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Maoists Quit Government. What Next?

On Tuesday, Nepal Communist Party (Maoists) quit government vowing to begin an agitation and to disrupt the Constituent Assembly election. It came after five months of Maoists joining the government. The latest turn-around of the Maoists, whose 13-year-long People’s War put the country into unprecedented trouble, has ignited the fear of them returning to from where they come.

Most Nepali who lived peacefully without news of killings everyday fear that this could be the end of the opportunity to once again bring a peaceful nation. Many see it as a step that will increase trouble of the country rather than solving it.

Talks are going on to reach an agreement with the Maoists and hopefully, it will turn out fruitful. In the condition where Maoists has vowed to continue alliance with seven other political parties and keeping their army in the UN monitored camps and going through peaceful agitation, it is largely unlikely that they will go back to war again.

Then, what is it? What next?

For me, their latest step is nothing more than their nervous attempt to regain the faith of the people before going into the elections. Since they have joined the mainstream politics, the political scenario has changed a lot. The Tarai Uprising has been the main factor that has swept away their base in Tarai region.

Their early conclusion of Tarai Uprising, when they said its only a mob, has boomeranged. With Tarai people and many other smaller groups attempting to get deserved equality and rights, the situation for the Maoists in government was unfavorable. If these groups reach agreements with the government, Nepali Congress (a party with Prime Minister who lead and Ram Chandra Poudel, who is responsible to talks and agreement as peace and reconstruction minister) takes the credit and Maoists are left with nothing!

Better than that for the Maoists is to assist these groups in their fight (or possibly lead them) so to regain faith and popularity.

Secondly, Maoists had already expressed their fear in facing the people. Their war has caused 10,000 deaths and millions were irked and if they go to election without addressing the problems of the victims, they are unlikely to get people’s favor. It would be the stunning punch for them if they fail to go shoulder-to-shoulder with Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Lennists) which, many thinks, is unlikely in current situation.

So for them, fully proportional electoral system is the best choice rather than mixed one and if they succeed to make the interim parliament declare republic (their two demands for agreement is fully proportional electoral system and declaration of republic), it will be a big success for them to which they can take a credit and face people.

But if the election is now postponed and something happens in between, Nepali people won’t forgive the Maoists. And, in the condition when the political situation is not consolidated and many trying to play the game, postponement of the election will not be good for the country! So for me, the best option for the Maoists is face the election and before than build some image helping out agitating groups and in Tarai.

September 19, 2007 by Sadly!

Teej – My 22 Hour Fasting

I am writing these lines immediately after breaking my 22-hour fasting with two apples and a glass of sweetened hot water – in a particular fashion of how the Hindu women break their Teej fasting.

Teej [more info at NepalHomePage and Wikipedia] is a festival known for the fasting as the women fasts whole day without even drinking a drop of water in belief that it would bring fame, progress and money to their husbands. They dress in red, sing, dance in groups and worship Lord Shiva as the myth behind the festival talks about him and his beloved Goddess Parbati.

It is believed that Goddess Parbati kept a very difficult fasting, not even swallowing his saliva, to get Lord Shiva as her husband. Unmarried girls too keep the fasting hoping that their future husbands will be among the best.

I am not a female and the reason behind my fasting is not religious. I neither performed puja in the morning and evening as the women do nor visited any temple to worship god or goddess. Rather, I watched the Twenty20 World Cup cricket match between Sri Lanka and Kenya during the afternoon and went to office in the evening.

My reason behind fasting was two. The first to know how it feels like to stay without food or drink for a whole day and secondly, to satisfy my adventurous or, you can say lunatic, nature.

I am happy that I could do it though everyone who knew me won’t believe it. One of my friends at office had told me yesterday that if I could neither stay at a place for whole day nor fast. Some even wanted to have a bet. I didn’t know if I could do it because I can hardly resist hunger. But I did it and I learnt that well, if I have strong commitment, I can do things.

My experience of remaining hungry for 22 hours was that it is not that hard. I felt a little numb right now and a very, very little dizzy, but overall, I never felt like I should go and eat. At around 11 AM and 3 PM, something in me shouted food, but I resisted that and then I didn’t even feel like need to eat.

However, I must salute thousands of women who fast on the day because I know its not as easy for them as for me and their motive behind fasting is a kind of selflessness. You may like to call it ’male domination’ or something like that and I too personally DO NOT like women fasting for their men, but its a tradition and that’s won’t go away soon.

