A journey to remember

I met a rather interesting person on the train from Calcutta on my way back home late in December. Old, bespectacled, strongly built and balding, this person was travelling in the same compartment as me and occupied the berth opposite mine. As the train set out from Calcutta, we began speaking to one another. On being asked “aap kya karte hain? (what do you do in life), he replied, “main baatein karta hoon” (I merely talk). And talk he did. A good deal too. He spoke about everything from the cold wave beginning to sweep through the Ganges plain, the surprisingly slick performance of the Indian cricket team (it was slick then), the prospects of the Indian economy over the coming year and the impending marriage between Abhishek Bachhan and Aishwarya Rai.

As the journey progressed, the conversation veered from politics to sport, then back to politics and then to the economy, and then back to politics again. (This is inevitable in Bihar). We began talking about politics in the state, in the country, and in neighbouring Nepal. It was then that he really caught my attention. His knowledge of Nepal’s politics was enormous and he seemed to understand its intricacies better than most (read Western journalists).

The following morning, as we reached our destination, I asked him if I could drop him home since he lived in a town that I would have to cross on my way to the Nepalese border. On the way there, in the course of a rather mundane conversation, he mentioned nonchalantly that he was friends with GP Koirala (Nepal’s Prime Minister), and a host of other senior Nepali leaders. I got him to tell me more about their relationship and learnt that their friendship went back almost 40 years when he had spent a few years with GP after GP had been exiled from Nepal by the monarchy for fighting for democracy in Nepal.

I had already formed a very high opinion of the man and was in awe of him. Little did I know what lay in store for me. The man lived in a town named Farbesganj, which happens to be nondescript, dusty and lifeless. However, his bungalow was like a breath of fresh air. It had large lawns dotted with fruit trees and flowers of every kind. Within five minutes of stepping onto the premises of his bungalow, I had seen as much greenery as I had in the entire town.

We sat down to parathas and a cup of tea in the verandah overlooking the garden. There was a smile on the old man’s face which he could not conceal, try as much as he did. I asked him what the matter was. He then told me that the Congress Party of Nepal was founded in that very verandah that we were sitting in. I almost dropped my teacup. This man just didn’t cease to surprise me. The gist of the very long conversation that we had following his disclosure was that the top leaders of Nepal in the mid 20^th century had all met at his home in Farbesganj to decide on the their future plan of action for the country. Nepal was not safe enough for them and the easiest way out for them was to slip through the porous Indo-Nepal border into Bihar. Once there, following lengthy deliberations, the leaders decided to form a new political party, the Nepali Congress – the political party that led Nepal’s struggle for democracy for over four decades… and eventually succeeded.

I didn’t know what to say or how to react once he had finished telling me all he had to say. The best I could come up with was a request that he write a book on the history of the Nepali Congress. It was beginning to get dark by this time, and I decided to take leave. It seemed like I had leaden feet, for I did not want to leave the place. The sense of history attached to it had an overbearing effect on me.

As I finally settled into the backseat of the car and left his home, the last twenty-odd hours began playing themselves out in my mind. Before long, we were at the Nepal border. There was a strike in Nepal, and so, I got onto a rickshaw – baggage and all – and began the last leg of my journey home. Not a grand homecoming by any means.

Over the last twenty hours, I had discussed politics. Now I was a victim of it.

of government, national anthems and cows

The word "Royal" has been erased off countless hoardings, our naitional carrier is now called just Nepal Airlines, the dead have been proclaimed as martyrs, the national anthem has been scrapped. Yet, nothing has changed.

There is a lot of talk about the Maoists and the Seven Party Alliance working closely together to resolve the impasse that is impeding any political development in the government, but that's exactly what it is - talk. And nothing more. Both sides seem to be moving back and forth from their earlier stated positions on certain issues; both sides accuse the other of delaying the peace process, both sides have begun doing what they have done so well over the last ten years - fight for control.

In the meanwhile, the government has set up a National Anthem Selection Taskforce to select a new national anthem for the country. (I'm used to this kind of crap, but even I don't believe this). Nepalnews reports Satya Mohan Joshi, the coordinator of the National Anthem Selection Task Force, as having said, “We are working on a war-footing. We have already received over 700 songs, but are extending our working period so as to include more songs in the historic competition.” (emphasis added)

I wait impatiently for the day when the government begins "working on a war-footing" to confront challenges such as rising prices, falling tourism arrivals, the shutdown (or withdrawal) of businesses and the separation of the word "interim" from the likes of other words such as "constitution" and "government".

But I fear we might be encouraged to participate in another competition where our task is to nominate other animals to replace the cow as Nepal's national animal. We aren't a Hindu state any longer, after all. I won't be surprised.

(Temporary) peace at the expense of just about anything

icklThere is finally peace in Nepal, but this peace has been bought- and at a great price at that. In the quest to appease the masses and to ensure that peace prevails - however temporarily - the political parties have more or less gifted the country to the Maoists on a platter.

