Pseudo Democracy

It was Friday, Baisakh 16, a day earlier than the mass demonstration by the UCPN (Maoists) in Kathmandu and other major cities in Nepal. I was going to my office at Putalisadak from Kalikasthan. Suddenly I realized that the shops at the both sides of the road are being closed. The shutters were being pulled down. People were in a great haste. By the time I reached Putalisadak, barely a store was opened up. The number of vehicles plying on the road was also significantly decreasing.

I asked a pedestrian what the matter was. She had no idea. She was just like me – perplexed by the incident. Then, I moved to the shop owner who runs a shop in the same building where we have our office. He said the Maoists were there to ask for the donation. They were demanding more than 5 thousand rupees even from the small grocery owners who hardly earn that amount of money in a week.

What surprised me more was the fact that no one had gone to ask for the donation to the Dillibazar area. But shutters were pulled down everywhere. The rumour created a panic among everyone from the departmental stores to the small street vendors. I heard that the Maoists literally asked donations even from the street vendors who sell green vegetables in a basket. And, they had to give donation according to the demands put by the Maoists, or their sister organizations, not as per their wish.

I pondered upon the situation.

We are the 'free citizen' of a 'free country'

. We are in a democratic society where one can exercise his/her free will. But this kind of exercise was unheard of elsewhere. Benjamin Franklin has said that our freedom of swinging our hands ends there where other's nose begins. But the Friday incident was the punch on the nose not only of the citizen in a democracy but also of the so called 'democratic government'. Alas! There was no one to save the nose of the businessmen at Putalisadak and elsewhere across the nation. We are in a pseudo democracy where neither we can fulfill our duties and responsibilities freely nor there is anything which can guarantee or safeguard that freedom of people.

Forceful donation is a crime. How did the Maoists get the right to have the claim over the money earned by sweat and hard work? Instead of taking responsibility and apologizing to the people, the Maoists always reiterated that such happenings are just isolated events and asking donation is not the party policy.

They even said that other criminal groups were asking the donation in the name of the Maoists. Even if it's true, the Maoists are responsible for that for creating a buffer zone where those crooked personalities and criminal groups have a safe haven to play their games.

Time has come for the Maoists to think about the people practically whom they place at the front in their saying and bargaining.


- dhakalutsav@gmail.com

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I am sorry not to ask her name!

I forgot from where she got into the bus. All the seats were occupied, so I was standing along with other three people. I was on the way to my Rotaract Club’s meeting at Tripureshwor. It was Saturday.

She pushed her way through other people and came back where I was standing. I got a glimpse of her face. She was cute. Her phone rang and she picked it up. After she disconnected it she put it in the pocket of her long t-shirt. I thought to recommend not to keep the phone in the pocket of the shirt as the mouth of the pocket was too big to pick it up from. But I discarded the idea. One shouldn’t be Mr. Know-All everywhere!

As you know it’s not trouble-free to travel in a microbus standing. Sometimes you are falling this side, sometimes that side. You have to depend upon a single pipe, which is added later because the microbus doesn’t have such accessories, on the roof. The girl with the long t-shirt was just next to me. It was my hand at the end of the pipe after her. She continuously moved her hand. I ignored it thinking it’s not easy to stand easily.

But I was mistaken, her hand came upon my hand then it was off. I looked around. Two guys in the last seat were looking at our hands.

I slid my hand a little bit further. Lo and behold! She slid her hand too. Again her hand came upon my hand.

I slid my hand little bit further but still I could felt her fingers moving over mine.

I turn around. She was looking at me. I was blank. After a while I regain my consciousness and smiled. She looked away. I push my hands a bit far from hers. She didn’t make an effort again.

At Kalanki, the bus stopped. She settled herself in the last seat. I wished if only there was another seat adjacent to her. Anyway I let the idea go away. I went into the cabin. At Soltimode, I looked back to ensure she was there.

Oh Holiness! She was looking at me with something in her eyes that I didn’t know.

At Kalimati, a seat beside her became vacant. Without spending any moment in thinking, I moved there. She turned her head. Our eyes met!

The bus was moving and I was planning to ask her for a cup of coffee. Once I thought of even not attending the meeting but following her. That was a sweet and romantic feeling, I suppose. I didn’t ask her for the coffee, instead I got off at United World Trade Center, Tripureshwor – our club’s meeting venue.

