“If Gautama Buddha was born in India, Mahatma Gandhi sold paanipuri in the streets of Kathmandu.”
When I saw this statement on my Facebook page, it amused me, but also left me with billions of questions.
The first question was—“Was Buddha really born in India?” I typed ‘biography of Gautama Buddha’ in Google search box, and Google came up with millions of results. My click on the uppermost link took me to a well-known page—Wikipedia. After scrolling just a little bit, I reached the ‘birth’ section, which stated that scholars regarded Kapilbastu, Nepal, to be the birth-place of Buddha. It also listed a few other possibilities, two of which are parts of India today. This left me with my mouth wide open. [break]
Millions of Buddhists worldwide visit Lumbini in Nepal, not Delhi, to pay homage to Buddha. Each year, international agencies and countries donate millions of dollars to develop Lumbini as a Peace Center. Not only this, the anniversary of World Peace Pagoda is celebrated in Lumbini, Nepal. Indian king Ashoka travelled to Nepal to pay his respects to Buddha, which is documented in a pillar he had built there. In the face of this evidence, some Indians claiming that India is the birth place of Gautam Buddha is foolish. Nonetheless, the claim is not official. However, we Nepalis are equally foolish to care about such an illogical claim; the world knows where Buddha was born and what Gandhi did.
It is unwise to bark back at dogs; but on the other hand, it is important to defend yourself when attacked. We Nepalis are surrounded by two giant and powerful countries. Indians claim Gautam Buddha as theirs, and the Chinese claim that Mt Everest lies in their country. It does not mean that Nepal does not possess them. However, we need not come up with foolish counter-arguments and assumptions like ‘Gandhi’ was a vendor in Nepal and ‘Sun Yat sen’ served in Nepal as a watchman. Such foolishness leads to diplomatic tensions, which is harmful for a dependent country like Nepal.
Ashoka pillar at Lumbini
Unfortunately, Nepal depends on its neighboring countries for almost everything today. If India cuts off the supply of petroleum to Nepal, thousands of vehicles will queue up in front of petrol pumps in Kathmandu. It’s a matter of shame for Nepal, which proudly calls itself an agriculture-based country in school textbooks, that cereals and crude soya-bean oil rank among its top ten imports. Tomatoes in the market of Kathmandu are trade-marked with Indian stickers. Indian apples are easily accessible and cheap in Nepali market. Every day, Indian rice is cooked in our homes in Indian pressure-cookers.
‘Nepal is the second richest country in water-resources’ has been a long bandied about cliché in Nepal. Unfortunately, we Nepalis are deprived of pure and sufficient drinking water. It is humiliating for us to import hundreds of Megawatts of electricity from India despite the huge potential to generate hydropower electricity in our own country.
We build houses with Indian supplies of Iron and steel. Almost every mechanical and electrical appliance in our houses is tagged either Indian or Chinese. Vehicles, pharmaceutical products and telecommunication equipments are all imported to our country. We love to watch Indian movies and TV-serials for hours. We love to carry Indian gadgets, sing Indian songs, and imitate Indian cultures. If we are ever asked to live only with our native things, I am afraid most of us will have to stand naked and homeless.
Nepal’s dependence is not limited to minor daily experiences; our neighboring countries also exert huge political influence and control over us. Major political decisions change once political leaders return from Delhi visits. Consensuses seem to alter in no time due to international interventions, some direct and the rest oblique.
The world knows we are powerless, but possess millions of possibilities for prosperity. It is not hard to understand the competition between powerful countries for us and our country. India controls the lifeline of Nepal’s economy, and eventually the life of Nepalis, as almost all our imports come through Calcutta, India. Naturally, India’s attitude towards China, which also competes in the process, is negative. India knows that it will be disadvantaged if, for example, China builds a hydropower station in Nepal. Opportunists are looking for possible chances of invasion. Once we are fragmented among ourselves, it will be far too easy for them to conquer us. It is what they have been waiting desperately for.
Power leads to evil. The only thing that defies it is ‘unity’. Instead of coming up with counter claims and assumptions, we can help ourselves and the country in millions of other possible ways. We lack a true leader. Everyone believes that they are the supreme power. Nobody is ready to compromise. Due to this, the country is left with a judicial officer to control the nation. This is the reason others try to invade us. I personally believe it is far wiser to strengthen ourselves so that nobody ever dares to look down upon us; trying to invade in return cannot be good for a country like Nepal in any way.
Let’s stop saying Gandhi sold paani-puri in Kathmandu. Instead, let us work to develop Lumbini as the birthplace of Gautam Buddha so that no Indian can ever dare to call it theirs.
The author is A-level graduate from Xavier International College
mahesh.kushwaha@hotmail.com
Related story
Teacup in My Sight
