King Gyanendra’s first year as Monarch

Book Review

king Gyanendra has protected Nepal’s monarchy more than once. It was he who ascended the Shah dynasty throne way back in 1950 when then King Tribhuvan left here for New Delhi with his entire family, leaving the country literally King-less. Again, it was Gyanendra, who had to be flown in from Royal Chitwan National Park to protect the throne following last year’s horrendous (June 1) massacre of King Birendra and his entire family members.

And it’s already been a year since King Gyanendra was re-enthroned and became the constitutional monarch after the unprecedented Royal Palace massacre that rocked Nepal and, possibly, much of South Asia, if not the world. Much water has flown down the Bagmati ever since. Unbelievable it may sound, but people are slowly beginning to come to terms and have started to accept King Gyanendra as their new monarch.

"The mood was so bad, and everybody was worried about the very existence of our monarchy," says editor of the book, Sarad Adhikari, in the preface. "But the unprecedented tragedy could not move the foundation of our monarchy that has its hundreds of years old glorious history. And we got our new King."

A former nature conservationist and a businessman, King Gyanendra has said in recent interviews that he never thought that things would turn out this way. A monarch who has said that he is not unaware of the problems facing the Nepali people, King Gyanendra has expressed his willingness to remain committed to multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchy.

The mourning period did not stop King Gyanendra from becoming a benevolent and concerned monarch of the troubled nation. And all that and more that happened in the first year after King Gyanendra ascended the Shah Dynasty throne has been beautifully chronicled in the 202-page book with a lot of pictures. Adhikari, the upcoming journalist currently associated with Kantipur national daily has done a commendable job, together with Binodbahadur Amatya, the renowned industrialist who is the publisher of the book - which was released by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on June 4. And Raju Babu Shakya, the art and design man, has done his best to polish the book.

In nutshell, as the title suggests, the book documents the first year of King Gyanendra as the monarch, right from the moment he ascended the throne. With the picture of King Gyanendra at his enthronement ceremony at Hanumandhoka Durbar on the cover, the hardcover book looks more like a pictorial at the first glance. But it also has sufficient texts to describe the events that followed his enthronement. More importantly, the book documents the life-story of King Gyanendra and all the public speeches that he delivered after his enthronement.

The bottomline is: the publisher, the editor and all the writers regard monarchy as the unifying symbol of the multi-cultural and multi-racial Himalayan Kingdom. The book is a must-have for historians and scholars, and all the people of Nepal and beyond who love King Gyanendra and Nepal’s constitutional monarchy.

Women's support

By Yesjay

Women are typically recruited with promises of good jobs in other countries or provinces, and, lacking better options at home, agree to migrate. Through brokers who arrange jobs, women are escorted to their destinations.

e have heard of many NGOs involving in the field of trafficking and women upliftment. There is one such NGO, ABC/Nepal which
has been working continously since 1987 for the basic rights of women and children.

This NGO together with Asia Foundation has recently imparted training on the awareness of girls trafficking and the consequences of HIV/Aids in Nawalparasi, Chitwan and Dhading. Training was given to more than hundred women, all elected, adolescent and Village Development committee women.

According to Prema Regmi, an executive member of ABC/Nepal and program coordinator, most of the women of the villages are unaware about HIV/Aids and STDs. "Also the elected women representatives do not know about politics, they even do not know about their duties and responsibility".

Women of Nepal have no any independent status, thus are deprived of fundamental rights.They are deprived of education and basic needs and are subject to the choices of men. These barriers are deep rooted in the community and cannot be uplifted without cooporation of the members. The victims of trafficking are on everyone’s doorstep and it is the responsibility of us all to ensure their protection.

Trafficking in persons - the illegal and highly profitable recruitment, transport, or sale of human beings for the purpose of exploiting their labour - is a slavery-like practice that must be eliminated. The trafficking of women and children into bonded sweatshop labor, forced marriage, forced prostitution, domestic servitude, and other kinds of work is a global phenomenon. Traffickers use coercive tactics including deception, fraud, intimidation, isolation, threat and use of physical force, and/or debt bondage to control their victims.

