I have not sat before the laptop because I missed writing. I have sneaked into my rather unorganized room to write some computer codes but thoughts had been hovering in my head from very morning. They have come and left, when they came I was either at office or just at road and by the time I reached home they would have left me. They would come to me like a déjà vu. This way I have many times written stale thought. May be thoughts are not stale unless they are written or told. I am remembering my school days, not the school, not many friends but just I wanted to know why I was like that or why that time was like that. I can remember those chit-chats in breaks and lunch hour, how they would pass in no time and how reluctant we used to be to return to class. In those ten minutes rarely we reached the class before fifteen minutes. Still, discipline was much strict in school then in college, we were regularly reprimanded for being late, not taking studies seriously, being careless about life etc. etc. The nature of the teacher was same at school and at college. Many times when the lecturers and teachers who had failed to get job elsewhere uttered those things, I would feel pity on them yet I knew the generation that was to follow ours would be much more pitiful if we had to stand in their foot. They regularly advised and chide us for not taking studies seriously. This continued throughout the semester but most of us always passed those semesters in spite of hopeless lecturers. The same lecturers would boast on department rooms how did they manage to drill their lectures into our dummy brains. They felt proud of their skill and credited themselves for the unexpected results. I feel most of us are shaped in schools. During school days we used to write essays on children, moral education, discipline etc. where we wrote ‘when young a kid’s brain is like soft clay which can be molded into any shape desired by the potter’. I can’t say how many of us knew what we wrote yet it seems right. Our education system aimed at producing people who knew what a sewing machine is but it doesn’t produce tailors. Those were the days when the country was seeing political changes; people were divided in terms of their political bending. In home parents, neighbors, uncles and aunts all talked about politics. Newspaper were filled with ‘who said what’ kinds of things. TV’s showed the speech made by politicians. Socialism, Communism, Fascism, dictatorship had become common as Constituent Assembly, Republic, Federal Republic has become common these days. I remember during the first general election in 1990, I got a flag of Communist Party of Nepal, United Marxist and Leninist. I brought it hope and tied it at the top of water tank. Those days flags waved at the roof of most of the home. Many people had got new nicknames like Short Communist, Lame Congress, fat ‘Panche’, little exploiter, bearded reactionary etc. etc. In many homes empty walls hung the pictures of political leaders or their quotation. To sit before the elders used to be the most boring thing for us. We also learned names of people who have been credited for changing the world like Marx, Lenin, Hitler, Churchill, Angels, Mussolini, Stalin etc. Soon their stories and biographies started becoming popular. Not because my father supported communist (it might have contributed something), I had started observing that communists were more dedicated in organizing assemblies, public meetings, pamphletting or other party related activities. I clearly remember the days when I had a tough time reading the translated ‘Dialectical Materialism’. I was only at class nine then. We used to talk about Lenin and Marx. Those literatures of equality, classless society, triumph of the working class inspired me. What Marx wanted, was also the world I wanted to be in. I wanted to be a labor the movers of the world. I liked farmers, the feeders of the world. I used to think if the communist win we will witness that world, the euphoric world. I might not have known free education, free land etc. but I wanted that. I hated extravagant marriages, festivals etc. I had slowly started thinking the richs are cruel, exploiter and the protectors of all miseries. I didn’t understand what a capitalist society is or who a capitalist is but I disliked anyone who was known as capitalist. Before class ten I had read ‘Dialectical Materialism’, ‘Communist Manifesto’ and few other literatures. Yet they contributed nothing to my understanding. I just learnt capitalist society is worse, capitalists are blood hound, materialism and industries are the only ways to prosper and communism aimed for classless society. Even today I don’t know much things. While working I got chances to meet people with political background, who have worked for prohibited parties during the kings rule, who have participated in revolutions but I realized they know much less than myself. Once we were just chatting the general issues then one of us asked the other who has been a popular communist in his time the difference between socialism and communism, he couldn’t say a word. To him the same things I had learnt in college was the definition of communism and communists. I cannot say, what leaned me toward capitalism in the later days of my college. I had however ditched my love for communism lot earlier.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Asmit
I cannot say for certain what made him attached to me but one incident is still fresh in my mind. It was a Saturday and I was at home with kids. I being fond of them and many times part of their play, they don’t fear me and play mischief on me. I think its their time for mischief as a part of healthy childhood. I was trying to concentrate on my work but their mischief was getting more and more disturbing. I came up to my room but they won’t lower the volume of the TV. I got into the room fired, snatched the remote from their hand and hid it somewhere in the drawer. I came up for my work but he came up giggling and dancing around me with remote in his hand. I lost my temper and slapped him hard twice and asked him to leave my room. He left. May be before he could get into his room, I realized my mistake. I felt terrible, I had never raised hand on him and I should not have raised hand. I immediately went to his room. He had locked himself inside the room. I knocked and he deliberately let me come in. I knew he was angry but he was not crying. I moved my hand in his hair and asked if it pained. Then came the streams of tears. My heart split apart. I tried to soothe him, saying one is not expected to tease elder people, and there should always be boundary and sometime even the elder people make mistakes. He won’t move just look at the floor and the streams had dried into drops. I knew I had done a terrible mistake but I was more worried how would he interpret my hitting him. I didn’t want him to interpret it as hatred and I hit him because his parents are cannot afford to keep him at home and he is staying with his uncle and cousins. I told him I lost my temper and that was very bad of me. I told him I had not slapped him because I disliked or abhorred him. I begged sorry. I caught my ears and asked him sometime even elders do mistakes and it’s a good chance for youngers to act elder and forgive them. He listened to every thing. He was sobbing, I cursed myself, hated myself. I asked him to join me while I watch TV, he didn’t. He however laid in the bed with his face buried in the pillow, the pillow was getting wet. He would not give in, he has always been stubborn. I gave up and left the room with a knot in my heart. I knew I had choked while I was talking to him.
