On May 17, 2025, Bikalpa an Alternative organized a thought-provoking Movie Discussion Program at its premises. The program aimed to create a platform for youths to educate and engage in regular dialogues on poverty, political economy, free market, and the values of Freedom. A total of 23 participants, primarily YPE fellows and Bikalpa Fellows, came together to engage in meaningful discussion and exchange perspectives on economic freedom and how prosperity can be achieved.
The session was facilitated by Ms. Ranu Sah, who began with a briefing on the program, outlining the activities planned for the entire session. She provided valuable insights and fostered meaningful engagement among the participants.
Adding to this, Basanta Adhikari, the founding chairperson of Bikalpa, highlights the key points of the videos and what issues those videos will cover. One documentary named ‘Poland: From Socialism to Prosperity’ by Rainer Zitelmann and two short videos made by Bikalpa an Alternative named ‘Trade Vs Aid’ and ‘What Made North Korea Poor and South Korea Prosperous?’ were shown to the participants. The first movie highlighted the history of Poland and its journey from being one of the poorest countries in Europe to becoming an economic growth champion. The second movie reflected that no country can become rich with aid, but it can be prosperous only by encouraging trade and enterprise, whereas the third movie compared the economic situation of South Korea and North Korea and the reasons behind the contrast between the two, even though they have many similarities.
After each movie screening, participants were asked to present their thoughts and understanding regarding the movie. Various perspectives of diversified participants were discussed in the program, ranging from the lack of economic freedom in North Korea, behind its poverty, whereas South Korea embraces its competitive advantage and gives economic freedom. The discussion also included that aid is good with proper intention, but a country should not fully depend on aid for every development work. Participants also argued that if the price of a good is determined by bureaucrats or higher authorities instead of the market, it brings unintended consequences and affects the economy of the nation.
Mr. Adhikari took feedback from the participants and clarified the issues related to those movies. All the participants engaged actively and made the entire session interactive and fruitful. Lastly, the program was concluded by Ms. Sah with a heartfelt gratitude to the participants for making the program a success.
