“A perspective on the Maoist Movement in Nepal” is my twelfth published book but my first one in English. I believe that the idea behind what exactly is Maoist movement isn’t being disseminated well as wrong ideas and rationale behind the movement are usually promoted and reported. So this book is my attempt to show that a revolutionary transformation of the society was the central theme of the decade-long Maoist People’s War from 1996 to 2006.[break]
Photo: Keshab Thoker
I feel that even Maoist leaders haven’t been able to make their followers clear about their agendas. Even during the Maoist movement, the party saw its share of ups and downs; so I believe that the whole authentic picture should come out. There have been many books published on Nepal’s Maoist movement which have been written on the basis of those who witnessed the civil war, some written on the basis of the accounts they heard while some were written based on their experiences. My books fall in the latter category.
The present book is about my perception of a Maoist journey, the phase of implementation of its theories and achievements.
I had earlier written on the subject of the Constituent Assembly and the transformation of Nepali society, administrative and constitutional laws and human rights. But after I actively participated in politics, my interest lay in writing about subjects that contributed to social transformation.
The Maoists approach also led to a lot of achievements as the issues of federalism, secularism and inclusion are the result of their continuous struggle. In this way, I’ve tried to capture, as an insider, the Maoist movement on war, peace and constitution-drafting phase along with its development.
About Devkota
Devkota is a central committee member of the Maoist party and chairman of Nepal National Intellectuals Organization. A lawyer by profession, he believes that laws and politics are indivisible as laws are the fundamental component of politics.
“Law shows how a state should be governed and it’s a method while politics is a vision of how to run a state,” he explains.
Devkota was also a member of the Constituent Assembly, a member of the Legislative Parliament and one of the members of the Interim Constitution drafting committee in 2006-2007. He started his political career as a member of the Communist Party in 1983 and has been actively involved in the Communist movement in Nepal.
He’s an avid reader and currently he’s been reading books on the state of economic crisis around the world as he thinks that politics now is all about economics and trade. He points out that a revolution cannot be brought upon in a society if it’s stagnant. “So I like reading about the tools of societal transformation and how can we bring about social restructuring,” he says.
Devkota is of the opinion that many people are unaware of the actual motive behind the Maoist movement. “People compare the Maoist movement with terrorism as they haven’t studied well. But it was all politics-based and its motive and agenda were social economic transformation. After analyzing society and finding out the contradictions, the movement aimed to reduce the contradiction found in the society. We can hardly see a systematic revolution as such,” he states.
Pariwar, niji swamitwa ra rajyako utpati by Engels
From a Marxist point of view, the book talks about how family is a State’s primary unit and how private ownership originated. It also points out that without having knowledge about what exactly state is, it’s not possible to talk about politics and revolution. From Marxist approach, Engels talks about what the state, family and private ownership exactly mean and has looked at it from a materialistic perspective. For Communists, this is a must-read book.
Badlindo Samaj by Chaitanya Mishra
Political parties portray Nepali society in a traditional way but Mishra has presented it in its true form through this book. Capitalism has reached the extreme and it’s only now that our party has said that Nepal isn’t semi-feudal and semi-colonial. The way Mishra has analyzed Nepali society by factual reasoning is thus really inspiring.
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawkins
The book asks if it’s possible to understand the world without scientific knowledge and mathematics. It also explores profound topics like how the universe originated and what will happen when it all ends. He also briefly talks about great minds like Einstein, Galileo and Sir Isaac Newton. Presented with images and imagination, this is a fascinating book.
Democracy against Capitalism by Ellen Meiksins Wood
This book talks about the way we understand that capitalism is democracy and communism is anti-capitalism. Capitalism is a philosophy of profit and the book also talks about that if democracy is possible without capitalism. Wood also talks about the concept of democracy in both the ancient and modern worlds by relating it to capitalism.
The World We Wish to See by Samir Amin
Amin is a Marxist economist and this book presents a view of the 21st century and talks about how we can unite against imperialism. Amin provides an analysis of resistance to capitalism and imperialism and calls for a new politics of opposition. The book points out that the number of people suffering from imperialism should unite together; only then revolutionaries can see the world which they wish to see
As told to Nistha Rayamajhi
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