My 22 Hour Fasting was also my attempt to find out how much I can do for my beloved who was fasting for me!

September 14, 2007 by Uzz Update

Finally, Maoists Speak Truth

“Eleven thousands people have been killed during people’s war, we have neither been able to provide education for their children nor to provide relief to them. Thousands have been disappeared, we haven’t been able to made public situation of any of them. How can we ask people for vote in such situation?”

Maoists Supremo Prachanda, Aug 24

Maoists looked like have felt the ground on which they are standing. Finally, they have spoken the truth they have been trying to ignore for long. The truth that getting support of the people in polls is not as easy as killing them! And, that there are many who just hate them for what they have done and it’s not easy for them to change the hate into love (or even dilemma)!

But sadly, they have spoken the truth along with the call for postponement of the election for constituent assembly – something that many Nepalis believe is the gateway for peaceful future.

Already deferred once, the election is scheduled for November 22. And the Maoists now want the poll on mid-April. Prachanda said: “There is no harm in postponing the polls till mid-April next year.”

Fine for Maoists! But will that be fine for Nepalis? A week ago, Prachanda had said: “There would not be situation where the Nepali people ill not tolerate the postponement of polls time and again.”

And, he was true then. Now he is speaking for his party’s interest. After all, nation is nothing compared to the party for politicians (ah! Our bad luck).

Now, what will happen to the polls?

It will be postponed, for sure. The only person that can convince Maoists on anything these times is none other than Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala of Nepali Congress. But it’s largely unlikely that his party wants the polls so soon.

Congress doesn’t want to go to the polls before their unification of the Democratic Congress (that of former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba). Only after that, they can be assured of favorable outcome from the polls. And, then they need to put in place the organization at the grass-root levels.

Maoists too do not want the polls.

The only big party that wants to have polls as soon as possible is Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxists Leninists) because their grass-root structure is somehow kept okay and that the gain of Maoists is loss for them for they follow (or talk about) same ideology.

In such condition, its sad for the Nepalis that Maoists have came up against the polls.

Well, Royalists your time to see if anything works will be prolonged!

August 25, 2007 by Sadly!

The Magic of Harry Potter

  • On 21 July, I knew some of the book shops had specially arranged to bring the last part of Harry Potter series to Kathmandu – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
  • On 22, I read news about it that Kathmandu natives –especially youth and children – were thronging to get a copy. Until the afternoon of 23, I resisted the lure but then gave away and tried to get a copy in the evening but I couldn’t.
  • On 24, I got a copy and immediately start reading and what a great fun it was.

britain-harry-potterI do not call myself a big fan of Harry Potter though I have read all seven parts and seen all the films and frequently visit a few sites about it. People have looked at me with wide eyes when I told them that I love to read Harry Potter and most of them often asked ‘aren’t they meant for the children?’

‘Ya, but I too love reading them,’ my answer. After finishing the seventh and sadly the final part, I sat satisfied the boy wizard at the end won the battle and it was a happy satisfying conclusion. Then I started recalling what had happened in the story and asked myself, ‘how on the hell can I believe all that thrash?’

I just looked at the collection of seven Harry Potter books – each new version bigger than earlier and asked myself why I enjoyed the books so much. I turned the first page of the first book – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and read a few lines:

Mrs Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbours.

I smiled! The humour in those gripping lines is so simple yet powerful and I understand why I enjoyed the unbelievable story so much. JK Rowling, I see, has not only given the gripping suspense that makes me turn each page as soon as possible but has also put a huge amount of simple humour that keeps me smiling and satisfies me like nothing else.

The childish story with all usual message – good will win over evil and courage is everything needed for success – got the largest audience ever, earned Rowling a fortune and there are many fans like me who would never call themselves a big fan of her but will always read/see the Potter Magic with intense interest.

I don’t know if I would get another such series in my lifetime but I don’t see that coming in near future, sadly!

***

It was not Harry Potter that kept me away from blogging for more than a month rather it was a series of events and illness that surrounded me in the last few weeks. I broke my ring finger in a cricket match keeping me away from keyboard, then my wife was ill, then I was ill myself with severe cold.