No one could sooth him, mummy tried, buwa tried, my grandmother tired but to no avail. I tried almost four times and so did my mother. They yelled at him, tried to drag him to kitchen for food but everyone of us failed. It was already 4 P.M. and he would not give in. Though I was feeling bad for the whole thing in the morning, I was also getting pissed off now. How can be a child be so stubborn? If nothing could persuade him at least hunger should have but no. It was more than 5 P.M. and I went in to his room. I asked him ‘don’t you feel hungry?’ and what the hatred for food is for? I have asked sorry and will never do that mistake and can’t you once forgive your brother. He looked at me. I knew he had submitted, I pulled his arm and he easily got up and followed me to room. I warmed the food and served him. I saw a child who could eat almost four times than myself.
Probably my begging him sorry and catching ears, gave some impression about me to him. I have realized from then he has been lot fond of me than he has ever been and even I learned something more about him. In the days that followed, he would obey whatever I tell him as him he has believed from heart that I don’t mean bad for him and whatever I say will always do him good. There are tiny things that other failed him to do which I made him do easily. For e.g. his brushing style everyone commented the way he brush would not clean his teeth properly but he would not listen. One morning I told him how should he brush and the other morning I saw his teeth brighter. When I asked him, he told me he brushed his teeth the way I told him. He eats food differently, the style would be rather difficult for us. Due to his way of eating he ate very slowly. My father always poked him for eating properly but he would not. Once while dining together, I told him how should he eat and what is wrong in his way of eating. Next morning he finished the meal earlier than all of us. He is reluctant to take bath whenever anybody asks him to do but when I ask him he is clean in next half an hour.
Well I think I have forgotten to introduce him, he is my twelve years old cousin Asmit. I doubt he is dyslexic (after watching the movie ‘Taare Zameen Par’ I read few articles on dyslexia in web and his traits are similar to those described in the articles). He fears to tell the truth even when he is not the culprit but a victim. He has set it in his mind that he will never be heard. I started taking his side sometimes even knowing he has done the mistake. I bought him clothes and bags without his asking me. While going out for bag, I realized he believes that he can make no choice so he is not supposed to make any choice. I asked him to pick the bag he likes. He just looked at me and I asked him that its his books, his bag and he should choose them. He choose a army colored bag. I bought him a half-pant. Till date I had never seen him showing his new things whenever someone brings them to him but that day he brought those things before my father and showed them to him. I knew this month will be tough on me as I have spent lot of money.
Unfortunately his parents are lazy and though they have enough land to earn well they don’t work much and are thus poor. My other uncle had brought him from Jhapa to educate here in Kathmandu but my auntie never liked him. He managed to stay with them for a year but now my auntie would send him back. My father and uncle talked on the issue and my father asked a ‘baba’ from an ashram if he could adjust him there. Since we have been giving him some money every month and sometime even organizing feast for the children he easily agreed.
The ashram is fifteen minutes away from our home and it houses orphans, children whose parents cannot afford education etc. These days even the parents in the neighborhood has started admitting their children in the day shift as the education is good. I took him to show the school and he was convinced to stay there. I wanted to have him at home once in fifteen days or once in a month but the ‘baba’ told it is not possible to have him so frequently. He said we can have him once in two month but can meet him once in fifteen days. I wish we could keep it at home but we could not afford and more than that he might get spoiled at home.
I was at office when he called me ‘dada ma ta jana lageko’ (Brother I am going to hostel). I didn’t know what that sentence did to me but I was heart wrenched. I was so helpless. I felt so bad after all its school and there won’t be any special treatment. More than that he is introvert and takes time to open up. I asked him not to do mischief and never to admit the mistakes that he has not done and make good friends. He has assured me he would remember everything I have told him. I hope a bright future awaits him. God bless him.
One song kept playing in my ears from the film ‘Taare Jameen Par’.
“Bhej na itna durr mujhko tuGhar laut ke bhi aa na paun maaaKya itna bura hoon mein maa”
i.e.
don’t send me so far away
that I can’t even return home my mother
am I so bad mummy
No one could sooth him, mummy tried, buwa tried, my grandmother tired but to no avail. I tried almost four times and so did my mother. They yelled at him, tried to drag him to kitchen for food but everyone of us failed. It was already 4 P.M. and he would not give in. Though I was feeling bad for the whole thing in the morning, I was also getting pissed off now. How can be a child be so stubborn? If nothing could persuade him at least hunger should have but no. It was more than 5 P.M. and I went in to his room. I asked him ‘don’t you feel hungry?’ and what the hatred for food is for? I have asked sorry and will never do that mistake and can’t you once forgive your brother. He looked at me. I knew he had submitted, I pulled his arm and he easily got up and followed me to room. I warmed the food and served him. I saw a child who could eat almost four times than myself.
