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| Kathmandu, Sunday April 21, 2002 Baishakh 08, 2059. |
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Echoes of the Himalayas : A
product of a wounded heart
By DR SHREEDHAR GAUTAM
D B Gurung is an established author in Nepalese
writing in English. Before the present book was published by a reputed foreign
publication, he had already become a familiar figure among the native as well as foreign
readers through poems, which have been published in various anthologies in the United
States, and have won several awards. Though a teacher by profession, he has proven his
creative genius through his several poetic works. Being a son of a British Gorkha veteran
(during the Second World War) he has closely observed and experienced the life of a
vagabond solider. Moreover, his own struggle for survival in Japan as well as in Nepal has
further enriched his understanding of life.
Echoes of the Himalayas opens up a discourse
that British Gorkhas are still treated as aliens in their own land. But it was not out of
pleasure that these Gorkhas left their country to become soldiers in foreign country.
Though there has been a great change in the mind set of Nepalese intelligentsia regarding
the role of famed fighting ‘Gorkha Force’, still the sons of ex-Gorkha soldiers
are expected to opt for their fathers’ profession whether they are cut out to be
soldiers or not, especially in the case of the so-called Matwali castes like Magar, Gurung
and Rai. Even after the restoration of multiparty system 12 years ago, our politicians
have not taken the question of Nepalese boys joining foreign army as a symbol of insult.
There was a heated debate in the parliament over the issue in the parliament some years
ago, but majority of them rejected the proposal of banning Nepali national joining the
foreign army. Surprisingly, the members belonging to the so-called Matwali caste also
spoke against the proposal.
It is a sad fact that our ‘Gorkha’
brothers are compelled to join the foreign fighting force with full knowledge that they
could be either killed or incapacitated while fighting for others’ sake. In both the
cases they symbolise the tragedy of Nepali life that even after the dawn of democracy
there is no basic change in people’s condition. We have seen many widows and children
left behind by their husbands and parents in a miserable state. Similarly, there are
ex-British and Indian soldiers who are leading a crippled life facing all kinds of
difficulties in their retired life. The greatest irony in the life of these soldiers is
that they are neither recognised well by the countries they fought for nor by the country
they were born in. The protagonist, Gagan, in D B Gurung’s novel is the son of a
Gorkha solider of the British Indian army who showed supreme valour while fighting the
Japanese in Burma during the Second World War.
The novelist has realistically shown that the
tale of Gagan’s frustration is not that of an individual, but the people at large who
are against corrupt system of governance perpetuated for long. So, Gagan’s struggle
is a pointer to the century long maladies prevailing in our society. Many Gagans have
already lost lives in the course of fighting against this corrupt system that
discriminates people on various pretexts. The book opens with a tug of war between a
teacher and a student who refuses to listen to his teacher’s argument that only
Chhetris and Brahmins are entitled to take up teacher’s profession. And this student
happens to be the father of Gagan, the protagonist. The teacher’s remark comes as a
bolt from the blue to the young student once he knows that a son of Mathwali has to become
either Gorkha soldier or should take up other manual job, but not the teaching job
supposed to be the monopoly of Tagadharis, especially the Brahamis and Chhetris. It is
with this frustration that the student, Mr Ghondey, joins British Indian army and later
settles abroad in retired life not getting any sympathy for his war crippled life. But his
youngest son, Gagan, comes back to Nepal, facing all sorts of odds and injustice, to find
his roots. Though mostly grown up between Bhutan and Sikkim, he is all the time harbouring
a deep nostalgia for his imaginary homeland, Nepal. And it is with this vision in mind
that he leaves Sikkim for Nepal. Gagan tells his brother, Akash in the first chapter
regarding his intention to enter Nepal: "That has to be the ultimate home for a
rootless Nepali, blown off course by the storm of destiny."