Women are typically recruited with promises of good jobs in other countries or provinces, and, lacking better options at home, agree to migrate. Through agents and brokers who arrange the travel and job placements, women are escorted to their destinations and delivered to the employers. Upon reaching their destinations, some women learn that they have been deceived about the nature of the work they will do; most have been lied to about the financial arrangements and conditions of their employment; and all find themselves in coercive and abusive situations from which escape is both difficult and dangerous.

ABC/Nepal has a special focus on the prevention of girl trafficking and advocating and lobbying on women’s rights. "They share with us the overall objective of eliminating violence and discrimination against women in all forms, says Meera Sharma, a participant. "Although we have a long way to go, this surely will ensure a great support to fight against girls trafficking".

Masters of Serpents

Along with keeping Cobra and other snake species as pet for street performance, Nats sell excess snakes to other snake charmers. A mature Cobra is sold at more than NRs 150. Sometimes buyers from India come to their camp. They assume that snakes may be brought to laboratories.

By Rajendra Gurung

Diversity in macro environment and culture across regions harbours diverse livelihood systems in Nepal where foraging still comprises the mainstay of livelihood of many ethnic groups such as Kusunda, Chepang and Mushar. The unique livelihood system of Nats also contributes to existing diversity, although they are not indigenous inhabitants of Nepal. Nats are semi-nomad ethnic group of the Northern India.

Nats of Bahadurganj village, Kapilvastu had migrated from Belahayar village of Northern India about four generations ago. Currently, there are 6 households of Nats in Bahadurganj village. It is said that local landlords used Nats in personal security, since they were recognized to be skillful in using weapons, such as stick and knife. Nats are still recognized for their skill in using stick.

Nats lead normadic life for foraging. They wander from village to village across the international border of Nepal and India in search of wild honey and snakes. But nowadays, due to increasing depletion of forests, decrease in abundance of wild honey, declaration of significant area of natural forests as community forests around the area, and restriction in outsiders’ access to the community forests, honey-hunting activities of Nats have come to the end.

Nats make a living also as snake Charmers. They visit their clientele villages with about a dozen shallow plate-sized wicker baskets full of Asian Cobra, Viper, Rattlesnake etc. Their performance in villages usually gathers a large number of viewers. Snake Charmers gently lift up the top of baskets and then Cobra swing flat head a couple of feet high on air with attractive prints behind it. When the Charmer taunts cobra, it reacts with dreadful hisses when viewer’s breath comes to mouth. Sometimes cobra strikes on Charmers wrist and he bleeds. The charmer often holds Cobra around hid neck like a flower thread. Sometimes someone among the viewers dares to hold a snake. When the cool creature starts to crawl over his body, he shuts down his eyes with fear. Sometimes people throw bunch of flower and coin on Cobra from a distance worshipping it as serpent deity or Naga.

In summer, some Nat families camp in Jhingaha of Ganeshpur, VDC of western Kapilvastu for snake catch around the area. Snake catch is not only the traditional occupation of Nats but it has also been institutionalized like the occupational services of tailors and blacksmiths. Each household of Jhingaha, Lalpur, Madan Nagar, Harigaun and Gedewajod villages in Nepal and Bayerhawa, Parsa, Parsehiya and Daduha villages across the border in India annually pays 10 kg paddy to Nats for their service. Thus, there is a ‘patron-client’ relationship between villagers and Nats just like blacksmiths or Tailors among the hill communities.

Nats have to visit their client’s house at least once a year in summer for tracking down and catching venomous snakes from homesteads. It doesn’t matter whether a snake is captured or not, but Nats have to assure their clients about the absence of venomous snakes in their houses.

When cobra and other poisonous snakes appear in their house, people summon Nats to capture them. People pay Nats NRs 200 to 300 for capturing and removing a poisonous snake from their house. Along with the catch in the client’s houses Nats hunt snake in bushes and fields. They prefer Asian Cobra (Naja Naja) because it is more attractive during display and valuable in sell too. Nats catch cobra bare hand. During the catch they display quite interesting maneuver. They catch it by its tail and lift it in the air so that there is no chance for the snake to turn back and bite them. Then with the help of a stick they compel it to roll down into a pot or basket.