Probably my begging him sorry and catching ears, gave some impression about me to him. I have realized from then he has been lot fond of me than he has ever been and even I learned something more about him. In the days that followed, he would obey whatever I tell him as him he has believed from heart that I don’t mean bad for him and whatever I say will always do him good. There are tiny things that other failed him to do which I made him do easily. For e.g. his brushing style everyone commented the way he brush would not clean his teeth properly but he would not listen. One morning I told him how should he brush and the other morning I saw his teeth brighter. When I asked him, he told me he brushed his teeth the way I told him. He eats food differently, the style would be rather difficult for us. Due to his way of eating he ate very slowly. My father always poked him for eating properly but he would not. Once while dining together, I told him how should he eat and what is wrong in his way of eating. Next morning he finished the meal earlier than all of us. He is reluctant to take bath whenever anybody asks him to do but when I ask him he is clean in next half an hour.
Well I think I have forgotten to introduce him, he is my twelve years old cousin Asmit. I doubt he is dyslexic (after watching the movie ‘Taare Zameen Par’ I read few articles on dyslexia in web and his traits are similar to those described in the articles). He fears to tell the truth even when he is not the culprit but a victim. He has set it in his mind that he will never be heard. I started taking his side sometimes even knowing he has done the mistake. I bought him clothes and bags without his asking me. While going out for bag, I realized he believes that he can make no choice so he is not supposed to make any choice. I asked him to pick the bag he likes. He just looked at me and I asked him that its his books, his bag and he should choose them. He choose a army colored bag. I bought him a half-pant. Till date I had never seen him showing his new things whenever someone brings them to him but that day he brought those things before my father and showed them to him. I knew this month will be tough on me as I have spent lot of money.
Unfortunately his parents are lazy and though they have enough land to earn well they don’t work much and are thus poor. My other uncle had brought him from Jhapa to educate here in Kathmandu but my auntie never liked him. He managed to stay with them for a year but now my auntie would send him back. My father and uncle talked on the issue and my father asked a ‘baba’ from an ashram if he could adjust him there. Since we have been giving him some money every month and sometime even organizing feast for the children he easily agreed.
The ashram is fifteen minutes away from our home and it houses orphans, children whose parents cannot afford education etc. These days even the parents in the neighborhood has started admitting their children in the day shift as the education is good. I took him to show the school and he was convinced to stay there. I wanted to have him at home once in fifteen days or once in a month but the ‘baba’ told it is not possible to have him so frequently. He said we can have him once in two month but can meet him once in fifteen days. I wish we could keep it at home but we could not afford and more than that he might get spoiled at home.
I was at office when he called me ‘dada ma ta jana lageko’ (Brother I am going to hostel). I didn’t know what that sentence did to me but I was heart wrenched. I was so helpless. I felt so bad after all its school and there won’t be any special treatment. More than that he is introvert and takes time to open up. I asked him not to do mischief and never to admit the mistakes that he has not done and make good friends. He has assured me he would remember everything I have told him. I hope a bright future awaits him. God bless him.
One song kept playing in my ears from the film ‘Taare Jameen Par’.
“Bhej na itna durr mujhko tuGhar laut ke bhi aa na paun maaaKya itna bura hoon mein maa”
i.e.
don’t send me so far away
that I can’t even return home my mother
am I so bad mummy
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Survival of the fittest
Everyday the newspaper, news channels, web sites and other information media are reporting about alarming condition of earth. How the earth is becoming unlivable. How human have contributed in deteriorating the condition of earth. How the sea levels are rising, how glaciers are melting, how temperature is changing, how climate is changing, these have all become common to us. They have become so ordinary that a common man has stopped thinking about it and reading about it. They think human race have lived this way and it will continue living. Most of them are convinced that no such catastrophe will hit the world during their time and who will care for the time when they won’t be here. We all have become unaccountable to the generations that will follow us. Few years back I had seen a hoarding near ‘Baluwatar’ which read ‘We do not inherit the earth and its nature from our ancestors but borrow it from our children’. I was really impressed by it, I guess those days we were being taught about green house effect, global warming etc. I have never participated in any campaign against human misuse of resources, depletion of nature etc. Even then that hoarding still holds meaningful to me. More and more lives are adding every second which means more mouth to feed, more depletion of forests to make home, more consumption of fuel. Human achievements are being measured against its impact on environment. A month back an Indian company ‘Tata Motors’ hit the headline for introducing the cheapest car in the world which cost IRs. 1.25 lakhs around 3000$. This certainly has lighted the face of middle class people who have dreamt about having a car. The efforts of the company is certainly laudable but the internet sites, blogs feared since the car uses petroleum it will only add more smoke in the already polluted air.
