Nepal in its struggle to civilization

Two incidents set this scribe into writing this treatise. First, the scribe, as a guest lecturer, reached the Nepalese Army Training Center, Kharipati to teach a lesson about post-unification, political and military history to the Officer Cadets there.

I assume that the materials covered during the lecture must have sounded strange to the cadets. They must have found it totally new and first of its kind because normally, those who start a rebellion invariably paint a bleak picture of the history, culture, practices and the law.

They distort the facts in order to tempt the people into fascinating future dreams. Such is the practice of rebellion so far when it starts in any country in the world. Maybe this could be one of the reasons why the materials I provided and the lecture that I gave confused the cadets.

Second, there was a Facebook status with the ID of a person named Sudhir Chintan that depicted a fire-emitting warning. The status came so: “You Brahmin/Chhetris! Mind it. Nepal is not your ancestral piece of land that you can say anything and others just believe and accept it!”

The status went on to add saying: “Listen to learn that all those who now call themselves Nepalis came from India into the land of the Buddha when the Muslims attacked them, and, therefore, take them back to India because they littered Nepal with all their filth).”

To observe things from the real ground, one finds that Nepal is passing through the struggle to civilization, something similar to what Samuel P Huntington said in his book ‘The Clashes of Civilization and the Remaking of the World Order’.

The status went on to say: “And you non-Hindus! Listen carefully, the German Chancellor Adolf Hitler killed Israeli Jews in six hundred million, twice the population of Nepal now, in a Gas Chamber Gestapo in the World War II  merely because they penetrated into several European countries with the intention to reign supreme over the region. Therefore, all the non-Hindu indigenous people (Bahun & Kshetries) should collectively finish them off the way Hitler did in Germany.”

There is no blaming the one who wrote it. The real blemish goes to the then Maoists who were prepared as part of the policy to sabotage Nepal. At this hour, such sentiment counter to the racial and regional harmony is growing in the youths of Nepal.

This is detrimental to the future of the country. To observe things from the real ground, one finds that Nepal is passing through the struggle to civilization, something similar to what Samuel P Huntington said in his book ‘The Clashes of Civilization and the Remaking of the World Order’.

All so because the then Maoist’s policy contributed to erode and obliterate the very history of the country. Actually history in true sense of the term contributes to integrating the country, glorifies its existence and causes the boil of blood to protect its territorial integrity to instill a feeling of ‘me and my country.

To everyone’s dismay, those propagating ‘New Nepal’ doled out the dreams of giving each a state of self-determination. The naïve people were brainwashed into believing that history so far is the history of feudal and the elite class of people.

The country without its history is no different from someone orphaned and displaced by the death of his/her parents and the loss of the country. I prefer to call it unfortunate that the materials used to erode and obliterate Nepal’s history, religion and culture has gained space as ‘New Nepal’.

Things went too ahead to the extent to change the flag of Nepal! No small attempt is being made to project a picture as of those with pointed nose downplaying those with a flat nose, and the hill born class dominating the plain born ones in Nepal.

To everyone’s dismay, those propagating ‘New Nepal’ doled out the dreams of giving each a state of self-determination. The naïve people were brainwashed into believing that history so far is the history of feudal and the elite class of people.

The campaigner of unification of Nepal, Prithvi Narayan Shah was projected as the worst enemy and King Mahendra was pictured in a similar dub. The Indian, the British and the Norwegian ambassadors and the Pope of Vatican were featured far better than the Kings of Nepal.

Apparently, Nepal is wriggling with the pains of twin pressures by one intending to obliterate its age-old history and civilization and the other striving to preserve it intact.

The agenda pleased the Pope. India and the European world rejoiced at the triumph. Dollar and Euro overflowed in Nepal as an investment to buckle off the system of politics. Some seasonal historians taking pride in the history of Nepal, some civil society members, some experts, and even some academicians who chanted ‘My Nepal’ also changed their tone once dollars (foreign investment) visited them.

