Interviewee: Niranjan Rai

Interviewer: Priyanka Shrestha

Date: 08/28/2022

Location: Cleveland, Ohio

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[00:00:00]

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Priyanka: You can begin. You told me you grew up in Dhankuta, Nepal, right? Tell me how it was like to grow up there?

 

Niranjan: My parents weren't financially stable. On top of that, they were in an inter-caste marriage. My mother is Shrestha and my father is Rai. They used to live on rent because the situation was a bit bad in the home. And as far as I know, we used to live in just one room. The kitchen would be in the same room. And I have a little sister and all four of us used to stay in that room. My mother and sister would sleep on the bed and my dad and I would sleep on the floor. Both my mom and dad are teachers and they used to teach in school. When I was small, we didn’t have much finances, but they educated us with difficulty. But I was like a good student. I would always be first in my class. So, later I studied science in Dharan. I got a small scholarship to study there. Later in Kantipur Engineering College, I took an entrance exam for engineering. And I got good marks and went to that private college. The top 5% get a scholarship there, where you study free. You don’t have to pay money; you can study for free. And I fell in that top 5, I was in the top 5 of the class. And I studied there. I want to give my parents credit. They worked really hard to educate me and I did well too. I studied plus 2 in Dharan, and then I came to Kathmandu and did engineering. Then I did a job 1-2 years as a teaching assistant in the college there. Then I got a RATA for PhD here. And I came here. And I completed my PhD and recently graduated in May and I’m working here. That’s about education. And about Dhankuta, it’s a small town. It would be fun; the weather was very nice. It’s neither hot nor cold there. It was fun in Dhankuta.

 

Priyanka: In a small place, you would know everyone there when you lived there?

 

Niranjan: Yes, almost everyone. And on top of that, Dhankuta is in a very small place. And in the main markets, there are Newar, Shrestha mainly, and in the inside villages, there are Rais. So, in Dhankuta there are mainly two castes, Newar and Rais. Since my mom is a Newar Shrestha, my dad is a Rai, like I used to know everyone and everyone used to know me.

 

Priyanka: You put a lot of effort into studying. What motivated you to study?

 

Niranjan: To study. What to say? I don’t know. I did put a little bit of effort myself, but I think I was genetically gifted. In classes, I paid attention a bit in classes, but when studying for exams, even if I studied only a little bit, I would get good marks. Later on, what should I say motivated me? I mean, I like to read. Just to grow myself. I like to do that. Even now, I read books, listen to podcasts in my free time. It must be my interest probably.

 

Priyanka: Did you know you wanted to go abroad to the US for grad school and study PhD? Or when did you start thinking about it?

 

Niranjan: No, I didn't when I was studying Dhankuta. And in Nepal, it’s like this, if you study a bit well, you choose science. So, I was the first boy in school mostly, and even after studying science…and in Nepali it’s like this, I was interested in computers from a young age, like I used to play games when I was a child, I used to go to cybers. And I was interested in computers. But after plus 2, in Nepal, I wasn’t interested in biology, MBBS. After doing computer engineering, I used to think I wanted to do PhD, to research.

 

[0:05:00]

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Niranjan: I thought doing that would be fun. I had no idea which university to apply to in the US. Which is good, which is bad. The only colleges I had heard of were Harvard, MIT. And I felt like I couldn't really go there. I was looking for universities online. I was interested in studying data science. I searched for data science universities. And I applied for 1-2. There was one IIT in Illinois Chicago and Indiana University in Bloomington for data science. I was accepted, but they said they could not provide any scholarships or RATA. I got the admission, but I could not pay. So, I was waiting for the next fall of 17. And then one of my seniors who was one batch senior than me, called Pawan Poudel. He came here to university in Kent state. Because there is somebody called Gokarna Sir who is a professor of computer science here. He also studied in Kantipur Engineering College. And he did a PhD post doc in LACU and got a professor job here. And he was looking for research PhD students. And he came to Nepal and interviewed Pawan and Pawan came here for a PhD in computer science. And Pawan and I were teaching in KEC, and he is one batch senior than me. And he came here in 2016 fall. And he told me, there are new professors in Kent State and they are looking for PhD students. So, I applied for the university directly. And my advisor is a researcher in databases. In my resume when I applied, I said I was interested in data science, AI. He interviewed me in Skype and then he said, “Okay you can come here, I’ll take care of PhD student.” And after that I came here.

