KATHMANDU, July 27: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Saturday amused those who attended the function organized in the capital to inaugurate the newly-constructed Emergency and Outpatient Service Block of Sahid Gangalal National Heart Centre with his speech full of a number of mythical stories.
Though he initially refused to attend the function citing his bad health condition, he finally agreed to attend the inauguration ceremony after he was exhorted by the hospital administration.
The way he presented himself at the inauguration function seemed to belie his claim that his health was not in good condition. Though he reached the place where the function was organized later than scheduled time, he delivered 45-minute long speech as if he was physically normal.
His speech was replete with many mythical stories. He recounted mythical stories to make his description of the progress made by scientists on medical science more interesting and vivid.
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The first story he recounted in the course of delivering speech is about Jamdagni who resuscitated his wife whom he killed himself. “Jamdagni killed his wife with sharp weapon. His son urged him to revive his mother saying that he obeyed his order. Then, Jamdagni carried out her operation and revived his dead wife,” recounted PM Oli.
The second story is about Laxman, a mythical character in Hindu mythology. “Laxman became unconscious after he sustained injuries in Lanka. He was in coma. Hanuman was directed to fetch a medicinal herb from the mountain. He brought the medicine that cured Laxman,” recounted Oli.
He recounted his third story as follows: “Son of Parbati disappeared as soon as Saturn’s eyes fell on him. An order was issued: Bring the head of any animal found around. Then the head of an elephant that was around was cut off and fixed to the throat of her son”.
On the occasion, he also used his own health condition to indirectly claim that people belonging to the older generation who led their lives in natural way without being influenced by so-called modernity were healthier than us. “I am about 67 years old. My right upper tooth fell out yesterday. It had no root. No blood was seen on it. But my grandmother could eat fried corn and soya bean when she was 101 years old”
He added another story about Pushpak Biman(an aeroplane with flowers) to his speech. The PM Oli continued, “That imagination was not only imagination. Pushpak Biman is the figment of imagination of ancient people. It is surprising that a Pushpak Biman was used to bring Ram from Lanka. There was no airport. Pushpak Biman would land and take off like a helicopter. No description of airport is found in mythical literature".
It is at this point that he seemed to be deviating from the main point of his speech-the achievement humankind made in the field of medical science. It seemed that he set forth this story to defend his development dreams unrealistic at least in the immediate future.
At the end of his speech, he displayed his old habit of defending everything he says and does.
Oli said, “Who believes in what I say?” I was sleeping because I was not feeling well. I came here after I was requested earnestly. My earlier refusal to come here and my long speech I made here might make you think that I am feigning sickness. I am a temporary patient. But it is not true that I pretended to be sick”
