NATIONAL 9 (Spotlight Weelky)]

People At Loss

Hundreds of thousands of Nepalese males have their head to show their deep respect to late king

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

The terrible tragedy that hit the royal family on June 1, 2001, has left the Nepalese people in a state of deep mourning.

None of the 22 million Nepalese might have thought in their wildest nightmares that a tragedy of such calamatic proportions could hit their beloved monarch and the country.

Shaving the head : Heart-felt respect

"After an urgent call came to my residence at around 9:30 pm, I went to the military hospital at Chhauni. I wept bitterly when I saw King and Queen lying dead," said Keshar Jung Rayamajhi, chairman of the Raj Parishad."This is the greatest tragedy in the history of Nepal."

Shocked, dazed and confused, the people have been involved in a mass shaving of their head to show their deep respect to the late king.

In Hindu tradition, close male relatives, including the sons, have to shave their head if a father dies in a family.

"The king was the father of our nation. He was the symbol of national unity," said Prabha Poudel, a 26-year-old man from Imadole, giving reasons why he shaved his head.

"This is our duty. Since he was our king, we must respect him," said Subash Bhandari, another young man with his head shaven.

Thousands of people thronged at different barber shops ever since the terrible news broke out. Mostly the people shaved on Sunday and Monday. The youth even came out on streets spontaneously to mourn their beloved monarchís death."Our King and Our Nation are Dearer To Us Than Our Lives" read most of the placards.

Cutting across ethnic and political lines, thousands of youths showed their respect to the king in unison. Whether they be Brahmin or Newar, Congress or communists, all have expressed their agony in true spirit of their nationalism. There is a popular saying"Raja Sabka Sajha" which means king is for everyone.

A government notice has asked all the male government employees to undergo mundan (shaving of head) to mourn the kingís death. Including the personnel from military and police, there would be at least 200,000 male employees.

Apart from the government employees, many more general public have tonsured their heads."Though it is a sad moment, it is our duty to shave the heads of mourning people," said Shiva Ratna Thakur, a 16-year-old barber from Janakpur, who was busy cutting hair at the sidewalk of Chabahil in the aftermath of the Fridayís tragedy.

Dozens of clubs at different parts of the country organized a free shaving programs to help the people. Not only the elderly people, even the youth have tonsured their heads."This is a time of great loss. The Nepalese youth revered their king and now they are in the forefront in paying respect to him," said Poudel.

"King Birendra was not merely a king. He was the peopleís king. He was the symbol of national unity and identity. Nepalese have to bear terrible loss by his death," said Keshar Jung Rayamajhi..

According to Hindu tradition, the king is regarded as the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He is considered to be living God. "The king is the father of the country. He is the guardian of the people," said Narayan Bahadur Shrestha, a 49-year-old man from Mahankal.