Anuj Kumar was puffing on his cigarette outside a tea shop in Sitamarhi’s Coaching Mandi, a hub of tuition centres that draws students from nearby villages to this small town in North Bihar. The 28-year-old was not there to study, though. He spent the day running around the district court to get his paperwork in order so that he could apply for a sub-inspector position in Bihar police.

Kumar works as a salesman for a chemical manufacturer in Janakpur, Nepal. He had come home to his village of Chhotki Bhitha for Chhath Puja, Bihar’s biggest festival. However, the desire for a government job was keeping him busy even during his holidays.

The application process frustrated Kumar, reminding him of the so-called Gen-Z revolution in Nepal, which he witnessed up close. “There is no difference b

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