 

 

Priyanka: Why did you want to do PhD here abroad? It’s in Nepal also.

 

 

Niranjan: It’s in Nepal also. KU and Tribhuvan University. The level of education there is usually…Here it is obviously better many times than in Nepal. In Nepal even now, the research is not good. They do some little research and take some classes and that’s Masters. The PhD research is also at a very small low level. I had never done it in Nepal. Because even the term Nepal is not heard in universities. You just go to class and come. There would be classes from morning till evening.

 

Priyanka: How did you feel when you came here and did research here? Were your expectations met or how was it?

 

Niranjan: I realized it was harder than I expected. At first it was fun, but it was more. Maybe it’s because my research was like that too. I used to think it would be impactful research that would impact people in their day to day lives. But my research was more theoretical and more focused on publishing. There were new things but usually I just researched and brought a new concept and improved something and wrote a paper, and published it in a conference or journal. It ended in that. And I didn’t really feel good about that. Let’s say you researched and made a new product, and it’s used by a lot of people, reaches a lot of people and affects a lot of people in a good way. I used to think we would be doing something like that.

 

[0:10:00]

 

Niranjan: When my paper would be rejected or declined, I would also get frustrated and feel like giving up PhD and research. But when my paper would be accepted and published, I would get new motivation.

 

 

Priyanka: Let’s go a little back in our conversation. When you came here for the first time from Nepal for your PhD, did you come directly to Kent State?

 

 

Niranjan: Yes, I came here to Kent State.

 

 

Priyanka: How was the journey here? Have you ever gone to the US or abroad before?

 

 

Niranjan: No, I have gone to India. But I hadn’t gone anywhere abroad except India. What to say? It was something new. It was a bit difficult at first. It was fine on the plane. My transit was Philadelphia or no, it was in New York. And after stopping in New York, a funny story is. I had brought a lot of clothes, and I had two luggage. I had brought 1-2 jackets from Nepal. And since it did not fit, I came here wearing those because the luggage would be too heavy. It was over the 23 kg limit so I came wearing those jackets. I had taken it off in the plane, and I had to go from one terminal to another in the transit. And there was only 2 hours and I was trying to find the terminal in a hurry. I had never come before and I didn’t know. And I was wearing the jacket. And I was about to take the trolley and it was 5 dollars. And converting it to Nepali, it was 600 RS, so I thought, I don’t need the trolley. But only one of my luggage had wheels. The other was like a big duffel bag and it was heavy too. And I put it on top of my wheeled luggage. And it was too heavy in just one. And I was wearing a jacket. And I went asking people where I needed to go. And they told me to take a train to the other way and go on from there. And I was in a hurry and was running in a hurry, and since I was wearing a big jacket, I was pretty much sweaty, all sweat everywhere. And I was asking where is this gate? He looked at me. And I was all sweating. And he asked me where did you come from. And I told him I came from Nepal. He said you look all sweaty. And I told him it’s probably because of the jacket. And he showed me the gate. And then I needed to go through the security. And in the security, I took off my jacket. And because I sweat a lot, my t-shirt inside was all sweaty. And I was told you cannot go through the security machine where you do this. And I was taken through the side because the machine can’t read when you’re wet. And a guy came and checked me by himself. And so, I came all sweaty wearing gloves and all.

 

Priyanka: How did you feel when you came to the US for the first time?

 

 

Niranjan: Maybe because I watched too many Hollywood movies, when I was standing in the line in the portal security for the first time in New York, I felt like I was in a movie. I felt like I was in a very familiar place which I had seen in a movie. And a few new things I noticed were: We had gone to Walmart for groceries, and the size of the foods, like the tomatoes. I had seen small ones in Nepal, but here it was so big. The onions. At first, I was like, “Is this real? “

 

 

Priyanka: What was the biggest adjustment?

 

[0:15:00]

 

Niranjan: More than other things, it was probably the weather. Because it had been 7-8 years I lived apart from my parents. So, I didn’t really feel homesick. And I used to miss Nepali food at first. But mainly the weather and cold.

