Nepali Resilience
It is very easy to give up and be cynical given the state of the Nepali state. Maoists fought a bloody war for 10 years to bring about social and political changes only for them to succumb to the trappings of power.
The public rejected career politicians to elect a new crop of independent, alternative mayors and MPs but some of them have also fallen on populism and bigotry to remain relevant. And now we have anti-federal pro-Hindu sentiments being fanned by other parties.
A look back at this editorial from 20 years ago this week following an end to the Maoist ceasefire is a timely reminder that not all is ever lost. Excerpts from the piece published on issue #163 19-25 September 2003:
Nepalis have never been as despondent about their future as they are now. Yet, with Dasai and Tihar around the corner, we must try to restore some of our lost self-esteem. Not the deceptive optimism in an elusive peace, but bringing back a sense of realistic faith in our own resilience and inner strength as a people.
Nepal is the oldest nation-state in the subcontinent. It has a remarkable capacity for bouncing back which manifests itself during traumatic periods of our history. True, our national institutions have been weakened by political interference, neglect and, it must be said, we have rarely had the rulers we deserved.
But this is also a society and a nation that has an innate ability to rebound in an instant. We just need the occasional visionary to tide us over bad times. The foundations of national identity built over the last two centuries are strong. We may not agree on what that identity is exactly, but a sense of Nepalihood courses in our veins.
The astounding thing is that while pampered Kathmandu moans and groans, across Nepal even people who have suffered dislocation, bereavement or loss of livelihood have taken the hardships, threats and violence in their stride while they wait for a better tomorrow.
For archived material of Nepali Times of the past 20 years, site search: www.nepalitimes.com