I threw a departing look at her. I saw something in her eyes but it was too late by then.

I regretted the idea later. I should have asked her a cup of coffee or taken her to the meeting. I was so lost that I forget to ask her name too. I can’t say whether she would agree but that would certainly have cured my wandering feelings. Time moved very fast. It didn’t allow me a little bit more time for the decision making.

- Mod Dhakal (Kathmandu)

Using transition period as a springboard

Transition period could be useful for any country if there were some visionary leaders who could manage the situation tactically and amicably. It is the time when all the latent ideas, motives, ideologies, biases, discriminations and the rest come to the surface. Everybody is loud during such period. It helps to alter or rewrite the modern history of the nation.

Take an example of Nepal, almost all the cultural, ethnic, social and professional groups have already articulated their demands and preferences. After years of suppression various ethnic groups have raised their voices. Various groups have used democratic methods to create the pressure on the government and society whereas some have taken the route of violence and arms.

This is the high time to recognize the individuals or groups that are working for the society or against. All the state mechanisms should be ready to assess the situation and act accordingly for such time could be a foundation for the creation of better society. The backward societies and people can use it as a springboard for their journey to the progress and prosperity.

But, alas! Not a single leader who could understand this is not seen around us. For a foreseeable future we are doomed to be in such situation. The same corrupt leaders will continue to rule over us. Democracy has become Shaw’s ‘Hot balloon’. We have no chance to go up because somebody has already booked the balloon for more than once in their lifetime.

Tolerance and humility

Education bestows us humility. It is believed the more educated you are the more humble you become. We are taught so. This belief turns into ashes when you enter into the Constitutional Study Centre in the Central Library at the Tribhuwan University. Many books and magazines there in the cell are full of handwritten comments, foul words and the like. Some of the examples are presented in this article.

Who is there doing all this? Tribhuwan University Central Campuses in Kirtipur run only Master’s Degree program. Those individuals who go there to study are supposed to be well educated. Some of them are researchers. When the ‘highly and properly educated people’ in our country are doing such nasty things, what lessons will the new generation of youth learn from us? The handwritten comments are fully abusive towards the ‘Madheshis’ and ‘Pahadis’ both.


A page from ‘Raktamaya Madhesh’, full of hate and foul words.



Another piece from the same book ‘Raktamaya Madhesh’. The points raised by the commentator are valid and just. But the means of expression is wrong.




The book ‘Raktamaya Madhesh’ (Bloody Madhesh).


We agree with the fact that most of us are frustrated with our present political situation. Lawlessness, impunity, ethnic tensions, caste and ethnicity based political maneuvers and unemployment has made us more aggressive towards our political leaders and opposition. We don’t want to listen to anybody else. We make hasty generalizations and run into conclusion with the help of our surface knowledge.


A student expresses frustration over the political leaders in a book named ‘Loktantrik Aandolan kina?’ (Why Democratic Movement).


These instances are the proof of that frustration. But the time and means of expression cannot be said good. If one has really valid reasons and counter points against anything, they have so many media at their disposal to express their feelings. Many daily newspapers have more than a half page space for the readers’ comments and opinion. Why not to write there so that your opinion could be read by thousands of people across the country.


A page from another book (title unknown) the handwritten lines in red read – “where is the place for the lower class Bhramins and Chhetris, aren’t they Nepali?


Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists)’ politics of ethnicity not only played the role in creating unprecedented awareness but also flared up tensions among various ethnicities. The ‘Madhesh Movement’ in 2007 added more pressure to this. People are divided and gathered under the flag of their ethnicity, religion and the like. The negative consequences of it have begun to seen. This has reached up to the academic institutions and universities. When educated people don’t try to understand the seriousness of the situation and indulge in such nasty and shameful activities, it is futile to expect humility, tolerance and friendship from the people having less or no education. However, that is the class which is showing greater humility and tolerance towards each other. They are the nation maker.

- Modnath Dhakal

Quotations from Taoism

 If you know when enough is enough, you know enough.

 Can you lead, and not rule? Leadership without rule is a mysterious form of power.

 When life is easy, prepare for hard times. Solve problems that are small, before they grow large. Remember that even the greatest problems in the world were originally tiny problems.

 If you are subtle in your perceptions, you know that those who are gentle and weak prevail over those who are harsh and strong.