In between I was kept busy with my master’s thesis, which thankfully has now completed, reporting of women’s cricket, the inauguration of Nepal Photo Agency from my photojournalist friends and I helped them in a few matters and then preparation for the Players of the Year Awards from my association – Nepal Sports Journalists Forum.

Blogging at the same speed is not possible – a bitter truth I had already experienced yet hopefully now on I will try not to be absent from it for so long.

August 2, 2007 by Leisurely Activities Uzz Update

A Pandora’s Box Called YCL

Young Communist League (YCL) is a Pandora’s Box! You never know what’s coming out of it. But be ensured that something always comes out of it – be it good or bad.

The youth wing of Maoists has done a lot of things since the safe landing of it’s mother institution. Sometime their deeds are good (and we all praised, afterall, New Nepal needs new heroes). Sometimes they did bad (we kept quiet, because we still fear the Maoists).

YCL had found ways to stay in headlines. ‘All for cheap popularity,’ some commented when they were seen thining down the tree branches in ringroad green belt. ‘All YCL,’ many thought when they see youngsters blocking the roads during strikes. They have engaged themselves.

Two day ago, our Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala (the great man who loves controversy and if sees its not coming he would say something that would surely spark one) defined YCL as Young Criminal League.

May be true but said on the wrong time. YCL has just arrested Sitaram Prasain and handed over to Nepal Police. Prasain, for records, is a long wanted man for ‘incurring a loss of Rs 280m in wrongful investment decisions’ as the chairperson of the Nepal Cottage and Small Industries Development Bank.

Kudos to YC… just wait before you salute them! ‘It’s all money game,’ said a self-claimed analyst. ‘Tell me why they didn’t handed over him to police on the day they took him?’ How am I supposed to know that?

He would gladly offer me an explanation. ‘It’s all money, had Prasain agreed to pay them the demanded sum, they would have left him, but since he declined they gave him to police. Otherwise what’s the reason to keep him for a night?’

Good or bad, it happened. Koirala was angry because ‘Prasain is his distant son-in-law otherwise wouldn’t he show same agression when the Chief District Officers’ were beaten and their offices vandalized.’

And, Koirala’s remarks are surely going to have some effects. How YCL are going to react (they have already burnt something on street) but what next? I will just keep guessing the outcome of the Pandora’s Box.

June 6, 2007 by Factual Fiction

Sarangkot: A Jewel of Pokhara

sarangkot1-4762688

The greed of seeing the sun rising as a golden ball is always an elusive offer and when there are mountains tops that are glorified by the early morning rays, it’s surely a life-time experience. And, that dreams became a reality when I had a chance to travel up to Sarangkot, a must-not-forget destination in the scenic city of Pokhara in Western Nepal.

Leaving the warmth of bed early morning, traveling the dwindling uphill road for more than half-an-hour and then walking for another half-an-hour for the agonizing wait for the sunrise in the cool breeze were all but forgotten when the outlines of the Annapurna Range with the famous Machhapurchhre Peak becomes visible on the north.

From Sarangkot, the Pokhara city looks like a sky with twinkling stars before the dawn and then when the visibility increases the mountains looks standing smiling – so near that I felt like I could touch with an extended hand.

The mountains were white and then glow in red as if there was a fire. And there were lots of clicks from the foreigners and Nepalis standing for long for the view. No body was speaking as everyone looked so engrossed in the view. “Will it turn golden now,” someone asked me. “It should.”

sarangkot2-9934538

And I then realized I was so much looking at the mountains that I have forgotten to look east. There was half of the sun – as if floating – something that reminded me seeing the sunrise on the sea. The flickering sun rose slowly in the misty view and then the mountains began growing yellowish – and golden in color.

“That’s it,” someone shouted in ecstasy. And, it was probably the most beautiful scene visible from Pokhara – the Annapurna I peak at 8,091m and Machhapuchhre at 7,993m glowing in golden color.

From Nagarkot in Bhaktapur, I had seen a similar scene but the mountain tops looks so distant there when compared with Sarangkot and here the virgin peak shaped as a fish tail looked a beautiful girl modeling for gold jewelries.

[Originally written on Jan 18, 2007. I just forgot to post it then.]

May 31, 2007 by Travelogues

Everything for Nothing!

(Or Maybe Something Irrelevant)

On Monday, May 28, 35,000 schools re-opened after 12 days of shutdown! For the records, 8,000,000 children across the nation were affected.