 

Priyanka: When did you come here?

 

Niranjan: In January.

 

Priyanka: Oh, exactly in the winter.

 

Niranjan: Yeah.

 

Priyanka: How did you feel at first?

 

Niranjan: It was like, what to say, like desolate. Nothing, there’s no greenery, nothing.

 

Priyanka: Was it snowing when you came here?

 

Niranjan: Snow everywhere. And I was relating that to a movie too. In some movies, it’s winter too so. And I felt like it really happened. I was relating it to movies.

 

Priyanka: Do you have a Nepali association or community in Kent State?

 

Niranjan: Yes, we do. We are a lot. The community is good. There are like 50-60 Nepali students.

 

Priyanka: What does the association do?

 

Niranjan: The association mainly organizes programs during Nepali festivals. And mainly, even yesterday, we had a Teej program in the park. We have around 5 programs. Teej, Dashain, Tihar, sometimes Maghe Sankranti, and summer picnics. Last year we had a Khasi Cup or Dashain cup and organized a soccer tournament. All Nepalese, there are a lot. We made 3 teams. And Surya Brother who lives in Hudson also brought a team from Hudson. There were four teams. Plus, besides that, there are pages. I am also managing a page. And a lot of Nepalese, if they are coming to Kent, and if they don’t know anyone, when they google, they discover the page. And a lot of people message asking how to come, where to stay how much the fees are. And I answer them. And if someone needs to be picked up from the airport, we go to receive them.

 

Priyanka: What would you miss most from Nepal when you came to US?

 

 

Niranjan: Mainly family and friends.

 

 

Priyanka: Would you talk on the phone, Skype with your family?

 

Niranjan: Yes, weekly or two times a week, as time allowed. Mainly family and friends, plus food. And another thing, I don't know, for me in Nepal freedom, you have freedom here too. In the US you have freedom too, I mean I can do anything I want. But I don’t know why, I felt like I had to be extra careful.

 

Priyanka: Here in the US?

 

Niranjan: Yes, here in the US. In Nepal, we used to roam around till night. But I felt like we have to be extra careful just in order not to do anything wrong. There is freedom, but I feel like we can’t feel as free in the US as in Nepal, for me.

 

 

Priyanka: Did you feel uncertain like that because it was a new place when you came here, or do you feel like that now too?

 

Niranjan: I mean, now there is a little. But still, there’s some kind of pressure or what to say. Have to feel a bit scared when you go somewhere, or be a bit extra careful. Things you didn’t really care about in Nepal.

 

Priyanka: Have you thought about whether you want to go back to Nepal in the future or will you live here?

 

Niranjan: I mean, from before I had thought of going back. It is just about when I’m going back. I still want to go back now. I don’t know what will happen in the future. Later on, after having kids.

 

Priyanka: Do you want to marry in Nepal or here?

 

Niranjan: Actually, I was in a relationship for 9-10 years.

 

Priyanka: Did you meet in Nepal?

 

Niranjan: Yes, we met when studying in college.

 

[0:20:00]

 

 

Niranjan: And now she’s here. We haven't married legally, but - I mean, we haven’t married socially, but we did have a court marriage. And she is here as a dependent.

 

Priyanka: That’s exciting. No more long distance!

 

Niranjan: Uhh, uh.

 

Priyanka: And how do you feel now? Do you live together?

 

Niranjan: Yes, we do. It is good. It’s fun. We were in a long-distance relationship for so many years, and we feel happy to be able to be together.

 

Priyanka: Do you like the US more or Nepal more? Or which do you like more?

 

Niranjan: Obviously I like Nepal more. Even when I go to visit Nepal, the worst part is the last moment before coming to the US. It’s the last week, and it’s like I have only 5-6 days left, then I have to go back to reality. It’s like that. I go there on holidays, there is no pressure of work, no stress, nothing. We only have fun the whole vacation. And in the end, it’s like Oh I have to go back. But the main advantage of the US is money, facilities, from roads to healthcare, the living conditions. In Nepal, we had to live up to 18 hours without electricity, wait 3-4 hours in line for petrol. Comparing those struggles, it’s obvious in the US…Well, 20-30 thousand per month is like $200-300 per month which we had to work for. Here the salary is good. Living conditions are good. Facilities, everything is good. But you miss your friends, family. If Nepal was developed like the US, I would obviously live in Nepal. But I’m living here because of this situation. But after settling here, I’m enjoying it here too. I have lots of friends here, go to friends, go around. Go outing in weekends together, play soccer. I’m enjoying it here too now.