However, sometimes Nats get a deadly kiss of cobra on the wrist. A 12 years old son of a Nat family lost his life due to snakebite during the catch last year. They use herbal antidotes for treatment of snakebite. However, they have not adopted the healing practice as a profession unlike other Saperas. According to Baithole Nagraj, an elder family member in camp, the usual catch in a year is above 100 Asian Cobra (Goman) along with other minor snake species.

There were 10 cobra during our visit to the camp. Snakes were kept in earthen pots. One Cobra was caught a day before our visit. The cobra was furious and was reacting with dreadful hisses.

Nats did not allow us to go near the Cobra. Other Cobras were disarmed through removing their teeth. Nats apply interesting methods to get control over the captured Cobra. Cobras are kept in harsh starvation without feeding for weeks. Then they provoke the starved and weak Goman swinging a piece of cloth above its head just like during Spanish Bullfight. The furious Goman strikes on the cloth. Then the piece of the cloth is forcefully pulled out and the snake’s teeth come out of its mouth entangled in the cloth. Then the Cobra, disarmed of teeth, is ready for street performance.

Along with keeping Cobra and other snake species as pet for street performance, Nats sell excess snakes to other snake charmers. A mature Cobra is sold at more than NRs 150. Sometimes buyers from India come to their camp. They assume that snakes may be brought to laboratories. Similarly, a number of Indian Nat families, who are also relatives of Nats of Bahadurganj, come to Nepal in November and stay up to June wandering in different parts of Nepal. Nats of Bahadurganj gift snake to their relatives, who also make their living as snake charmers in India.Slight changes are observed in the traditional livelihood practices of Nats.

In Nepal they have acquired citizenship, practiced permanent settlement and some youths adopted new professions, such as instrument playing in local Band Baza groups (music band that perform especially in wedding ceremonies).

They have mentioned their caste as ‘Natuwa’ in their citizenship. However, the new generation prefer to call themselves ‘Nagaraja’. Nats were found ignorant about legal issues regarding snake catch and sale. Likewise, agencies such as District Forest Office, who are accountable for enforcement of acts regarding implementation of Convention on International Trade In Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), were found comfortable with the established traditional practice of snake catch although it is illegal. Regarding legal issues, Asian Cobra is listed in CITES Appendix II. Nepal ratified the CITES in 18 June 1975 and got membership of CITES in September of the same year.

Without intensive scientific study no statement can be made about the impact of Nats’ traditional practice of snake catch on ecology or ecosystem. However, increasing collection due to increasing involvement of traditional snake charmers and profit makers from across the border may pose a threat to species the endangered Asian Cobra species from the area.

Loss of species is irreversible and has negative consequences on ecosystem. In addition, possibility of using current network by international smugglers for trafficking snake and its skin in large scale cannot be undermined. But before marking a full stop on livelihood of a particular community, who are carrying out the occupation traditionally, their alternative livelihood should be ensured and they should be sensitized on legal and environmental issues associated with the illegal catch and sale of snakes.

Out if 2500 snake species only 400 are venomous, which are classified into two families-Colubride and Viperide. The saliva of snakes contains chemicals called enzymes and proteins. These chemicals help snake to digest the food they eat. Among some species the saliva is more powerful and is called venom.

Among colubrine species venom act on the blood of a victim stopping from clotting or causing it to form more clots, which in turn may affect the heart. While among viperine species venom acts on nervous system of a victim and may cause the heart to stop beating or the victim to stop breathing.

A number of people lose their life from snakebite in Nepal, especially in Terai and inner Terai. Most venomous and poisonous snake species in Nepal are Asian Cobra and Kraite, which are mostly found in Terai and inner Terai.

Thus, inadequacy of treatment facilities including medication and human resource, and prevailing trust on local healing practice together have increased victims vulnerability to death in rural areas.

HEADLINE | RECOLLECTIONS