The face of a revolution

KIRAN PANDAY

Post revolutions have an iconic figure. The first People's Movement had Durga Pokhrel, and the second has Krishna Bahadur Thapa.

People usually don't realise who he is until he smiles, when they find themselves looking at one of the most recognisable faces of Jana Andolan II. The image of Thapa parodying royal gestures in his paper crown has become an enduring statement on the nature of the movement ('Paper crown', #295).

As day after day of the curfews continued, Thapa and his friend Suman Sagar Jung KC wanted to protest too, but they wanted to do it peacefully and use the power of ridicule.

Taking advantage of a huge group of protestors who had already assembled at Tundikhel on 22 April, Krishna put on his crown and showed off his half-rehearsed, half-improvised act. The crowd went wild. "We had not anticipated such overwhelming enthusiasm from such a large crowd," says Thapa.

This one-man show, the top story in all the papers the next day, spurred scores of other people on to break the curfew and join the rallies.

The idea was not a flash in the pan. Thapa and six of his friends run Social Organisation for Liberal Volunteers' Engagement Nepal (SOLVEN), a loose group of politically aware students not affiliated with any party, who want to present new political ideas, and express dissent and approval in peaceful, creative ways. They say they want to engage in "productive politics", and are educating their peers about the constituent assembly and republicanism, and encouraging them to get involved in the process of state reconstruction.

Thapa, who is earning an MA in curriculum planning and evaluation, describes himself as a socially and politically conscious student activist, but says he wants to remain independent of party politics. "Political activism doesn't end merely by aligning yourself with a party," he reasons, "you have to get involved in social and development issues."

The group recently successfully lobbied the Maoist students of their own campus, Tahachal's Mahendra Ratna, to play the madal instead of burning tyres during demonstrations.

Unfortunately, says Thapa, who comes from Palpa, as good an idea as SOLVEN is, it is having trouble getting itself heard on higher levels. "Our problem is we are not politically connected, we aren't plugged into the network that gets you to the big shots in Kathmandu."

Most importantly, says Thapa, there must be space for young people in politics if the leadership is to change in the next five to seven years. "Youth are neglected despite their potential to contribute so much towards a healthy political climate," he says passionately.