 

Priyanka: It’s already been a couple of years since you came here. Not much but a couple of years. What do you think is your greatest takeaway so far after coming to the US?

 

Niranjan: Mmm. I don’t know, definitely. I’ve grown a lot from before. And what to say, I don’t know. Uhh..

 

Priyanka: You can think for some time.

 

Niranjan: I mean, I’ve grown a lot personally. For example, professionally, personally too. My health, Self-help I think I have a lot of interest in growing myself. Like I’m constantly trying to improve myself. I read self-help books. How to better myself. In Nepal, I didn’t care much about that. It was just like meet friends, go around, do that. Now I’m into how to improve myself, better myself, and workout regularly. Plus, books and listening to podcasts. I feel like I’ve matured a lot. I’ve grown a lot from before. I’m still trying to grow, be better every day. It’s probably because of the age too.

 

[0:25:00]

 

Niranjan: Plus, after coming here and studying. Another thing that I realized, what I’m trying to improve on is about giving time to family and friends. Like before I didn't talk a lot with my family, I only used to talk once a week or 2 weeks or in 1 month. But now more frequently. I think I need to put more effort into maintaining my relationships. So, I call a more, my friends too. Before they used to call and I would pick up only. But now I call them myself too. I have realized that.

 

 

Priyanka: What made you realize that?

 

 

Niranjan: I don’t know what, hearing it from others, the books and podcasts. And I used to feel distant from my friends when we didn’t talk much. I’m getting farther from my good friends all the way from college, school. And I used to feel like Am I losing them? I do have friends here. But I mean my friends from childhood plus friends from college, I feel like they are important. But they are busy too and I’m busy too. So, feeling like we are growing apart, to stop that distance from growing, I realized I need to put in a little more effort. So, when I have time and remember, I call, and at least message them. And that’s what’s changed from before.

 

Priyanka: What do you envision, what do you want to give, after growing in the US like this?

 

Niranjan: I mean, I don’t know what, just like my parents worked hard to educate me. I want to do everything I can too. I will try to do my best. I haven’t thought particularly, but I’m ready to give everything I can.

 

Priyanka: And one last question I always ask at the end to all of my interviewees is, do you want to add anything or anything we haven't talked about in the interview that is important to your story, or any closing thoughts?

 

Niranjan: I don't know. There isn’t much of anything like that. I mean. What I’ve realized is, if you work hard, you can get anything. The effort I feel like, if you want something and you work for it, you will get it. Because never in my life when I was a kid, I never imagined I would be here, go to the US someday, and study in the US. I have never imagined that. I grew up there in Dhankuta in a small place. Even when I was 15-16, I had never gone anywhere far, I was in Dhankuta always. And when I look around at my friends and neighbors, when I look at them, and at myself, I feel very lucky. Lucky plus grateful for my parents. Because my friends would study in government schools

 

[0:30:00]

 

Niranjan: but my parents spent extra money to educate me in a good private boarding school. So that’s it. I think, if you want, you can do anything. And I'm Ath Pahariya Rai. Just like Newars have different Joshi’s and names, Rais also have different tribes, ways. Rais also have Ath Pahariyar, Kithlings and so on within themselves. We are Ath Pahariya Rais. And Ath Pahariya Rais are few, they only live in Dhankuta area mainly. And I noticed that Ath Pahariya Rais are back in education. They are into other things rather than education. But the Shresthas there and others have advanced further. The Ath Pahariya Rais are still there but others have advanced. And since my parents are teachers, and I was talking like those Ath Pahariya Rais who are in your school who recently gave SEE recently, if they got good marks and are not from a well to do family, and if they need financially help, I want to pay for their college - plus 2 in Nepal. One boy, one girl, or 2 guys or 2 girls, any 2 people. I would help them. And the result just came recently. And they are looking for students. And so, I feel like education is important. So that’s what I want to add.