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Kathmandu Monday June 11, 2001 Jestha 29, 2058.
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Irreparable loss
National calamity, that no one had ever even
dreamt of, fell upon the nation. Within a
span of three days, Nepal lost two kings, a queen and several members of the Royal family
leaving a big void in the hearts of the people. Grief striken Nepalis had nowhere to turn
to but to resort to the only thing they could do -- pay their respects to the departed
souls and to express their grief at the thousands of impromptu shrines and altars that
sprang up overnight all over the place. The other thing they could do was to wait for the
facts related to the unbelievable and unfortunate happening that took away their beloved
sovereign, forever.
The people’s anxiety, far from being put to
rest, was further stressed by rumours and news coverage by the jaundiced journalism of
electronic media from across the southern border. While unprecedented number of Nepalis
spontaneously expressed their grief and reverence to their departed sovereign and his
family the Indian media chose to ignore this phenomenon but publicized the exception and
promoted the negative aspects, thus provoking and inciting the vulnerable public.
Sometimes even stooping as low as to making derogative remarks laced with insinuations and
innuendos.
The grief of the Nepalis resulted in the border
posts being inoperative during the period of mourning. The Indian media chose to publicize
this as their expression of concern over the negative economic impact on the people of
Nepal, thus generating small satisfaction that the insensitivity of closing the border by
imposing an embargo for eighteen months in 1989 has at least been eradicated from the
attitude of our friends in India.
All this while, our electronic media were at
their best - doing nothing. Barring a continuous stream of monotonous music interrupted by
signs that they are indeed working--they looked like they were taking a well deserved
rest. A sovereign who served the nation for 30 years had not even left some hours of video
recording, from what we could gather from the performance of Nepal television. So much so
that the public had to turn to foreign media to be informed of the happenings and
developments taking place at their own courtyards.
The nation has suffered an irreparable loss. No
effort would have compensated it but had these shortcomings not been there, the Nepalis
need not have suffered the burning of salt in fresh wounds, as it were. Let us hope that,
for the pain and loss that Nepal has had to suffer, we could extract some strength for
facing the challenges and commitment for building a stronger and prosperous nation of the
future.
J D Baidya
Thapathali, Kathmandu |