In developed countries scientists are looking for alternative ways to fight the problem or to bring to it to a hold. I doubt if that will be of any reason to take a sigh of relief to people from the third world like us. When any catastrophe is to strike it will strike us first, it will strike us the hard. Survival won’t be difficult, I will rather choose the word expensive than the term difficult. May be it will give the same meaning, but for those without money would just die out where as those with bucks would face no problem. There is an unparallel process of development going on in this world, where the developed countries are going higher and higher the poor are going poorer and poorer. We might have our own reservations when we have to give the most dreadful thing that is lurking in the earth against humanity. I would say its poverty. Why are we ill because we are poor, why do we keep fighting against ourselves because we are poor, why don’t we have food because we are poor, why can’t we utilize our resources because we are poor and why are we becoming poorer everyday because we are poor.
After a civil war came to an end we are at the wake of another civil war across more than forty percent of the country. I believe that years after years, generation after generations human race has struggled against disease, war, famine and they have always calmed their hunger, pain and destitution citing that this is the way it is supposed to be. They have seen a majority around themselves going through same hurdles, suffering the same pain. They thought probably this is the way of living. However the reach of information in every country, city, village and tribes of the world has aroused people. This has broken their patience; they want to fight the barricades. They know they are already standing at the edge. Its now or its never. I sometime think the consciousness is asleep inside most of us at least inside those who has to struggle for everyday living. To be able to breathe, to be able to live for next day holds their consciousness in dark. A labor who had a tiresome day will rather fall asleep than contemplating on why his life has been so. He will sleep till the day he manages to live a day and till the day where it seems the other day can be lived just the same way. When the other day looks dark and doubtful, he has to rise. Rather than his consciousness, his wrath explodes. When the fire inside one man ignites, it takes over many other men in its blaze and revolution results, then results unrest, then results civil war. The revolutions that have changed the face of world have occurred the same way. Whether that be French revolution, Russian revolution and the movements for freedom during the colonial time the straw was dry but fire didn’t ignite in all of them, it started in heart of fistful of men. This is the way India got its freedom, this is the way African countries fought back. Fire has always been powerful; a small flint of it can get so bigger that it sets ablaze everything. This is the nature of fire whether that be the real fire or the fire in heart of a man.
When Maoists waged war across the country, when they revolted against the existing system, existing constitution I always thought that this is not the time for revolution but may be that was the demand of time. I couldn’t feel happy that the country is developing just by seeing fistful of industries opening in the capital. The war was not going anywhere, we were in stalemate. People had suffered enough and fire ignited, fistful of people dared to show their frustration in streets which slowly became an ocean of people. The country witnessed a huge upheaval. It send message across every person, community and society that if you voiced for your right, you will get it, if you don’t your children will get it. Terai ran into another war against the biased system. Different groups with ill interests infiltrated the movement which is making one community stand against another. One group fighting for their rights, usurping the rights of another.
Many times I feel, this is the way the nature itself is trying to strike a balance. I read in report which said 1 billion people will die in Africa because of AIDS. Natural disaster is something that does not surprise us. Tsunami swept away many lives and so did hurricanes Katrina and others. The poor countries are all engaged in Civil war. His own achievement has made human race greedy and selfish. Leaders are misinterpreting their defeats in elections with injustice, corruption among many others. The fight is on and it is only getting fierce everyday. More bloods are being shed in world. Less people are dying natural deaths. Every year a new disease threatens human race. Earthquakes visit unlikely places and this has only severed the battle for survival.
We studied Darwin’s law three times, twice in school and once in college. The term that comes to our mind when we hear or read Darwin is ‘Struggle for existence’, ‘Natural selection’ and ‘Survival of Fittest’. He explained why many forms of life namely Dinosaur, mammoth etc. disappeared while we are still here. They did have a tough struggle to protect their survival during the time of changing climate, lack of food etc. but they couldn’t adapt to the changing environment. The other way nature biased some while it forced others to extinct. Human race is going through same struggle. In this struggle the third world countries are fighting for their survival. This is a very strange stage where we have to benefit from others loss. During the cold war the titans fought through their influences. They tried their best to batter the countries which had support of their enemies. This was the fight for proving oneself superior and supreme. But the things have changed now, the battle is not for proving oneself superior but for securing their interest and survival. One country is hatching conspiracy against other because the survival of the other country, the prosperity of other country has posed danger to its own existence. Many civil wars have been the result of this foul play.
Yesterday, I had to return home in a packed microbus putting my body at stake. I had to stand on one feet and holding a bar with a single hand in the door of the small vehicle. I was so terrified at many times specially when another vehicle whistled in the air just by me. The roads were packed with people returning home in their foot. There was very few vehicles in the road and even the roofs were packed with people. There is no electricity, no gas, no kerosene. This is the worst fuel crisis. We seem to be loosing the battle for survival. Gas stations had a long queue of vehicles waiting to be filled. Yesterday a newspaper read only two petrol tankers and twenty diesel tankers entered the city, which pointed to more severe scarcity.
In developed countries scientists are looking for alternative ways to fight the problem or to bring to it to a hold. I doubt if that will be of any reason to take a sigh of relief to people from the third world like us. When any catastrophe is to strike it will strike us first, it will strike us the hard. Survival won’t be difficult, I will rather choose the word expensive than the term difficult. May be it will give the same meaning, but for those without money would just die out where as those with bucks would face no problem. There is an unparallel process of development going on in this world, where the developed countries are going higher and higher the poor are going poorer and poorer. We might have our own reservations when we have to give the most dreadful thing that is lurking in the earth against humanity. I would say its poverty. Why are we ill because we are poor, why do we keep fighting against ourselves because we are poor, why don’t we have food because we are poor, why can’t we utilize our resources because we are poor and why are we becoming poorer everyday because we are poor.
