2006-05-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

Nepal - The People's Tsunami

The last one month was a dramatic one for us, here in Nepal... History was made as people from every walk of life, rose up in revolt against an opressive monarchy... Those 19 days were amazing.. Here's my take on the People's Revolution of April 2006.. Go ahead, read thru and feel free to drop in ur thoughts...

April was to be a dreaded month for us, students of medicine at the Universal College of Medical Sciences, here in Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha. It was to be a month packed with exams - crucial, critical university exams. We'd been spending dozens of hours each day with our books, burning the proverbial mindnight oil, egging on our saturated brains and exhausted bodies with cup after cup of caffeine... April was to be a decisive month as regards our studies. Little did we know that destiny had also decided April as the month that would give Nepal a new lease of life.

As expatriate students, we live peacefully but rather detached from the murky politics of the Nepali populace amidst whom we dwell... Since the start of this year, Nepal's been in turmoil. Having lived here a couple of years in this land where peace is but a mirage and strikes bring life to a standstill - not for days but weeks altogether, we'd sort of become insualated to the idea of turmoil...

Yet, on February 1 this year when King Gyanendra took over absolute power in a royal coup & in the months that followed, went on to establish his power in pretty self-destructive manner, one had the inkling of something big about to happen...

The Nepalese had first tasted freedom when the People's movement of 1990 brought down the Panchayat Raj system of governance.. A dozen years of freedom had developed in the people a desire to be the architects of their own destiny. King Gyanendra wasn;t able to grasp this. And when he called General elections, only to make a mockery out of it and establish the seedy, pro-royal elite in power, this Raja with an archaic worldview was actually sowing the seeds on another revolution.

Emperor Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burnt is an excellent analogy to the attitude of the Royal family during the last few months. While the desire for democracy burned in the hearts of the Nepali youth, the economy slipped further into the doldrums, the Army tightened its grip over civil life & our King began a series of grandiose trips across the nation. Funds for his extravagant jaunts came from cash kept apart for local development. Not satisfied with his lavish lifestyle, he imported a fleet of swanky BMWs for his sojurns. His son, Crown Prince Paras went one step further. While his dad looted the state treasury, his son went on to Paris where he spent a cool NRs. 6 crore partying as befits a royal....

Beware the Ides of March, wrote Shakespeare . King Gyanendra could well have heeded the advice... Slowly, but surely and steadily, the people's anger was rising.. From mid-march came talk of a Jan Andolan (people's movement), a democratic coup-d-eat; a nation stripped of its rights no longer wanted Prajatantra (democracy of the subjects) - they'd decided to gun for a Loktantrik Nepal (A Nepal of the people).

April 7th was to be the day our exams should've started. April 6 was the day the SPA (Seven Party Alliance), the alliance of Nepal's main 7 political parties, had ear marked for the start of Jan Andolan II.

There is only so much air that you can blow into a balloon... Push the limits and it'll burst open.. Anger is something like that... So are touchy, tough to define subjects like national pride, dignity, a right to a good life etc.. What had begun in mid-march as heckling the royalty now took a massive, unimaginable turn..

The 2nd week of April saw the people's fury burst in a furious crescendo. No one - the royal privy council, the SPA, the Media, the people, us, no one could've calculated the outpouring of anger, rage, grief, solidarity, perseverance - a cornucopia of so many mixed emotions aimed solely against the monarchy.

A decade of being cheated by the royalty and polity alike, of impoverishment, economic backwardness and lack of peace egged the people into the Jan Adolan II.. As mute observers, even we were amazed... We'd never seen an outpouring like this - encompassing every part of society.. Most of you would've seen the pictures on your TV screens.. Crowds as far as the eye could see, people mercilessly getting beaten up... Seeing it on TV is one thing, being right in the centre of the action sure is another....

In the 19 days that it lasted, the Andolan, like a swirling whirlpool had drawn into its fold every possible strata of society - from political party workers to govt. officials, teachers, college students, housewives, doctors, lawyers.. Even, amazingly in the last few days, the wives of the army men who were supressing the revolution... Crowds thronged the streets as far as the eye could see; little children, barely 5 or 6 perched on their dad's shoulder, holding high flaming torches... Those were truly amazing sights...

Nepal simply shut down totally for over 20 days as every single person concentrated his energy into the Andolan... And finally, after 19 days of official and police brutality evenly matched by the people's perseverance and will power, the King threw in the towel...

Over the course of the last week, Parliament has been reinstated, Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala (Manisha Koirala's granddad) has taken over as Prime Minister & the road is being cleared for Constituent Assembly elections... The Nepalese will soon draft a new constituion..

Yet agian, the stars of the new game are the same old bickering politicians who are just as responsible for the current state of the nation as is the King.. Will the accord last & turn Nepal over a new leaf? Or will the frail octogenerian that destiny has appointed to lead Nepal buckle under the immense pressure? We can only cross our fingers and wait with bated breath..
Nepal stands at the cross-roads today.. The Nepalese have given themselves a new lease of life - a chance to erase their flaws and start life anew... I can tell you, after being here for over two years, that Nepal is an amazing country in many ways with passionate, reformist youth as the country's backbone.. With the right guidance, Nepal has the potential to develop and change amazingly and do all Asia proud..

It's not always that one gets to be around when history is made and it's been nice being here, looking out with hope at a nation in the birth pangs of a transition... To my nepalese friends and readers, Good Luck & God Bless in your tryst with destiny!!

Prince M

Finally Abroad the Blogging Bandwagon!

2006-05-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

It's been ages since I actually penned down something... Nice to be bc writing something... Had always wanted to start a blog - never really had the time or the perseverance for one... Finally jumped on the blogging bandwagon.. Not really sure how often I'll get to update this, but do keep visiting, read & leave ur comments..

EyeWitnessA/C

Finally Abroad the Blogging Bandwagon!