The reason behild closure, then continuation of closure and then re-opening were all but thrash reasoning. A kind of joke!

Let first have a look at the chronology of events:

May 13 – Institutionalized Schools’ Teachers Union (ISTU) began protests that demanding the salary scale equivalent to that to government teachers and appoitment letters

May 16 – ISTU, including the Nepal Educational Republican Forum (NERF) and All Nepal National Free Students Union (Revolutionary) – two Maoists organizations – annouced shutdown of schools

Private and Boarding School Assocaition of Nepal (PABSAN) and National-PABSAN (NPABSAN) too annouced closure of schools with PABSAN president Umesh Shrestha saying that the schools neither ask fees with students during the closure nor pay the teachers

May 17 – Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala expressed concerns

May 18 – Ministry of Education formed a talk team led by spokesperson (Minister Pradeep Nepal was in Maldives participating in the anti-doping conference), NERF refused talks with non-ministerial level team

May 20 – Minister Nepal returns and in harse words says he is not able to fulfil the demands as it not educational but political (however, during closure the demands included immediate annoucement of republican state)

May 23 – NERF says it won’t sit for talks until minister apologies for what he had said

May 25 – Police brutally beat teachers during their sit-on at the ministry, they immediately annouced two-hour of transports shutdown for the afternoon

Minister and state-minister express conerns and say they were not involved

May 27 – Valley was shutdown in protest with MERF and Revolutionary taking the lead

In afternoon, Revolutionaly annouces that on request of guardians, students and NGO/INGOs they ended the school shutdown giving one-month ultimantum to ministry to fulfil their demands or face more protest

Let me ponder on some questions:

  1. The shutdown of schools was called by ISTU, NERF, Revolutionary, PABSAN and NPABSAN. But when Revolutionary said the shutdown ended, it ended. How? Where were ISTU, PABSAN and NPABSAN?
  2. The protest began demanding something. But it ended without any demands fulfilled. Why the shutdown was then for?
  3. Why do we find Maoists organization involved in every protest against government? And, then they always put up pure political demand (mostly immediate annoucement of republican state) and ends the protest for nothing. Why?
  4. How come ISTU, the main body that began the protest find themselves lost in the middle of the protest?

I don’t have answers to all. The only thing I believe is the Maoists organization try to gain three things from such protest. First, they want to establish their sister organizations as strong ones, second they want to put pressure on the government for pure political reason and third, they want to gain faith of people by ending the protest.

I am opposing the idea of school re-opening but what I pondered is why are we seeing protests (affecting the everyday administration and people) for nothing!

May 29, 2007 by Sadly!

Mount Everest, Sherpas and Foreigners!

Mount Everest lures every mountaineer – that’s not surprising. Every year, many foreigners reach atop the world’s highest peak, return their countries with fanfare and become heroes. Every year, a few films are made on Everest – and they are popular. Every year, a few books are published, and they are best sellers.

Among all these celebrations and buzzes around the world, there are quiet Sherpas. Every year, more Sherpas summit Everest than foreigner altogether. Yet, when they return home quietly, their family, almost always, ask them to stop because Everest is too dangerous.

I have heard people saying, if you have enough money to keep Sherpas happy, then they will virtually carry you to the top. Apa Sherpa had summated 17 times, Pemba Sherpa reached the top thrice within nine days this season, and there are many Sherpas who had climbed to the top more than five times.

Yet, Sherpas do not get credit they deserve.

In almost every films made, Sherpas are almost absent once they mountaineers leaves the base-camp. In every documentary, the role of Sherpa is to cook food and carry loads.

Yesterday, I had an opportunity to hear Kami Sherpa – the Nepal Television cameraman who summated the peak for third time. The second Nepali journalist atop Everest (first being my colleague Ang Chhiring Sherpa who recently launched his book Dateline Chomolungma) looked sad on all these issues.

Who wouldn’t?

Apa Sherpa led an expedition this year with all Nepali Sherpa climbers called Super Sherpa Expedition and filmed a documentary. His aim: to tell the world about Sherpas and their contribution in each Everest expedition.

“Since we are a lot, we can’t hope much financial support from the government,” Kami told the journalists other day. “What we ask is the identity card as the Everest summiteers and insurance for Sherpas.” His demands are okay as government charged US$ 70,000 per expedition.

Let’s hope Sherpas get their credit and support!

May 25, 2007 by Featured

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