(Mandala, Rights, Miss Nepal, Petrol and Dreams)

Every time on my way to the office I pass the “MaitiGhar” mandala, a mandala dedicated to peace but the irony this mandala has never been bestowed with the peace which it was meant to impart. There’s always this 365 days reservation sometimes it’s the homeless, sometimes the indigenous and today staging protest are women activist strongly voicing their dissatisfaction and anger over the hard lined behavior from the police.

The Mandala which was once a magnificent masterpiece of art today stands helpless; as police men stand guard, alert and moodily tied down by their responsibility, many of the police men sit on the gravel surface of the mandala reading the newspaper unperturbed by the strong voices of anger from the women activists’ side.

As many people stand , stare and enjoy the everyday melodrama staged in the Mandala many people also stop and stare at the blue flex board facing the Mandala which reads “13,246 we will still remember”; there’s no doubt that Nepal took a giant leap in history but still we fail to heal and forget the past and this flex board which cautions us of the past reflects the situation of the people who dreamt but today peoples dreams have been blur, weathered and worn off just like the Mandala standing there waiting, just waiting for people to notice its pitiful state.

As I stare outside the microbus window irritated by the honking of horns of the vehicles I wonder when the Mandala would finally get it’s rest and peace, my mind gets diverted as I overhear the discussion of two college going students who were voicing in there dissatisfaction towards the postponement of the Miss Nepal Beauty pageant by the culture preservation team in the constituent assembly the Maoist cultural lawmakers and many other cultural stereotype new Nepal women activist.

Talks about new Nepal also made people talking about their rights and responsibilities. The Maoist lawmakers state their responsibility to disrupt and demolish any beauty pageants that disgrace the standard of women in Nepal (Quoted by: Cultural Maoist law makers) whereas on the other hand the Miss Nepal organizers state their Rights to hold the contest.

In this war of Rights and Responsibilities we stand confused wondering what’s right and what’s wrong: the greater question asked “Is there a rule of law?” if you seek for an answer you have none.

As my fellow passenger asks for a discount adding he has a student card, the driver grumbles irritated and complains that no one understood the hardship and pains he had to undergo to get 3 liters of petrol; that too standing in line for the whole day basking in the killer sun. Even though I had a student card I silently hand over 10 rupees to the conductor as I watch the endless lines of petrol fillers that graced the streets.

Everyone in the micro blamed the government for its inefficiency of solving the petrol crises. The frustration, irritation and anger were pensive in all the faces predicting that their anger would surely materialize one day repeating the constant pressure mechanism: Banda, vandalism, social unrest and the Nepali way of Burning tires.

As I walk through the lonely path towards my office I ask myself “Did the April uprising, the CA election, the peace pact, the election of the historic president make any difference in the life of common people?”

The answer is a retrospective to the past.

We have compromised a lot, compromised with our freedom, rights and even our life.

Even our politicians have compromised: Compromised for chairs not for change!!!

And as for us we’ll always dream, wait patiently for our crown of dreams to materialize. If not today then surely tomorrow.

Credits:
1. The Mandala which seeks its lost peace.
2. The two students of Prasadi Academy.
3. The women activists who fought.
4. The cultural Maoist lawmakers who still advocate culture in shades to stereotype views.
5. And For the people who STILL hope.