The Oprah Winfrey Effect in Kathmandu

It was 1997 and I was serving at the American Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal as the Regional Security Officer.  This assignment was in line with my duties as a Special Agent at U.S. Department of State.  The Nepalese investigator assigned to the security office at the Embassy was a man named Dan Chand.  Dan was a pretty decent guy and had been working at the Embassy for a number of years.  If he had any issue working for a female boss, he was keeping it well under wraps.  As a matter of fact, he was keen that I meet his teenage daughters so he invited me to his home for dinner and to meet his family.  His daughters were more fortunate than most.  They lived in a nice home and were destined to an education beyond secondary school in a country where in some families the men and boys ate first and the female family members ate last because there often wasn’t enough food to go around. Males were given priority.  

Taking a tea break while trekking the Annapurna Mountain region of the Himalayas of Nepal.

I sat on the couch with the girls and talked.  They were inquisitive and smart. 

“We watch the Oprah Show,” one of them suddenly announced to me with pride.  This was the ultimate symbol to them of their enlightenment, empowerment, liberation and worldliness.   

Yes, the Oprah Show was shown on television in Kathmandu.   The Top of the World, home of Mount Everest.  Where Hindu holy men called Sadhus painted themselves in ash and renounced all worldly possessions and the monks of the Yellow Hat Order were part of the daily scenery.  Where funeral pyres were used for cremation on the Bagmati River near the revered Pashputinath Hindu temple.  Even here in this remote world, The Oprah Show prevailed. 

I couldn't keep the smile from my face. These girls were finding strong female role models-yep, me and Oprah- and were well on their way in their own fearless journey.