NEPAL, the Himalayan kingdom and until now the world’s only Hindu nation, where beautiful sceneries and breathtaking views can be seen almost anywhere, is rocking with uncontrollable anxiety. The temples, the traditions, the culture and more importantly-the people, have all faced the heat that a revolution carries with it. The various facets of Nepal have been immortalized in many Indian movies and have inspired countless books on adventure tourism. Undoubtedly, if the very same inspiration-the place resplendent with majestic glory-grabs the headlines for political turbulence, it is indeed news.
Over the past few years Nepal has been in news for all the wrong reasons. It all began when King Birendra and his family were killed by his own elder son Prince Dipendra in 2001. After the shocking act, the prince shot himself. The present ex-king, Gyanendra, then took over as the supreme authority of the country. By this time, the Maoists had begun their armed struggle against the monarchy. I remember, when I was studying in the third year of my graduation, a Nepali friend of mine had told me how the country was reeling under severe crisis due to confrontation between the king and the Maoists. Some of us had planned a visit to his home in eastern Nepal, which had to be aborted due to the political unrest. He himself wasn’t able to go and meet his grandparents there. That was five years back.
Till last month, Nepal has either been in news for the King or the Maoists. Now it is in news for the new government that is coming up. People who are unaware of the details might think that there is nothing new in this. Nepal had governments in the past with the P.M at the top and the King as a supreme authority. The fact is, this time there won’t be any King. The Government will now be headed by a President, a post exclusively made to replace the King. The country has been transformed into a Republic from a kingdom. From now on, it shall be known as a secular, federal, democratic republic and shall cease to be called a Hindu monarchy. People of Nepal are of the view that it is a positive sign; a peaceful change that has swept the nation and allowed its people complete freedom. The news channels have already shown countless footage of smiling faces of men, women and children. Almost everyone in Nepal is celebrating the victory of the people that sealed the fate of a 240 year old dynasty and prepared the ground for total democracy. The world media and the U.N have already extended their congratulatory messages to the people and the new Government. It is good to see happiness all around the place after so many struggles. But, according to an age old adage, ‘Life is not a bed of Roses’. This leaves a scope and draws a blank on what the thorns are and in what shape they are?
I am not an expert on world affairs and neither am I getting paid for this work. I am an observer. I observe what is happening around me and how the happenings can affect the planet. I call myself a ‘Globizen’. I have invented this term to describe the people who keep a tab on world events and like to report or comment on them. The media reports that I have seen and read so far have stopped short of explaining the future of Nepal. This is my attempt towards it. According to me, in the next twenty years, Nepal shall witness massive changes, both positive and negative. The positive changes will arise from the foreign direct investment (FDI) that the country is bound to attract pretty soon. This will result in a large number of business operations that will result in the creation of job opportunities. Ultimately, the social status of the people will increase. This is where the negatives will enter. ‘Money is the root of all evils’, so say the elders. More the money will mean more evils. Human psychology hasn’t changed much. To some extent it is the same today as it was during the time of Caesar. Greed is a part of human psychology that has always been the ‘tempter’ of crimes. This factor, shall give rise to corruption and crimes, shall result in a fall in philanthropic activities, shall increase jealousy and hatred amongst the masses and shall result in a number of such activities that adversely affect a nation. I am not saying that there should be a money-free society. The point is that the law of the country should be powerful and should be properly implemented. Some people may say that a nation while developing must face such common economic and social problems. I defy. To me, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, civil war, hunger, rising population and pollution are not ‘common problems’. These problems have the capacity to wipe out an entire nation without any external aggression. If corruption joins them, then the country and its people are at God’s mercy. There are many nations in Europe which have corrupt-free societies or at lest the level of corruption is negligible. Finland is one such example. It tops the list of the world’s corruption free nations. On the map, Finland is a small country but it is home to one of world’s largest cell phone manufacturers- NOKIA. The rankings include mostly European nations but that doesn’t means there aren’t any in our neighborhood. The best possible example is of Malaysia. In a period of 22 years, Mahathir Mohammed; the ex-prime minister (and the longest serving) of the country; scripted a rags to riches story. People who had visited the peninsula 28 years back reported that the airport looked more like a cow shed and there was poverty around. Today whoever visits Malaysia comes back with fond memories and remains mesmerized with the life the country leads. It is counted amongst the developed nations of the world. This transformation is truly commendable. So was it all due to one man and his government? The answer is NO. It was due to the fact that the people wanted development. The people were in total support of the government. It was the mutual admiration and trust that the people had in their government and the government did not betray it. There have been reports on certain problems faced by the country but with sheer determination and patriotism Malaysia stood tall. Let us not forget that it took almost two decades for Malaysia to be where it is today.
The above is the perfect example of how a nation should be build. Nations include societies which in turn include individuals. So if individuals are good, the society will be good and they will make a strong nation. The capacity of the people of Nepal will be tested now. The future of the country will depend on its own people, the government and the understanding between them. In the words of Lao Tzu:
“As for the best leaders, the people don't notice their existence;
the next best, the people honour and praise;
the next, the people fear;
and the next, the people hate.
When the best leader’s work is done, the people say, ‘we did it ourselves’”.
Only time will tell, the kind of leadership Nepal portrays.