All is not well with "come tomorrow" syndrome

Nepal believes in maintaining the old traditions. The people of this country will not compromise come what may any thing that deters them from observing their time tested cultures and traditions. Traditions are most close to them. Ask a teacher, a minister, or more especially a government bureaucrat or even a judge at the court, all will say that the heaven might come down to earth but they would not neglect the century old habits and traditions.

However, Nepal’s senior most literary figure, Bhanu Bhakta, became the first victim of this phenomenon. He is on record to have said that the culture of "come tomorrow" in essence gave him a very bad taste of the then Kantipur which is now Kathmandu. Bhanubhakta came all along from Tanahu district where from our "towering personalities" like "ram Chandra Poudel" and all time Great "Gobind Raj Joshi" hail from. The poor literary figure came to Kantipur to get his official things done. However, the then bureaucrats’ every time told him to "come tomorrow". And that "tomorrow" never came in his life, which inspired the poor poet to record it in a poem which is "fortunately" still valid.

The time tested tradition of "come tomorrow" is so deeply entrenched in our blood that presumably even if a husband wishes to seek some sort of "pleasant from his consort at his "leisure" time, the later might tell her " husband to push the same idea tomorrow".

One story perhaps a real one, regarding the all pervasive prevalence of "come-tomorrow" syndrome at time of the Rana oligarchy comes to my mind which I wish to share it with my valued readers here and abroad. How much truth is in this story, well I can’t say but then considering the continuation of the same syndrome till to day, I sincerely hope that the story which happened at time of the fag end of the Rana blue-blood system should have some truths in it.

It so happened that a fire broke out in a village in Jaleshawar some sixty-five years ago. Jaleshwar is currently a town which is close to Janakpur and borders Indian town of Vitthamod. Jaleshoar lies in Mahottari district-the constituency of incumbent health minister Sharad Singh Bhandari.

The fire created havoc and the town instantly lost its original face. The top hats of the villages approached the legation-office of the Rana Prime Minister there. The Rana representative told the villagers that "needed efforts would be made tomorrow"

Next morning when the town had already been turned into ashes and nothing was left there, the chief of the Rana legation sent a wireless message to Kathmandu seeking for support. The message sent said that a "fire has gutted Jaleshwar and the villagers here have sought the support of Kathmandu in order to contain the threat of the devastation fire."

The message reached Kathmandu next day because the wireless operator sent it next day and kept the tradition to the existing rule and hence only sent the "message" of fire in Jaleshwar to the appropriate authorities only the next day.

The authorities inside the Singh Durbar "studied" the text for the whole day considered it not to submit it to the perusal of the then Rana Prime Minister the same day.

Next day, as the luck would have it, the message of fire reached to the hands of the PA to the Prime Minister at time when the Prime Minister had already proceeded to his bed as it was already seven in the evening.

Next day the PA very energetically submitted the wireless to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister advised his PA to bring the same to his notice "tomorrow". The Prime Minister in effect was busy talking to his courtiers.

Next day, the Prime Minister read the message. Got stunned. Felt the pains of the poor men in Jaleshwar and then ordered his courtiers: "send two fire-brigades tomorrow to Jaleshwar".

The fact is that the Nepalese courts, government offices and the like all have been maintaining this "come tomorrow" phenomenon with full force. In the process, so many persons who come to Kathmandu to get their court related cases cleared presumably have died. The government officers have become addicts to this come tomorrow phenomenon.

The one more institution that has kept he name of Nepal in the international arena intact is the Royal Nepal Airlines. The passengers buying the tickets from this company in effect mentally prepare for their journey for their proposed journey for the next day. For they know that the RNA will definitely tell them to come tomorrow at the airport.

The come tomorrow syndrome of Nepal could be described for years and years. The wearer knows only where the shoe pinches. 

Headline | National | 5 Question  | Editorial | International | Past