On the contrary it is bitterness that has gripped their lives fraught with broken down law and order, nerve-racking sense of insecurity and a paralyzing lack of basic facilities for decent living. Not that the old regimes provided them but now the people are more expectant of getting to live a decent life, new opportunities and are keenly looking forward to the much-hyped new Nepal than in olden days. Nepal is either the best, or the worst, example of arousing high expectations without possessing the capacity, competence and compliance to fulfill them. An ominous signal, to say the least.
Instead of compelling Nepalis to build a new Nepal within the territorial confines of Nepal, they should be encouraged to build new Nepals in different parts of the world.
Fortunately, the drummed-up dream has not completely gone to waste. We can see it being fulfilled in foreign soil. Just consider the more than 300,000 Nepalis who have permanently or temporarily settled down in the United States and Canada besides other countries. In pursuit of their dreams, they chanced upon the American dream that conjures up images of hard work tied up with limitless opportunity and success. How far they will go in the hunt for material progress is not the point. What is important is the sense of freedom at their disposal to pursue dreams subject to one’s ability and perseverance. Everyday they can feel satisfied with a lifestyle facilitated by oversized house or apartment, sleek vehicles of every choice, rich food and drinks, far from the hassles of extended family.
Material provisions exist in abundance not only to make one’s physical life comfortable but also to lead it happily. It is however a totally different matter that most of them don’t know how to make life happy despite the possessions at their disposal. It is sad to find visibly affluent Nepalis miserable with physical, mental and spiritual deficiencies. It is caused by the inner search for emotional fulfillment and appreciation of individuality that humans seek after being able to get well-fed and well taken care. It is actually a crisis of identity that is driving them to sentimental restlessness articulated in the practice of conducting cultural activities to observe all festivities belonging to all races and ethnic groups of Nepal. Despite some trends of practicing ethnic exclusiveness, there is generally an atmosphere of camaraderie and emotional bonding in the community of Nepali origin. However, we can notice the ever-present desire amongst the Nepali Diaspora to stand out distinctively in their adopted country; a desire which invariably gets drowned in the overwhelming West. A well-fed person looks hungry for emotional fulfillment. That is one reason they keep looking back to the native country with nostalgia seeking some kind of spiritual foothold. Though it is actually not difficult to attain it they have grown too arrogant out of affluence, like their fellow countrymen, to seek it.
Despite these deficiencies, people of Nepali origin have everything that new Nepal only promises. That is why we can see the people of Nepal, especially the youth, harboring desires and flying abroad for study, work and/or for decent living. They are trying to grab the facilities that already exist elsewhere rather than create them in their native land. There is nothing wrong in doing so and is a natural cause of globalization that has swept our country across-the-board. Instead of groaning over the apparent mass exodus of Nepali labor and brain force across the seven seas, it should be considered as a healthy sign of our nation’s ability to adapt to the changing international pattern. Instead of viewing it negatively in the context of building a new Nepal, it should be welcomed as a positive development to assist in building a new nation. Instead of compelling Nepalis to build a new Nepal within the territorial confines of Nepal, an uncertain proposition under the unstable circumstance, they should be encouraged to build new Nepals in different parts of the world; a high probability evident from our hitherto experiences.
If more evidence is necessary for emphasis, we just need to look north and south. It is the Chinese immigrants who played a key role in turning an agrarian China into an industrialized China. It is the Chinese students in thousands who flooded the Western universities in the 1980s who, on return, opened up isolated China to global exposure and built a bridge to connect to international community. The story of India may be a little different but they too were far from achieving economic boom till they maintained a closed-door policy on investment and trade. Remember the days when the Indian customs harassed us upon finding any China-made item in our baggage. Today their bilateral trade mounts to billions of dollars.
Ideology does not feed us well. Pragmatism does. China wouldn’t have needed Deng Xiaoping if Chairman Mao was solely enough for the Chinese people. Manmohan Singh would be redundant if Mahatma Gandhi was the final and all-time solution for India. Mao and Gandhi were great in resurgence of their nationhood. But building a nation is a different task. That demands different personalities. None other than Nelson Mandela realized it and handed over the task of governance of South Africa to somebody else after he rightfully thought he had accomplished his mission of ending apartheid and creating a new nation of Blacks and Whites.
Coming back to Nepal, we are overwhelmed by communist ideologies, radical as well as moderate. It is good for waking up the people, which it has already done. However, we need some pragmatic approaches to internal and external policies to build new Nepals around the world if we are serious to establish one in Nepal.
adityaman@hotmail.com
Related story
UML Kaski demands dismissal of corruption tainted Minister Adhi...
-1200x560-1781083488.webp)
