrants' Annual Statistical Report-2019," Nepal was ranked fourth among immigrants in 2017, and third in 2018.The data indicates that Nepali migration to Portugal increased by 141.2% between 2017 and 2018. Olivera, C. R., and Gomes, N. (eds.) (2019).

Migration generally occurs from the periphery to the center, from villages to urban cities, from urban cities to metropolitan areas, and from developing to developed countries.Nepali migration from a third world country to a European country happens because the developed west has "psychologically colonized" the mindset that "the west is the best" in terms of military power, the economy, knowledge and technology, and humanitarian prerequisites.

 Nepali migration to Europe as a collective moral of improving people's lives would be economic means (in terms of opportunities, social security, and so on).

The visa procedure and getting a visa from European countries are very tough, and travel costs are costly. Generally, Nepali people use visa consultants, agents, or mediators to apply for a European visa. For instance, their service charge is very high; for example, it is common to hear that people should pay $8,000 to $15,000 plus Euros for the agencies and the middlemen's service charge. As a result, Europe is an expensive destination for Nepalis.

Photo Source: Google Image

Nepalis believe that a residency card is possible. It is comparatively easier in Portugal than in other European countries, so Nepalis prefer Portugal. The Portuguese residency card is essential for Nepalis to secure multiple entries into Europe.

In this presentation, I will adopt a "Kuragraphy" (Desjarlais, 2003) with the first Nepali immigrant in Portugal. Kuragraphy as an anthropological methodology We collect data through informal, unstructured, engaging, and detailed interactions (talk like a coffee shop, bus or train station, or park where people are free from their daily routine) in the subject matter. In Kuragraphy, we avoid the recorder, camera, and notebook and pay deep attention to the subject with passion, and we use the headnote to remember the subject narratives.

The Story of the First Nepali Who Received the Portuguese Nationality

Kumar Shrestha was born in a village in Nepal. He lost his mother at the age of 8, and then his father married another woman. When his mother was seriously ill, his father and the villagers performed a ritual wishing salvation for her soul instead of taking her to the hospital. He remembered that there was no road connection, electricity, or hospital in the village at that time, and he used to imagine that, one day, it would be possible in his town. At the age of 9, he left the house and travelled to Kathmandu.

He didn't have any specific address to go to in Kathmandu, and he was suffering on the road. One day, a man came and offered to go with him. Fortunately, the man was the owner of the Kathmandu Guest House, a well-known guesthouse in Thamel's tourist district. He lived with the owner and gave a hand to the general work of the guest house. One day the owner asked, "Kumar, would you like to join the school?" It was an excellent opportunity for him, and he joined the school.

At the age of 13, he saw an advertisement for a vacancy announcement for the five-star hotel, Yak and Yati; there was no online application facility at the time; the candidate had to present himself physically for the selection; and then he went to the interview:

"When I was there, there were about 10–15 candidates in line, and all of them were more mature than me." When I faced the interview, that was very easy for me because I was familiar with the guest service environment. I left the hotel after the interview, and I was walking on the road, thinking that there were more mature candidates. I was not going to get the job... at the same time, I heard someone calling behind me.Hey boy... Hey boy... Then I looked behind me and saw the hotel guard running behind me and calling out to me, so I asked him, "What happened, uncle?" He told me that you are selected for where you are going. "Then I join the hotel and work for the hotel until the age of 21."