Fond
Memories
EXACTLY one year has
gone by since that dark day when the nation woke up to hear that King Birendra and Queen
Aiswarya had been killed in a shooting incident inside the Narayanhity Royal Palace. The
whole family of the late King perished in the tragic shootout and several other members of
the Royal Family also lost their lives. The entire nation was stunned when they came to
know of this and for most Nepalese, the tragic incident was one of the most shocking
events that they had ever heard about. It could be called one of the darkest days in the
country’s history and an irreparable loss that the nation had to bear. Even now, most
citizens recall that late King Birendra, was one of the most popular Monarchs of the Shah
dynasty. With his ever smiling face and selfless concern for the people, he had been able
to win the hearts of all his subjects during his almost three decades of reign. Right from
the time he was the Crown Prince, late King Birendra had shown he was a Monarch of the
people by showing great concern about the state of the rural poor of the country. It is
almost a legend now of how he went from door to door in different remote villages and ate
and lived with the poor folks and talked to them about their needs and aspirations. He
travelled on foot and saw and experienced the hardships of the common people. Later on as
King, he made it a routine to visit one development region per year and personally look
after the development needs of that area. Late King Birendra met thousands of common
people during such visits.
That he heard the
peoples’ voice and agreed to what they said, can easily be vouched for by the way he
granted their wish, even when as a King with absolute power, he had to make a great
personal sacrifice. First in 2036 B.S. (1980), the King announced a National Referendum
when a section of the people sought change in the political system in the country. Then
again, during the Popular Peoples’ Movement in 2046 B.S. (1990), the King relented to
give up absolute power and usher in multi-party democracy, rather than see Nepalese
citizens lose their lives in street demonstrations. The Nepalese people in return gave
more respect to their King and this respect grew day by day. After the establishment of
multi-party democracy, late King Birendra played his role as a Constitutional Monarch
without any flaw and all political leaders recall even now, the great respect they had for
him because of his exemplary behaviour. Internationally also, late King Birendra won
respect far and wide for his visionary and thought provoking views on both international
and regional issues. There are perhaps few leaders in the world who has won such universal
acclaim and popularity, at home and abroad. On this day, all the Nepalese solemnly
remembers the popular King and the equally popular Queen and pray for the eternal peace of
the departed souls.
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