After a civil war came to an end we are at the wake of another civil war across more than forty percent of the country. I believe that years after years, generation after generations human race has struggled against disease, war, famine and they have always calmed their hunger, pain and destitution citing that this is the way it is supposed to be. They have seen a majority around themselves going through same hurdles, suffering the same pain. They thought probably this is the way of living. However the reach of information in every country, city, village and tribes of the world has aroused people. This has broken their patience; they want to fight the barricades. They know they are already standing at the edge. Its now or its never. I sometime think the consciousness is asleep inside most of us at least inside those who has to struggle for everyday living. To be able to breathe, to be able to live for next day holds their consciousness in dark. A labor who had a tiresome day will rather fall asleep than contemplating on why his life has been so. He will sleep till the day he manages to live a day and till the day where it seems the other day can be lived just the same way. When the other day looks dark and doubtful, he has to rise. Rather than his consciousness, his wrath explodes. When the fire inside one man ignites, it takes over many other men in its blaze and revolution results, then results unrest, then results civil war. The revolutions that have changed the face of world have occurred the same way. Whether that be French revolution, Russian revolution and the movements for freedom during the colonial time the straw was dry but fire didn’t ignite in all of them, it started in heart of fistful of men. This is the way India got its freedom, this is the way African countries fought back. Fire has always been powerful; a small flint of it can get so bigger that it sets ablaze everything. This is the nature of fire whether that be the real fire or the fire in heart of a man.
When Maoists waged war across the country, when they revolted against the existing system, existing constitution I always thought that this is not the time for revolution but may be that was the demand of time. I couldn’t feel happy that the country is developing just by seeing fistful of industries opening in the capital. The war was not going anywhere, we were in stalemate. People had suffered enough and fire ignited, fistful of people dared to show their frustration in streets which slowly became an ocean of people. The country witnessed a huge upheaval. It send message across every person, community and society that if you voiced for your right, you will get it, if you don’t your children will get it. Terai ran into another war against the biased system. Different groups with ill interests infiltrated the movement which is making one community stand against another. One group fighting for their rights, usurping the rights of another.
Many times I feel, this is the way the nature itself is trying to strike a balance. I read in report which said 1 billion people will die in Africa because of AIDS. Natural disaster is something that does not surprise us. Tsunami swept away many lives and so did hurricanes Katrina and others. The poor countries are all engaged in Civil war. His own achievement has made human race greedy and selfish. Leaders are misinterpreting their defeats in elections with injustice, corruption among many others. The fight is on and it is only getting fierce everyday. More bloods are being shed in world. Less people are dying natural deaths. Every year a new disease threatens human race. Earthquakes visit unlikely places and this has only severed the battle for survival.
We studied Darwin’s law three times, twice in school and once in college. The term that comes to our mind when we hear or read Darwin is ‘Struggle for existence’, ‘Natural selection’ and ‘Survival of Fittest’. He explained why many forms of life namely Dinosaur, mammoth etc. disappeared while we are still here. They did have a tough struggle to protect their survival during the time of changing climate, lack of food etc. but they couldn’t adapt to the changing environment. The other way nature biased some while it forced others to extinct. Human race is going through same struggle. In this struggle the third world countries are fighting for their survival. This is a very strange stage where we have to benefit from others loss. During the cold war the titans fought through their influences. They tried their best to batter the countries which had support of their enemies. This was the fight for proving oneself superior and supreme. But the things have changed now, the battle is not for proving oneself superior but for securing their interest and survival. One country is hatching conspiracy against other because the survival of the other country, the prosperity of other country has posed danger to its own existence. Many civil wars have been the result of this foul play.
Yesterday, I had to return home in a packed microbus putting my body at stake. I had to stand on one feet and holding a bar with a single hand in the door of the small vehicle. I was so terrified at many times specially when another vehicle whistled in the air just by me. The roads were packed with people returning home in their foot. There was very few vehicles in the road and even the roofs were packed with people. There is no electricity, no gas, no kerosene. This is the worst fuel crisis. We seem to be loosing the battle for survival. Gas stations had a long queue of vehicles waiting to be filled. Yesterday a newspaper read only two petrol tankers and twenty diesel tankers entered the city, which pointed to more severe scarcity.
My view on election in Nepal
Few days back I wrote, the election might show results that will oppose many speculations after seeing the Maoists flag wavering on the top of hillock. That was just a day before the election for constituent assembly. My guess however did not mean that Maoists will rise above 50 to 60 seats when the noted media and praised intellectuals had bound Maoists within 20-30 seats. The result has made everyone gape in surprise. By the time I am writing this piece 210 seats have been declared out of which Maoists have secured 115 positions, a whopping victory for the rebels. Today as I recollect the sight of my visit to Kathmandu where a long flag was waving with great power at the top of the hillock, above all the smaller flags peeping through the windows of urban area, I find that symbolical. They have indeed risen all above everyone. The victory is not marginal, they have left every one way behind. The fate of the so called mainstream political parties is the trust that they have let down earlier. This has also sent a clear message that the thing that all Nepalese want right now is peace and change. The change they expect is not a mediocre change but a revolutionary change.