All the demands the Maoists have made have been met and continue being met- yet, the Maoists have not made any concessions, except for a meaningless ceasefire in which they still continue to abduct and extort businessmen (to feed their army apparently). Occasional spurts of violence are still common.

The people of the country have been gained nothing so far. Changes that have been brought about are purely cosmetic in nature and potentially dangerous in effect. For instance, Nepal has been declared a secular state by the House of Representatives (HoR). Nepalese society has been characterized by religious tolerance over the centuries and there was absolutely no need to declare Nepal a secular state. By doing so, the government has succeeded in provided religious hardliners with an opportunity to take a confrontational stance. A non-issue is now increasingly becoming a sensitive issue. The point is that the trend being set by the HoR does not necessarily augur well for the country, as opined by news media within the country as well as around the world.

This is perhaps the only time the HoR will be in a position to pass laws in a jiffy without extensive debate, infighting, squabbling and prolonged delays. At such a time, I think it should be the government’s prerogative to pass laws that address the larger issues that confront us today – issues that deal with the economic and social development of the people – rather than picking on issues, proclaiming that they are problems, and then addressing them, when they aren’t problems in the first place.

In all this while, the Maoists have inched their way forward and become the most powerful entity in Nepalese politics.

While the Maoists demand various things from the political parties, the political parties "request" the Maoists to stop extorting money. While all the demands are being met, none of the requests are being entertained. The political parties have a crisis of leadership, the Maoists definitely do not. The political parties have nothing vaguely resembling an ideology; the Maoists at least have a semblance of one - albeit a frequently changing one. Finally of course, while the political parties have at their service the national army whose loyalty is still questionable, the Maoists have close to twenty thousand fighters – poor, hungry and indoctrinated at that.

The reality is that the Maoists are the only ones left with any power at this point of time. They have played their cards to perfection and are now enjoying great success in spite of having done nothing much over the last few months. Neither can the Maoists be defeated militarily, nor can they be ignored politically.

The Maoists only used to pull the trigger- now they call the shots as well.

valleys of paranoia

the land that was once mysterious is threatened from within…
unrest sweeps through the countryside
and fear and uncertainty loom in the air
these are the valleys of paranoia

flags of red, armies of green,
how much more bloodshed remains to be seen?
snow capped mountains and skies blue
in every river, blood seeps through.

no one takes note and they couldn’t be bothered
while on rugged and barren fields, villagers are slaughtered,
and life for the people is a continuous struggle against death

gone is the peace, so is the calm
that once captivated and charmed

in the valleys of paranoia- a gun shot here, a gun shot there
in the valleys of paranoia- a few deaths here, a few deaths there

democracy, hypocrisy, monarchy
it’s all the same…
military, citizen or revolutionary
it’s time we all shared the blame…

in these times of worry and fear
the people pray on the terraced slopes
for with the Gods, rest their aspirations and hopes.

and while the bloodshed continues
there are no signs of a likely truce
the common man worries about his daily bread
the morning news reads, ‘thirteen injured, four dead.’

Shangri-la no more

Six months into the emergency in Nepal, and the problems confronting the Himalayan Kingdom are far from abating anytime soon. When on February 1st, King Gyanendra assumed direct control over the country and its administration, he said he had a vision- he envisioned that Nepal would be a flourishing democracy after he had tackled the Maoist problem and reinstated the parliament. Most people in Nepal did not doubt what seemed then to be a genuine desire to pull the country out from the doldrums. The efficiency with which the royal coup d’etat was carried out only reaffirmed this view. Many praised the King for his bold and decisive move- after all, he had a vision for the nation, and one with vision is a great leader… or is he? While vision is one of the traits of a great leader, the capability and the resolve required to realize this vision are essential attributes as well. If the last six months are anything to go by, it is apparent that the King has failed to realize his vision for a democratic and peaceful Nepal- in fact, the situation has worsened. Sadly enough, the beautiful picture painted by the King is a mere illusion at this point in time. An increasingly large number of people are coming out on to the streets in protests against the monarchy and the King’s revered demi-God status seems to be fast eroding- no longer is he an incarnation of Lord Vishnu for much of the Nepalese populace.

Meanwhile, the audacity of the nature of attacks being carried out by the Maoists continues to amaze one. With each passing day an increasing number of army men are being killed or captured. The Maoists control large swathes of the countryside and the amount of territory under their control is gradually increasing. The Maoists refuse to talk to the king and the king maintains that he will not hold negotiations with the Maoists as they are “terrorists”. As a result of this stalemate, both sides are resorting to violence in an attempt to secure victory over the other, but neither is capable of doing so. While the Maoists are significantly lesser in number, the rugged terrain in the west of the country is perfectly suited for their kind of guerilla warfare and the Nepalese army cannot make inroads into territories controlled by them. Similarly, the Maoists cannot make a move in on the cities or else they will be badly outnumbered and eventually lose far more men than they can afford to… the result, another stalemate. Both parties do not possess the ability to convincingly defeat the other.