Subsequently, they sounded like the spokesperson of the propaganda of New Nepal as designed by the Maoists. The foreign diplomats endeared to the architects of the propaganda. The architects of the agenda received tips of money and blessing of prescription.

Thus and then they announced the beginning of New Nepal. It includes the flurry of events of the post-1996 time period. Then, the wave of New Nepal interpreted the history and civilization prior to 1996 as a history of the autocrats and the uncivilized.

Apparently, Nepal is wriggling with the pains of twin pressures by one intending to obliterate its age-old history and civilization and the other striving to preserve it intact.

The struggle to civilization going on now in Nepal has widened the gap between the people of different communities, say for example between the Janajati and the Chhetri-Brahmin, between the hill born and the plain born (now ranted as Madhesh) and between male and female.

It has instilled a sense of hatred among the people who lived in good terms for centuries. The people of one community, race, sex and region now tend to see the other as their enemy. As a result, space is being created for fight and clash between the people of a different region, religion, and language.

Just look at the social media, you will find hatred and fury spilled all over. Go to the plains and the Himalayas, you will find similar kind of enmity and contention. Likewise, even the pen holders/a bunch of so-called scholars from home and abroad have teamed up to spread false information saying that “Prithvi Narayan Shah had cut the nose of the locals of Kirtipur in his frenzy of victory”, by projecting nationalism as Nationalism of King Mahendra’s cult, all in order to split Nepal.

It is known to one and all that Christians constantly chase Prithvi Narayan Shah and India seeks to find fault of King Mahendra.

Clear enough, the continual assault on Nepal by the foreign-sponsored scholars have weakened the country, and the very people are campaigning to make the Terai a separate state. Those intending to split Nepal are akin to those who rape their own kinsfolk.

The scribe finds CK Raut bold because he publicly announces to splinter Nepal. This scribe hates the pseudo writers disguised in here as scholars who clandestinely back up CK Raut by their speech and writing. One such campaigner is Carter.

Every debate and misunderstanding has a positive settlement. Understandably, a movement was waged in Nepal under cover of the Maoist’s ‘People’s War’. A bunch of those from home and abroad used their whole life energy to make the movement a grand success by projecting the anti-Nepal feelings as its history.

The propaganda was doled out as sweet dreams to the people. In a way, the movement has achieved its end by all means. Now the need of the hour is to teach the history and culture as such to the students from grade 8 up to the masters level by all means.

The government must necessarily make a provision of the teaching of the pristine history and culture to the students from lower classes to the advanced levels. The present and former Prime ministers must take a collective initiative in this regard.

Similarly, the scholars of the likes of the poet laureate Madhav Prasad Ghimire, Culture expert Satya Mohan Joshi History experts Prof. Dr. Tualsi Ram Vaidya, Prof. Dr. Triratna Manandhar, Prof Jagaman Gurung,  Pragya Bairagi Kahila, Prof. Dr Veena Poudyal, Chaitanya Mishra and others  must collectively and seriously strive to write fair history for the future generation to read and feel proud of it.

It is already time the government of Nepal included over a hundred experts from different walks of life to write the history which must read just and true. This will prove as a real dividend/bonus to the people.

We cannot afford to leave Nepal in the lurch of struggles to civilization lest we will get into war like that of Eastern Europe’s Balkan War for another hundred years.

The writers basking in the propaganda of ‘Prithvi Narayan Shah cutting off the nose of the locals of Kirtipur and King Mahendra Model of Nationalism’ may reap some measure of benefits but in the long run this sort of Nepal’s struggles to civilization will ultimately land the country into the 17th century situation of princely and principal states.

We cannot do otherwise to history; we cannot obliterate it. It serves one and all. Let us all collectively do our share of contribution; let us not falter from it.

(Dr Basnyat the author of  the book “ A Soldier’s Cry: Chronicles of Vices Against National Security of Nepal“ and  Brigadier General (Retd) of the Nepal Army)