There could have been so many reasons behind this unexpected outcome, I sat down if I vote for the Maoists why would I vote them. Then I realized I would not be able to represent a common Nepalese voter because of my urban and a dweller in the capital with comparatively safe job. A common man could have thought more than enough innocent blood has been shed. During their pre-election campaign Maoists had given messages that they will give up the whole peace process and they will be forced to lift weapon once again. People who have slowly started coming out of the civil war’s trauma must have been shocked and they must have thought they have to hold the rebels from going into war once again. The second is the desire for change, may be this was the desperate move of a common Nepalese man. All these years of democracy the things they have witnessed is turmoil, corruption, unemployment among many other hardships. All other political parties have been tried and tested and they have yielded no results as most of the country still struggles for basic resources like reach to education, health and transportation. The revolutionary slogans and assurances from the Maoists must have made them vote for the Maoists. Similarly, in spite of the blood shed they knew Maoists have fought for what they believe is good for the country. They have come to the mainstream politics with a completely different history. They have emerged as the power that has made the established powers to kneel down.
As the election came nearer and nearer we saw the political parties trying to prove that the agenda for constitutional assembly was theirs and it was them who had brought the Maoists to the mainstream politics. Unfortunately people didn’t buy the idea. If the agenda was theirs they had already disowned it. They never spoke about the ‘constitutional assembly’ in all these years when they were in power. They always wagged their tail before the monarch. When Maoists raised their voice for constitutional assembly it was them who issued red corner notice and even tagged price for the heads of Maoists leader. The parties who have come out with slogans for wiping out the absolute monarchy, nepotism, favoritism have become rampant in their own political parties. Change was inevitable.
The other point is that the political parties did not address the youth effectively. This time 22 percent of the voters were the first time voters. During the process of growing up, they have seen turmoil, unemployment and violence all over. They were fed up from the news that came out of media. They hated the cruel grin in the faces of the main political players. More than the love for the new party it’s the hatred for the old players that have made the Maoists emerge victorious in the election.
It is now clear that Maoists will lead the new government but they have challenges to address. The main thing is the trust of International communities specially India and USA they have to secure and to sound revolutionary they have passed sour messages to these giants. The other challenge is to get proper support from the army. The rebels in the cantonment are waiting to be admitted into the main army while the army had made it clear that there should and will be no room for people with political commitments in the army. The stakes are higher for the victors. The assurances of quality education, employment and overall development are not very easy to bring to life. People have loads of expectations from Maoists. In this regard, the speech delivered by the Maoists President Prachanda has come out as a positive message to all including the international community, political parties, security forces etc. Hope new days will come with development and prosperity in the country.
There could have been so many reasons behind this unexpected outcome, I sat down if I vote for the Maoists why would I vote them. Then I realized I would not be able to represent a common Nepalese voter because of my urban and a dweller in the capital with comparatively safe job. A common man could have thought more than enough innocent blood has been shed. During their pre-election campaign Maoists had given messages that they will give up the whole peace process and they will be forced to lift weapon once again. People who have slowly started coming out of the civil war’s trauma must have been shocked and they must have thought they have to hold the rebels from going into war once again. The second is the desire for change, may be this was the desperate move of a common Nepalese man. All these years of democracy the things they have witnessed is turmoil, corruption, unemployment among many other hardships. All other political parties have been tried and tested and they have yielded no results as most of the country still struggles for basic resources like reach to education, health and transportation. The revolutionary slogans and assurances from the Maoists must have made them vote for the Maoists. Similarly, in spite of the blood shed they knew Maoists have fought for what they believe is good for the country. They have come to the mainstream politics with a completely different history. They have emerged as the power that has made the established powers to kneel down.
As the election came nearer and nearer we saw the political parties trying to prove that the agenda for constitutional assembly was theirs and it was them who had brought the Maoists to the mainstream politics. Unfortunately people didn’t buy the idea. If the agenda was theirs they had already disowned it. They never spoke about the ‘constitutional assembly’ in all these years when they were in power. They always wagged their tail before the monarch. When Maoists raised their voice for constitutional assembly it was them who issued red corner notice and even tagged price for the heads of Maoists leader. The parties who have come out with slogans for wiping out the absolute monarchy, nepotism, favoritism have become rampant in their own political parties. Change was inevitable.
The other point is that the political parties did not address the youth effectively. This time 22 percent of the voters were the first time voters. During the process of growing up, they have seen turmoil, unemployment and violence all over. They were fed up from the news that came out of media. They hated the cruel grin in the faces of the main political players. More than the love for the new party it’s the hatred for the old players that have made the Maoists emerge victorious in the election.
It is now clear that Maoists will lead the new government but they have challenges to address. The main thing is the trust of International communities specially India and USA they have to secure and to sound revolutionary they have passed sour messages to these giants. The other challenge is to get proper support from the army. The rebels in the cantonment are waiting to be admitted into the main army while the army had made it clear that there should and will be no room for people with political commitments in the army. The stakes are higher for the victors. The assurances of quality education, employment and overall development are not very easy to bring to life. People have loads of expectations from Maoists. In this regard, the speech delivered by the Maoists President Prachanda has come out as a positive message to all including the international community, political parties, security forces etc. Hope new days will come with development and prosperity in the country.
