Unity

Today is Poush 27 according to Bikram Sambat calendar and it’s the National Unity Day. The government in 2007 decided to cancel the public holiday because it was the birth anniversary of King Prithivi Narayan Shah – the first king of greater Nepal.

His birth anniversary was celebrated as the public holiday for his unification of 52 states that makes the present-day Nepal more than 250 years ago.

Critics say his unification was a personal ambition and that he failed to unite the country culturally, but everything great people do is a personal ambition and nobody in the world is so perfect that they would do everything right.

For a Nepali citizen like me who grew up being proud to be a national of ever-independent nation (because Nepal was never a colony), what Prithivi Narayan Shah did was a great contribution. If we evaluate him in present day’s context or from what his grandsons or great grandsons did to the country, it would be a wrong approach.

For that, I believe, Prithivi Narayan Shah should remain a hero of the nation and that National Unity Day should be celebrated (public holiday is not only one thing to celebrate).

If a word best describes him, then its UNITY. And, unity is a pressing need in present Nepal. And, also unity is what made magical transformation here with the armed conflict coming to an end and republic democracy being established throwing out the autocratic monarchy.

But unity is still needed. Unity is needed (most importantly among leaders and political parties) for:

• Writing constitution in time
• Concluding peace process
• Holding election in accordance with new constitution

Off course, the need of unity does not end there. It’s always required for the betterment and development of the nation, but then after the transition period of political transformation ends, we – our leaders and political parties will have spare time to remain in conflict (though not desirable).

Let’s celebrate the Unity Day. Let’s demand unity among our representatives!