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Kathmandu Thursday November 15, 2001 Kartik 30, 2058.
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Mending
differences
Two weeks after
Dashain, the country gears up for another great festival, Tihar. Dashain did not bring
much "happiness" to many of us as a result of the last June royal massacre,
besides pressing problems. The shortage of sugar, frequent road accidents, mostly during
Dashain, deaths of many from preventable diseases, the sorry state of the tourism industry
and sagging economy and sporadic incidents of Maoist violence affected the mood of
festival of many. Most people in the country have not overcome the June 1, 2001 Royal
tragedy. On the occasion of Dashain, King Gyanendra declared Paras Shah, his only son, the
Crown Prince of Nepal. However, only time will tell whether this has been a wise move.
Sher Bahadur Deuba, who succeeded former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, has been
able to restore peace to some extent. The government has held three rounds of dialogue
with the Maoist insurgents since Deuba came to power. The recent one, though it ended
inconclusively, has given some glimmer of hope for peace. If the government and the
Maoists are really determined to restore peace and bring about economic prosperity, then
they should try not to distance themselves from the reality. The six year-old Maoist
Movement has not only claimed over two thousand people but also dislocated thousands of
people.
Tihar is the festival
of lights and colours that symbolises that age-old culture of country which teaches us to
vanquish ingorance that subdues humanity and to drive away darkeness that engulfs the
light of knowledge. Tihar even today projects the rich and glorious past of our country
and teaches us to uphold the pluralistic values. This festival dates back to that period
when, perhaps, history was not written and in its progress through centuries, it lighted
path of thousands to attain the ultimate good and complete ecstasy. Let us hope that this
festival will restore peace to this country by resolving the Maoist insurgency once and
for all. It is also true that any festival, especially in oriental society, brings a happy
and festive occasion when we join together to celebrate and strengthen our social,
political and economic relationships. Such occasion also provides us an opportunity to
express love and share what we have. And those who celebrate it must be careful of the
adulterated food items and dangerous firecrackers sold in the market. Many shops may not
hesitate to sell adulterated food items at cost to health and hygiene. With this, we wish
our readers, both at home and abroad, happy Tihar and prosperity.
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