I had missed this article publiched in ekantipur on 18th this month, just read. I find it great, hope you ll like too. source: http://www.kantipuronline.com/columns.php?&nid=68589
- (An open letter to the people & friends of Nepal in Nepal and abroad)
By Quirijn van Olden Dear people and friends of Nepal,
For about two and a half centuries now, Nepal has been a country ruled by a minority (from the Ranas to the Shahs, and more recently- the political elite) at the expense of the majority. This minority has used various forms of repression to keep things under control. The vast majority of the population has not been given access to adequate education. Only a minority, predominantly consisting of Brahmins, Chettris and Newars, that was close enough to the ruling powers, got this privilege. Even in more recent history, attempts at various forms of democracy did not fundamentally change this state of affairs, since political power remained essentially in the hands of a clan of Brahmins, Chettris and Newars; many of them used the opportunity to fill their pockets, and too few of them had real intentions of establishing a "real" broad-based democracy.But now it looks like the Nepalese people inside and outside Nepal are slowly but surely starting to wake up. The Internet, travelling and exposure to different forms of governing a country are naturally starting to provoke questions in the heads of many Nepali people. Especially in the people who have so far been in disadvantaged positions, predominantly the Janjatis such as Tamangs, Gurungs, Newars, Magars, Sherpas, Limbus etc (who had a, albeit feudal, form of relative independence only a few centuries ago), seem to have decided that enough is enough.
A couple of shrewd political manipulators, who call themselves "Maoists", have been able to use this growing sense of dissatisfaction with the status quo to generate a violent movement. This is a sorry example of how the energy of a fundamentally justified wish for more freedom, more prosperity and more influence over governance has been turned by these so-called "leaders" into a wave of aggression, hatred and destruction currently paralyzing the country from further progress.
A number of Nepali people seem to be awakening to this harsh reality, and are starting to realize that the way to freedom, peace, harmony, and more prosperity is not through hatred, destruction and ill will. And it is my sincere hope that this number will grow and grow. In fact, I think it is inevitable, since any political power that is based on greed, ill will etc., be it the king, the Maoists or the political elite, is bound to fall sooner or later. People simply start sensing that something is not right, and that is what is happening now.
The Nepali people are a peace loving people. They are famous all over the world for their hospitality, their joy of life, and their friendliness. They have won the hearts of many people all over the world who were fortunate enough to visit Nepal. Therefore, the "awakening" I refer to is, in my opinion, nothing more than a return to the fundamental kindness, friendliness and joyfulness that have made the Nepali people so famous in the past. This awakening, coupled with the search for more harmony in the way the nation is governed, will strengthen the hearts and minds of the people engaged in this path. Simply because it is the right path. And being on the right path gives one power, enormous power. This is not the kind of power that represses others; it is a power that uplifts others and will ultimately uplift the nation. There is nothing that can stop such a power, and this is why a major shift in the power balance and power base is inevitable in my opinion.
The elite that is governing Nepal will need to either fundamentally change its attitude and "clean up" its image or -more likely- be changed and replaced by a younger, more intelligent and especially wiser group of people with a sincere wish for a broad-based democracy. You may ask yourselves, where are these people? Do they exist at all? What is this guy actually dreaming about?
Well, my bet is that these people exist. They mostly live in self-imposed exile (although a very small minority has consciously decided to come back to Nepal and serve the country), in order to flee the limitations imposed by a Nepal that is gripped in corruption, civil war, etc. They typically live in the United States, Europe, Canada or Australia, have enjoyed a good education and are moderately to very wealthy. They have adapted to a large degree to the countries they live in and, in some cases, have even adopted the citizenship of the countries they live in, tired of the cumbersome visa procedures that they encountered whenever they wanted to travel abroad to another western country.
It is these people who Nepal needs the most, because it is these people who had the intelligence and the entrepreneurship which took them abroad to more prosperous countries and made them succeed there. It is also high time these Nepali people woke up and started considering putting their abilities in the service of their motherland. This will surely not happen overnight, as a more stable political situation is a prerequisite for most of them. Moreover, many of these Nepalis living in western countries have long since become disillusioned with the situation in their home country. They tend to think something along the lines of: "nothing will ever change."
Well, my bet is everything will change. It is inevitable.
Maybe a UN transitional government is a temporary solution, maybe it is the young students in Nepal, tired of the ongoing hassle in their country, tired of the lack of perspective, who will lead the way and turn themselves away from more promising prospects abroad back to getting Nepal on track.
A recently published interview on this website with Gagan Thapa, a student leader and active member of the Congress party provides a good example of this group of people. They have multiple (virtual) battlegrounds but will eventually succeed if they remain on the right track. My only hope is that it will be with a minimum of bloodshed (by their adversaries), or rather no bloodshed at all, and that they will not remain alone; it is time for the whole younger generation of Nepal to awaken, spearheaded by the students, backed up by the "intelligentsia" abroad, the farmers, the merchants and an ever broader base of the Nepali population.
A source of inspiration I can recommend to all is the recent Bollywood movie Rang de Basanti (or in English: The Colour of Patriotism) with Amir Khan, subtitled "a generation awakens." This is a very realistic, moving and at the same time funny movie about fighting suppression and corruption in India. I would of course exclude the part where the group of youngsters actually decides to kill a minister from my recommendation, as such violence would bring the movement down to the level of the "Maoists". But overall, there are very few films that apply that well to the situation in Nepal. Needless to say, seeing this movie when it came out a few weeks ago was one of the factors that pushed me to write this letter. But the main inspiration comes from my love for Nepal, and my sense of gratitude for all the wonderful things Nepal has taught me.
Because if we take a step back from the current turmoil, we see a country unsurpassed in its beauty and variety, be it in terms of people, landscapes, flora or fauna. It is this beauty that comes to my mind first when I think of Nepal. It is not that I am a kind of romantic. I have seen it with my own eyes when travelling through the country during a three-month stay over the fall of 2005. It is not only (though primarily) for the benefit of the Nepali people that I hope that there will be a "peaceful" rather than a violent revolution as soon as possible; it is also for the rest of the world, so that these people may also be given the chance to discover Nepal, and let their lives be enhanced by it. In fact, I think a lot of the answers to the questions we are struggling with in the west can still be found in Nepal. Indeed, I am far from convinced that everything in the west is just great and ideal, and that we have nothing to improve on.
I would like to conclude this letter with a genuine wish for the well-being of Nepal, both materially and spiritually. May Nepal find the way back to peace, harmony and prosperity!
Namaste!
Posted on: 2006-03-18 07:54:56
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