Believe it or not
A communist admits committing acts of corruption; sets penalty for himself

Sometimes the absurd happens. When such events take place, the people chew their tongues out of surprise and the people do so because they have no other options left.

In my three decades plus journalism career, I have come across several believable and even unbelievable events. As and when such events have happened, I have tried to penetrate deep into the cause and effect of those events and have finally compromised with my own conscience: it has happened since it was to happen and that the Almighty had so desired. The inclusion of Almighty in the happening of any event, good or bad, is a common phenomenon in and among we the Hindus. Though I am not a fanatic and fundamentalist Hindu, but then yet I have been brought up in that culture since my early childhood. Thus, I can’t dismiss out rightly that I don’t believe in the existence of God or for that matter a "supernatural" force that apparently is guiding the entire universe. Call it God or take it as "Energy", for me both was same.

Hindu religion presupposes that any sin committed against the society, the State and the likes by any particular individual would rebound on him or her well within the life that he or she is living at the moment. Whether it has come true in all cases or not, I am not sure, but then yet what has been noticed, it could be a sheer coincidence or a mere conjecture, that a person thus committing the crime or the sin, repents on his wrong-doings within his or her own lifetime.

One such event, I wish to present for my valued readers which is more than a truth.

One gentleman from Pokhara, Hari Pandey, a Brahmin indeed, joins the UML. He then is elevated to the ministerial rank during the UML regime in the country. Mr. Pandey is allotted the Water Resource ministry. Fortunately or even unfortunately, Mr. Pandey was a businessman or an indisutrialist. He then as the water resource minister accumulates wealth and manages some lucractive facilities for his private business in Pokhara.

Undoubtedly, Mr. Pandey could have amassed astronomical amount of wealth during his ministerial tenure in Singh Durbar.

The UML regime collapsed. Mr. Pandey proceeded towards Pokhara and kept quiet for long many years.

However, a sort of mental pain began hitting his lavish life. His mind started cursing him henceforth that he was the one who squeezed the national exchequer for his personal benefits and in the process could have snatched the share of the teeming millions out in the remote districts and villages.

When the internal pain became too much, Mr. Pandey took a very surprising decision on his own. He then submitted himself to the competent authorities and admitted that he had committed a blunder while being in power.

He then came to Kathmandu and pleaded that he be arrested. He presented himself before the CIAA and other competent bodies. None listened to his admission but instead declared Mr. Pandey to have gone mad.

Mr. Pandey left for his hometown Pokhara and spent about a year or so repenting on his past Himalayan blunders. The anti-corruption authorities did not listen to his frank admissions.

Finally when it became enough and when he could conclude that the laws of the land would not tough him any more he then decided on his own that he would keep himself in a "two year imprisonment" in his own house.

We are told that he is facing his self-declared sentence right being in his own house in Pokhara.

This was the news broadcast last week by Kathmandu’s FM Radio stations.

Now the question remains: How the society should take Mr. Pandey? As a corrupt communist? Or as a corrupt Communist repenting for his past sins? Or as a gentleman who finally felt that amassing too much of wealth doesn’t guarantee mental peace?

The decision is yours. But then should not the corrupts declared by the CIAA learn a lesson from Mr. Pandey’s self-imprisonment for two years.

We are told that Mr. Pandey will remain under the bars completely like a prisoner. Great personality indeed, at least in my eyes.

Committing crime is different and repenting on time for that crime is entirely different. What say you?

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