Journalist Hom Karki’s book ‘Sanaiya’, a book narrating stories of Nepali migrant workers, was released amidst a ceremony in Kathmandu on Saturday.

Karki, who worked as Qatar Bureau Chief for the Post’s sister publication Kantipur Daily for four years, has been covering Nepal’s labour migration sector, prevalent malpractices and various other aspects, including hardships faced by migrant workers at home and abroad, for nearly a decade for the paper.

His debut book is based on his reporting experience from various labour destination countries in Persian Gulf countries.

“Travelling from one Gulf country to another felt like going to just another village as there were Nepalis with similar stories. During those times, the idea of writing a book came to my mind. For writing this book, I followed a migrant worker for a minimum of one to a maximum of six years,” said Karki. “Working as a journalist and reporting on migrant’s issue has not been an easy job. I always felt that I could be deported anytime.”

Commenting on the book, Ganesh Gurung, a labour migration expert, said Karki’s book was a realistic portrayal of the country’s foreign employment sector.

“Karki tells stories of migrant workers, but these are the real stories that are backed by adequate statistics. The book also includes significant events of the foreign employment sector,” said Gurung, during the book launch. “This one book can be a valuable reference even for academicians who want to understand Nepal’s labour migration sector.”

The book is published by Kitab Publishers Pvt Ltd.