As if this is not enough, the political parties too are now demanding that the King be overthrown. The Maoists have offered them a hand of friendship and have even guaranteed the political parties the support of their “army” to fight the feudalistic king’s army- an offer which the political parties naturally declined. Instead the political parties have invited the Maoists to join the mainstream political parties in “their” struggle for democracy, under the condition that the Maoists lay down their weapons- something which the Maoists have refused to do. The result- yet another stalemate. At a time when the political parties should be making a serious attempt to negotiate with the king and persuade him to restore democracy, they are refusing to talk to the king and worse, they now share the same aim as the Maoists, that of overthrowing the king.

So basically, Nepal has a King promising that he will restore peace and subsequently democracy after crushing the Maoist revolution; the Maoists wanting to establish a republic after overthrowing the King and drafting a new constitution that would be prepared by an independent constituent assembly; and the political parties who want democracy as soon as possible and now to add some spice to the whole saga, want to overthrow the king as well. The Maoists say they believe in a democratic republic- a democracy that will be controlled neither by feudalistic and imperialistic powers nor the evil neighbour to the south- to take these words at face value would be tantamount to indulging in wishful thinking.

Nepal is confronted with a tri-partite struggle for power with no side having a semblance of an upper hand over the other. A political solution to the problem does not seem to be forthcoming anytime soon. Caught in the middle of this bloody mess is the common man who struggles to feed his family while the “leaders” feast on his vulnerability. What will happen in the days to come is anybody’s guess.

Imperceptive Literates

As the last of the sunlight climbs out of the valleys, so the fear settles in for the hours of darkness. In one world, the people are struggling to keep themselves warm for the night and wondering whether they will wake up in the morning to see the face of the morrow. Yet, the people living in another world, not so far away, are busy preparing for a drinking binge that is to last the entire night- completely oblivious to what the morrow holds for them. Fear? What fear? While the inhabitants of the formerly depicted world writhe in fear with every gunshot that breaks the eerie silence of the cold night, the residents of the latter tap their feet to the latest rhythms in town. Surprisingly, both these worlds exist in one little country nestled in the majestic grandeur of the Himalayas- Nepal. Shockingly, these two worlds lead a simultaneous coexistence, barely a hundred miles adrift of one another. While one world consists of the rugged mountainous countryside that lies beyond the mountains surrounding the Kathmandu valley, the other refers to the bustling metropolis of Kathmandu itself.

Sadly enough, this is the way things currently stand in Nepal. While the Maoist insurgency has gnawed its way gradually to the hills to the west of Kathmandu and is threatening the very fabric of Nepalese society itself, the people living in Kathmandu live their lives without a worry in the world- completely oblivious to the hardship that those living in the rural areas are going through every day. While three quarters of a million Nepalese living in the valley have thirty thousand security personnel on guard to guarantee their safety, a mere fifty thousand seek to do the same for the other twenty four million citizens living in other parts of the kingdom. The social and economic disparity that exists between the two worlds is difficult to imagine. While most of the youth in Kathmandu hero-worship stars such as Eminem and try and impersonate them in any way they can, many people living in the “forgotten areas” of the country have not even seen a camera, let alone watching a film. The gulf between the two worlds is so wide that it is difficult to pen it down in words.

The absence of state governments in Nepal ensures that most of the money collected in the form of tax revenues goes into the development of Kathmandu- most of what remains goes into the coffers of the politicians, rather than the coffers of the state, where it legitimately belongs. The result is that while Kathmandu has developed at quite a decent pace over the last decade and a half, the rest of the country still yearns for basic amenities such as running water and supply of electricity. The sad part of the story is that most of the money that is spent on Kathmandu has been obtained from taxpayers living in industrial towns such as Biratnagar and Birgunj. Yet, development in towns such as these has virtually stagnated. So dependent is the capital on the rest of the country that even fruits and vegetables and meat have to be transported into the valley from nearby towns. The extent of Kathmandu’s dependence on the rest of the country for all its major supplies was illustrated when the Maoists blocked all roads into the valley- rising prices being the consequence.

Most of the youth in Kathmandu are literate, yet they are either completely ignorant of what happens beyond the hills that surround them, or worse, they are not bothered in the least bit. The youth’s obsession with the latest fads and their desire to be ‘cool’ and ‘trendy’ have driven them into an intellectual abyss. Despite their education, very few of them are learned. With this being the state of affairs, it is no wonder that eighty-somethings still occupy the top posts in Nepal’s administration.

The political problems aside, the government’s utter disregard for the rest of the nation besides Kathmandu, coupled with the intellectual void that characterizes a large proportion of the youth do not bode well for the nation’s future. Lack of economic development as a result of the government’s detachment with large parts of the country will only instigate more people to voice their discontent and further polarize an already fractured social structure that exists in Nepal today. Faced by the scale of the unrest sweeping the countryside, precious few bridges need to be built to help bring a divided nation together again. The two worlds need to be brought together as one. At this juncture though, fear and uncertainty loom in the air as each day rolls into the next, unfortunately hastening the pace of Nepal’s journey to becoming a failed state.