 The less the ruler uses his power, the longer he keeps it.

 Wise people accomplish much, but claim no credit; they teach much, but assert nothing; they are worth much, but desire no praise.

 To know, and yet to think that you do not know, is best. Not to know, and yet to think that you do know, is a sickness. The only cure for such sickness is to be sick of being sick. Wise people are not sick. They are sick of being sick, so they are well.

 Greedy people devote themselves to exploiting others for their own advantage – and thereby do great damage. Scholars devote themselves to making other people respect them – and thereby do great damage. Rulers devote themselves to making others obey them – and thereby do great damage.

 Do people ever attain greater happiness as a consequence of traveling from their native land? No, they become confused and miserable.

 That which is invisible, inaudible and intangible is one. One cannot differentiate one invisible, inaudible, intangible thing from another; there is perfect unity in invisibility, in audibility and intangibility.



CHUANG TZU
(Compiled by: Modnath Dhakal)

To: My loving wife

A man checked into a hotel. There was a computer in his room. So he decided to send an E-MAIL to his wife.

However he accidentally typed the wrong e-mail address and without realising his error, he sent the message. Meanwhile,

Somewhere a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. The widow decided to check her mail,

Expecting message from her relatives and friends.; After reading the first message she fainted.

The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:


To: My loving wife
Subject: I've just reached
Date: 13th Oct 2006

I know you are surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now, and you are allowed to sent e-mails to your loved ones.

I've just reached and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you.

Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was;

- (Copied from else where) Collected by: Mod Dhakal

Sex videos, male chauvinism and our morality

A couple of weeks ago, a nude video clip featuring the emerging actress of Nepali Film Industry emerged in the market. It got so much attention and talk as anything like should have.

Apparently, there are two reasons of this attention and talk: one, any video clips that is nude and features sex becomes a hot talk, second, the clip was featuring the famous actress of Nepal, Namrata Shrestha. She was talk of the town when she showed her talent in ‘Sano Sansar’ (small world). When her sexy video clip was out in the market, the news spread like the fire in the forest. The gorgeous and talent lady was involved in active sexual activities with yet unknown DJ Tantrik alias Kichman Chitrakar. Within a week, the video was circulated via mobile phones, CDs and DVDs. Some people even proudly announced that they had the sexy video of Namrata. The damn Bluetooth helped to transfer the video to as many phones as possible.

My friends asked me whether I had that video. When they heard my negative answer, they questioned my capabilities of being a journalist. I tried to convince them that collecting the nude video clips and ‘X’ rated movies was not the duty of a journalist. I think they were hardly convinced. After a couple of days, one of my friends happily telephoned me that he got the video. There was the news that some of the video/movie parlors even sold the CDs of the video.

The media did not make so much hue and cry this time. However, there was an ample talk about it. Most of the tabloids and eveningers tried to sensationalize the issue as much as they could. Other dailies and weeklies simply reported the news. Some of them also talked about the morality of Namrata, her future reputation and her professional career. But the society, the common people, blamed Namrata instantly. They were advocating the morality and decency.

But, nobody questioned the morality of DJ Tantrik as if he was the least responsible one for the ‘dirty’ game. It needs two hands to clap. The DJ also has an equal share in that activity. Our society didn’t consider the male’s morality going down with the ‘immoral act’.

On the other hand, why on the earth one should be filming their own sexual act? What kind of satisfaction does it give to them? Do they make it on purpose or without? The girl knows that it’s her who is more vulnerable in such cases. History has proved it. Then why do they let their fiancés or any Tom-Dick-Harry shoot them when they are playing?

It’s not wrong to have sex. It’s the biological need for all animals. But every game has a set of rules and one must respect it. Both parties, specially the girls for they are always in loss in such cases, should take care of their private lives. When it’s made public, there is no way to turn back time.

Another important issue is related to our morality. When we know there is such thing available in the market, we all, almost all, run after it and did not rest until we get it and see it. But have we ever thought that how moral is it to watch others being involved in sexual act? Why do we want to peep on other’s sex life? If we don’t run after such nude video clips, nobody would try to distribute them in the market.

Nonetheless, the chief culprits of the nude video scandal are DJ Tantrik and Namrata. They should have taken care of their sexual life. The rest of us were just acting in a natural way.

Modnath Dhakal
Kathmandu