Outskirts of Kathmandu during election
I am in holiday, more than seventy five percent of offices across the country are closed citing the approaching Constituent Assembly election and government declaration of five days of public holiday across the country. Sunday, I returned home lot earlier as there were very few staffs in the office and those who had come were already getting ready to return. Yesterday the first day of holidays, I spent the whole day watching tv and sleeping. It was a boring day. Today I woke up fresh and decided to go for a morning walk. I thought today I will try to not watch tv or work on computer and check how it affects me. Luckily three hours load shedding in the morning helped my plan to work. I spent the morning reading the newspaper line by line and then after the morning meal, we had family talk. Probably after dashain, today was the first time we were all at home. I wanted not to spend the whole day at home but had no idea what to do about the remaining day. I wanted to go out aimlessly and just wander around the very well known Kathmandu city and return home. I was reluctant to go and see the city, the busy city that gives me headache almost everyday. The city and the crowd that I observe everyday, there was no point in wandering around the same people. I put on my clothes but with a change in mood I decided to rather stay at home, mummy insisted that I should go out. I had heard from people that Thali which is located on the outskirts of Kathmandu valley gives a rustic feel. I had heard the expanse fields are really beautiful and fun to watch. Though just around 10-15 kilometers from the heart of Kathmandu I had never been to the place, so I thought I should give it a try. I however knew the road till Dakshindhoka is discouraging and the environment too polluted. That didn’t stop me from visiting the place in my own. Just after leaving Dakshindhoka, the road was lot better and the environment green and the place really open. It would give an impression of coming out of school after a tiring day sitting before the teacher trying to be disciplined and well behaved. I liked it but it was not as good as I had expected. The fields were expanse, the space was open but there were no jungles around. Yet the place was village, expecting to change soon. To be part of the change which turned state from underdeveloped to developed, good to better is always good but in our country industrialization and urbanization of rural areas mostly takes place at the stake of local culture, tradition and heritage. Urbanization means destruction of environment, noise and pollution everywhere. I know next time when I visit this place I will say oops it is different now.
After getting off from the small bus, I entered into the Sankhu bazaar. The small bazaar exhibited almost everything that the huge bazaars of the main city, yet they were smaller. There were gift shops, clothes, hardware, utensils, cyber centers etc but the bazaar was only few hundred meters in length and shops faced each other. Few people were busy watching a film in a movie channel. The people were lot simpler with the dominance of Newar community. The glamour of election had completely taken over the city. It was surprising to see every house had a flag of either one or other political parties wagging on their roofs or small windows. The dominance of CPN-UML was clearly visible in the city, though I cannot tell it for certain but I saw only two flags of NCP and three or four flags of NDP. I was surprised to observe that even in areas like these where Maoists have been active during the period of insurgence and even after they came to peace process, there were people flanking their belief in monarchy. These days one needs guts to speak in favor of monarchy. The tide has been completely against the monarch and the royalists, when people would think twice to talk in favor of monarch in the main city, there were people who had flags belonging to NDP (party of royal supporters) waving on their roof. The other thing that took me by surprise that there were only one or two flags belonging to CPN-Maoists waving on their roof. People were busy talking about the election but I couldn’t understand them as they were talking in Newari. Few kids were chanting slogans in support of political parties. They were just imitating what they saw in their areas and in the television. They were no equivocal on their slogans, some were chanting ‘Long live Sun’ while some said ‘Long live Plough’. I wandered around, they just followed the trail across the fields that were green with potatoes. Farmers were busy pulling the potatoes. I must have walked forty five minutes after which I made a return. When I reached the bus station, I was not yet tempted to return home. A tarred and windy road seemed to pass across interesting places. I followed it. At the end of it there was a temple of lord ‘Vishnu’ on the bank of Sali river. I saw a hermit, and some elderly locals were having a chat on constituent assembly. I wanted to listen to them. I sat a little away from them but their sound was reaching me word by word. The hermit was well aware of the political developments and also knew the major political milestones in the history of the country. I also learned he had his name listed from the same area and he had made up his mind to vote for the Maoists. He was telling that he was not giving vote to Maoists because he liked their ideas but because once he had said if Maoists were to come to mainstream politics he would vote for them. So just to keep his words he was voting for Maoists. He further said, people have seen how futile are the assurances of other main parties and what are they upto. They amassed lot of money and wagged tail before India and America so no vote for them. His audience were affirming what they heard. In the Sali river a woman was washing clothes and she seemed so unaware of everything and neither cared for those chit chats. On the bank the children were playing something and neither they were interested in the talks. On the other side of the river a man was spraying pesticides in his potatoes’ field. I know except for the kids all of them had their names in the voting list and hope they will participate in the process.
