So when you hear there is going to be a protest over the very issues at Balwatar near the Prime Minister's official residence, one would expect people from every household to pour onto the streets. But the best the organizer's could do was round up a couple of hundred people.
"After the earthquake, people applauded Nepalis for being so resilient but in this instance I fear that the very attribute has backfired. I fear we might have become numb all together," said Sneha Adhikari, 23. Rather underwhelmed by the turnout and disappointed that the gathered group at Balwatar won't be able to make the impact, she left early. She thought her time would be better spent helping her mother sort firewood to cook their evening dinner.
We Nepalis ourselves are amazed at our own level of tolerance. People in Hong Kong, this time last year, were stealing headlines around the world for their series of sit-in street protests. They disapproved of China's influence over Hong Kong's Chief executive election and the number of protesters on the street peaked at more than 100,000 at any given time, overwhelming the government for almost three months.
Abhilash Acharya, 39, one of the organizers of "Jaga Kumbakarna" movement a month ago wonders what's stopping us Nepalis from getting together in this impressive fashion.
"Our target was to rustle up around 5,000 participants. We called in citizens to unite in the face of government inaction. Considering how the social media sites are rife with anger and grievances, we thought people were looking for an avenue to express their concerns. We believed getting 5,000 people to generate a positive movement wouldn't be a problem. We spread the word through various channels, however, we missed the mark by 3,000," reveals Archarya.
Similarly at the recently held 'Citizen's march to Parliament' rally, youths and former government leaders alike marched through the New Baneshwor streets. But while the couple of hundred people chanted slogans about an absent government, addressing Madhesh issues and saving people from the crisis, others just watched from the sidewalks. Of late, one too many Nepalis has been guilty of this.
"It's been more than two months that the entire country has been suffering from this blockade. There should have been a full fledged movement by now," says Biplav Vaidy, sighing in exasperation. The 31 year old entrepreneur was one of the participants of the 'Citizen's march to Parliament' rally. "My business has been hit hard by this crisis. I can see that my neighbors and my entire locality are facing the same hardship but for some reason, they just grit their teeth and get on with it. Nobody from my locality are here today, even though we all live right here in Baneshwor. I just don't understand how this is possible."
Whenever, the question – what can we do about all of this? – arises on a national level, demonstrations have always been the most obvious choice. The primary purpose of a rally or protests is to gather as many people as possible to show how much support a particular issue has. Ideally, rallies stimulate further action, spread awareness about the issues, energize supporters and generate publicity through mass media – the reasons the ruling bodies usually tend to fear such kind of citizen unrest.
But even in a city where people are forced to wait in line for 48 hours for half a cylinder of gas, a country where the people have to shell out Rs 350 – Rs 500 for a liter of petrol, and have had every other aspects of their daily life hindered, there is no sign of an uprising.
"What's the point?" questions Vaidya's neighbor, Dinesh Sharma. He works in an NGO and insists that he has no time to get involved in such kinds of movements.
"This clearly isn't an issue that can be solved from the bottom up. It's the leaders who have the access and power to mend this international relation's crisis. This is a depressing thought but it is also the truth. The citizen's disapproval regarding their actions or lack thereof couldn't be more apparent. It has been voiced and displayed in every way in these past months but have they changed their ways? No. So what's the point?" reiterates Sharma. He shares that at the moment his priority to make sure his family has their basic needs fulfilled.
Vaidya blames such short term goals and lack of vision for such distressing state of the nation. Sharma shrugs it off as survival instincts and it seems he isn't alone in thinking so. Sneha Adhikari confesses that while returning early from the underwhelming Baluwatar stage in, she too felt hope dissipate.
"It seems there are just too many dynamics involved. There isn't just one problem but several layered on top of the other. Where do we start? Even though I desperately want to raise my voice against the incompetence of our leaders and would like to see them all sacked, who will lead the country? There are no promising candidates at the moment," says a very concerned Adhikari. She further admits that she envies her friends who are going abroad for their studies and can thus afford to not be invested in the state affairs.
Abhilash Acharya, of "Jaga Kumbakarna" movement, too thinks that the dispiriting political state might have sapped the will of Nepali people to flood the streets and voice their displeasure. He also notes that many demonstrations like theirs have not been able to organize follow up events and stress on their agendas, diminishing the impact of the programs. So Archarya, on the other hand, plans to follow up through more events that can prove to be an avenue to help people unite.
Protests are an integral part of any national upheaval and responsible citizens are needed to make these voices heard. But in a country where too many protests have gone unheard, how many of the incredibly tolerant Nepalis think one more will actually help make a difference and get out on the streets to show their support to those who haven't given up yet?
priyankaggurung@gmail.com
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