The second chapter is equally insightful as it
is here Gagan’s father tells his sons not to join British or Indian army, terming the
profession as satanic occupation which has driven generation of Matwali into nightmare. It
is through his father that Gagan comes to know how most of the jobs in Nepal are occupied
by Brahmans and Chhetris, the dominant ruling elite. He exhorts his son not to repeat the
mistake of joining foreign army and thus spoil his life. Once Gagan enters Nepal he finds
not much difference between the lifestyle of Indians and Nepalis. He is dumbfounded when
he sees Nepalese talking with an India accent. He finds Biratnagar a confused and
shapeless town sprawled in a typical Indian fashion. Though Gagan’s difficulties in
Nepal become acute for employment due to lack of citizenship certificate, he pursues his
efforts vigorously because he cannot let his dream be deferred, or sacrificed for an
imaginary career in Sikkim.
Ultimately Gagan comes to Kathmandu which he
finds resembling a large saucer, surrounded by mountains. It is all very exciting for
Gagan on his first visit in the city. Though Gagan is employed as a teacher in Kathmandu,
his troubles compound with the principal reminding him that he has to submit his citizen
certificate in due course of time. Later he is fired from the service for his failure in
producinh Nepali citizenship certificate. He is denied the citizenship, as he cannot
furnish the required document for the sake of certificate. Gagan tells the concerned clerk
that there are thousands of genuine Nepalese who are having a similar, and more often, a
difficult problem than faced by him. But he is asked either to pay a heavy amount of bribe
or to go back to Sikkim or Bhutan.
Later on, he is taken to the Hanuman Dhoka
police station for his offensive behaviour against the CDO. After his release from prison
on parole, Gagan is still an enraged person and becomes one of the active members of the
All Nepali Native People Organisation (ANNPO). Gagan and his friends agree upon the need
of bringing together like-minded people to fight against the corrupt system. The novel
ends with the ANNPO getting more active to eliminate the nepotism and the dominance of
Brahamic policy in Nepal. Gagan echoes the sentiment that nobody is superior or inferior,
neither the Brahmin nor the blacksmith.
On the whole, the Echoes of the Himalaya is a
novel written from the bottom of a heart, that is humiliated and hurt several times for
yearning to know about one’s own roots, whatever the cost. At the first look, critics
may find this novel rather communal in tone and in the treatment of its character, but
very soon one would realise that the basic motive behind this novel is not to spread
communal hatred but to arouse awareness in the larger silent community that there is a
need of drastic change in the socio-political structure as well as the mental set of
bureaucrats. The writer has aptly raised the issue of corruption in bureaucracy because
even non Nepali whether they are of Tibetan or Indian origin can get citizenship in no
time if they offer large sum to the concerned officials. The obstacles created in the path
of Gagan’s citizenship process were unnecessary and biased. He was denied citizenship
because of the lack of essential document, but because he did not conform to the corrupt
practice of getting certificate by bribing the official. It is in this sense that this
work can be taken as a landmark in the field of modern protest literature.
Unlike the literature of medieval protest,
modern protest is not based on parochialism or narrow religion. Gurung’s work is an
example of modern protest as it includes scientific consciousness and political vision.
His spirit of protest seems to have been greatly influenced by modern writers who do not
seek inspiration from any religion. He does not take protest something as a sentimental or
emotional outburst. He wants the protest to come into the purview of thought process so
that it becomes valid and robust in its range, temper and meaning. Gagan, the protagonist
of the novel, seeks to expose new, values rooted in the realities of life. The book shows
that significant value emerges when protest conflicts with actual circumstances prevailing
in a period or at historical moment. The protest shown here has nothing to do with dogma.
But, the writer could have been more careful while showing his sense, of protest without
naming some castes in an overt way, thereby giving an impression whether the writer is
interested in arousing sectarian feelings. Though this is not the intention of the writer,
it could have been more appropriate if the writer had used rather subtle and covert style
to express his justified anger. However, the writer can take the solace that this is a
minor lapse on his part and it in no way minimises the message that he wants to convey
through this book.
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