Even yesterday I wanted to sneak into outskirts of valley and listen to political developments in those areas. I have no idea why I wanted to do so. I spent the whole day sitting at home yesterday. While many of those I have talked to believe that Maoists will have no place at least in Kathmandu but I know their position is not that weak and the verdict can go for any party. As I was returning, my eyes stuck on a house in the hillock, which had a long pole of Maoists flag waving in its ground. Just little further from this house there was another flag demonstrating the beliefs of its owner. I know further and above there were more and more supporters. For sure this area shared a communist dream, the dream of classless society and equal distribution of wealth. I don’t know how a common uneducated man, a farmer, a woman decides which party they should vote for. While reading the manifesto of CPN-UML and NCP I found they were more or less similar. May be this is where the influence of the leader comes into play, his power of persuasion among others become vital. While returning I was behind two girls who were also talking about election. One of the girl was saying how Maoists had come to her house and how her father had assured them that he will vote for them but how he had planned to vote for some other party.
A porter who was carrying a sack of potatoes for a woman was telling how still Monarchy is necessary, and the woman seemed to believe in him but I know if he has any children who can cast vote will never cast vote in favor of the king. To me we have already put the monarch in the coffin and the election will only strike the final nail into the coffin.
Though my visit was just to refresh myself, get myself away from the pollution and be at the lap of the loving nature in the blossoming spring, I was drifted by politics and the political development in the country.
After getting off from the small bus, I entered into the Sankhu bazaar. The small bazaar exhibited almost everything that the huge bazaars of the main city, yet they were smaller. There were gift shops, clothes, hardware, utensils, cyber centers etc but the bazaar was only few hundred meters in length and shops faced each other. Few people were busy watching a film in a movie channel. The people were lot simpler with the dominance of Newar community. The glamour of election had completely taken over the city. It was surprising to see every house had a flag of either one or other political parties wagging on their roofs or small windows. The dominance of CPN-UML was clearly visible in the city, though I cannot tell it for certain but I saw only two flags of NCP and three or four flags of NDP. I was surprised to observe that even in areas like these where Maoists have been active during the period of insurgence and even after they came to peace process, there were people flanking their belief in monarchy. These days one needs guts to speak in favor of monarchy. The tide has been completely against the monarch and the royalists, when people would think twice to talk in favor of monarch in the main city, there were people who had flags belonging to NDP (party of royal supporters) waving on their roof. The other thing that took me by surprise that there were only one or two flags belonging to CPN-Maoists waving on their roof. People were busy talking about the election but I couldn’t understand them as they were talking in Newari. Few kids were chanting slogans in support of political parties. They were just imitating what they saw in their areas and in the television. They were no equivocal on their slogans, some were chanting ‘Long live Sun’ while some said ‘Long live Plough’. I wandered around, they just followed the trail across the fields that were green with potatoes. Farmers were busy pulling the potatoes. I must have walked forty five minutes after which I made a return. When I reached the bus station, I was not yet tempted to return home. A tarred and windy road seemed to pass across interesting places. I followed it. At the end of it there was a temple of lord ‘Vishnu’ on the bank of Sali river. I saw a hermit, and some elderly locals were having a chat on constituent assembly. I wanted to listen to them. I sat a little away from them but their sound was reaching me word by word. The hermit was well aware of the political developments and also knew the major political milestones in the history of the country. I also learned he had his name listed from the same area and he had made up his mind to vote for the Maoists. He was telling that he was not giving vote to Maoists because he liked their ideas but because once he had said if Maoists were to come to mainstream politics he would vote for them. So just to keep his words he was voting for Maoists. He further said, people have seen how futile are the assurances of other main parties and what are they upto. They amassed lot of money and wagged tail before India and America so no vote for them. His audience were affirming what they heard. In the Sali river a woman was washing clothes and she seemed so unaware of everything and neither cared for those chit chats. On the bank the children were playing something and neither they were interested in the talks. On the other side of the river a man was spraying pesticides in his potatoes’ field. I know except for the kids all of them had their names in the voting list and hope they will participate in the process.
Even yesterday I wanted to sneak into outskirts of valley and listen to political developments in those areas. I have no idea why I wanted to do so. I spent the whole day sitting at home yesterday. While many of those I have talked to believe that Maoists will have no place at least in Kathmandu but I know their position is not that weak and the verdict can go for any party. As I was returning, my eyes stuck on a house in the hillock, which had a long pole of Maoists flag waving in its ground. Just little further from this house there was another flag demonstrating the beliefs of its owner. I know further and above there were more and more supporters. For sure this area shared a communist dream, the dream of classless society and equal distribution of wealth. I don’t know how a common uneducated man, a farmer, a woman decides which party they should vote for. While reading the manifesto of CPN-UML and NCP I found they were more or less similar. May be this is where the influence of the leader comes into play, his power of persuasion among others become vital. While returning I was behind two girls who were also talking about election. One of the girl was saying how Maoists had come to her house and how her father had assured them that he will vote for them but how he had planned to vote for some other party.
A porter who was carrying a sack of potatoes for a woman was telling how still Monarchy is necessary, and the woman seemed to believe in him but I know if he has any children who can cast vote will never cast vote in favor of the king. To me we have already put the monarch in the coffin and the election will only strike the final nail into the coffin.
Though my visit was just to refresh myself, get myself away from the pollution and be at the lap of the loving nature in the blossoming spring, I was drifted by politics and the political development in the country.
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