Nepal: Politics as usual!

by Jens Halve, Political Scientist, GERMANY

Reading the news about the crisis in Nepal, especially the commentary pages, I sometimes don’t want to read further. Because nearly everything seems at the same time to be both correct and boring. Everything is well known, everything is clear, everyone knows what should be done and what’s going wrong in this country. In the six weeks I have been in Nepal, nothing substantial has changed in writing about politics.

In Nepal you’ve got excellent analysts, political scientists who (sometimes) advise the politicians and their parties. Sure, they’re clever enough not to burn their fingers. To expose the inability of the politicians means to make one unpopular. What remains is to stay silent or better make suggestions or give advice to these persons who are in power.

But who’s in power in Nepal? The government? The King? The Maobadis? Or the security forces? Who make decisions? Will they pay attention to the advice? Do they pay attention anyway to the people that they’re "fighting" for?

What kind of political system is it, we’re living in? Kingdom, multi-party-democracy, constitutional monarchy or changeover of power to the so-called Maobadis? Who controls the large part of the country? And who have legitimate demands to which nearly every democracy should subscribe?

But by the way what is democracy, this system that has tried to rule Nepal since 1990? Is it really democracy what we’ve seen until now’? Churchill once said: ‘-It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have ever been tried." What democracy means actually? It means that the power belongs to the people. It means freedom for the benefit of everyone. One’s own freedom ends there where it hurts the freedom of another person. Democracy doesn’t mean only to have a constitution and to use it as a catalogue - as you like it.

Question of Trust

It’s a question of confidence (or trust) to rely on a constitution. Confidence, which all the persons involved have gambled away: the political parties, who are more interested in coming to or remaining in power instead of serving for the interests of the people; the king, who seams more interested in consolidating and extending his power instead of serving for the interests of the people; the Maobadies, who are fighting against the state in the name of the people, which has to suffer first of all; and may be the intellectuals as well, who just talk about well known problems and who are powerless and helpless in this worsening situation. Kathmandu is like an island. We can read it every day in the newspaper, but I’m not sure if the intellectual elite class knows how it looks like in the rest of the country?!

A democracy is dependent on the participation of every individual. Maybe what we’ve to learn is that in a democracy everyone has to take responsibility. This sense of responsibility means after all to consider the poor, the ones who have no power or a voice to articulate their demands and wishes, their interests and aspirations. And furthermore "active voting is essential because it principally reflects people’s commitment to democracy. Good citizenship requires their continuous involvement in public affairs, their attachment to the policy", one of Nepal’s political scientists wrote. By the way, when was the last election in Nepal? Where from the government gets the entitlement or legitimacy to rule the country? Is the constitution still in force? And I don’t ask about the functional legitimacy from other players! I can’t see any!

Solution of Distributional Question

Is Nepal still a state? A state, which has almost withdrawn from rural areas? That can’t control its borders any more? And its constitution nobody keeps any more? What holds this country together? A country, in which the tax authority try to win taxpayers by a lottery system?! A country, that depends on international donors, that gets rid of his social duties and gives it in the hands of the donors, a state, that ignores the interests and the welfare of its people, that ignores the ethnic, religious and linguistic variety, that is indifferent towards poverty, social difference, discrimination against women and refugees, that looks upon the term "human rights" just as an hollow word, that is not aware of the exploitation, pollution and contamination of the environment, let’s say, that in no matter is able nor willing to solve any of these problems? What keeps up this country? May be the fatalistic belief in a better life next time?

The people are lacking the basic needs, how could it be empowered by no knowledge of reading and writing? They build up their own civil society in the remote areas. But what range do they really have‘? The civil society in Kathmandu valley on the other hand turns out to be a club of the elites affiliated to some lobbies which have the possibility to raise their voice in competition with the other players like politicians, political parties and others. It is good to see that a civil society has turned out. But who listens to them? What comes to mind is the very true quotation of George Bernhard Shaw who said, "Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few." Will you be the incompetent many?

If everyone recognizes that he and she must express and stand up for his/her interests, that he/she has to "fight" for that - not by force of arms - if really everyone recognizes, that he/she has a voice and the power to exert influence on a democracy, that can contribute to the welfare for all, then this is politics! Politics is the struggle for power for the conservation or change of existing conditions - by peaceful means!

Leaping into Modernity

This country has become tangled up in traditional orthodoxy and modern radicalism. Therefore, it is not easy to find the happy medium. In my mind there is no question which kind of governmental system Nepal needs. But this democratic system needs the backing of the overwhelming proportion of the people, needs a frame of separation of powers, proper checks and balances, which functions properly and becomes credible enough so that everyone can be sure of, and needs active interference and acceptance of responsibility.

The people are tired of this civil war! To give the people, what they need, especially peace, social welfare, a substantial improvement of circumstances (economic, cultural, legal and political) means for the Maoists to lose support especially from the losers and disappointed in the country! The government and all the political parties - as well as the opposition - must accept the challenge to solve all these well-known problems.

In Nepal, as everywhere in the world, the future ties up with the young generation - and I don’t mean the student organizations which mostly say what the older members of the party wants to hear. Just ask the ordinary young people and you will get straight answers about what has to be done. I am sure they have clear ideas and imagination so that this society has a vision to work towards peace, to work towards a better standard of living, towards implementing and keeping fundamental rights, towards solving all the problems this country is facing.

Vision

A vision! The key problem is this: lack of a vision that everyone can follow. A vision, which unites the different parts of the society, which unites the political parties, which unites the civil society, which unites the peasant and the intellectuals, for achieving a common goal you all can "fight" on a collective basis. To act in concert is much easier, much more successful than wasting time and energy in endless discussions and trench warfare.

The objectives in principle are the same! At least nominal! So why don’t they sit together and negotiate? The question comes to my mind who is making money out of this war? Who is interested in keeping this status quo? Maybe there are players, which are more powerful and more influential than all the other known persons involved? Shouldn’t this frighten us? The Maobadies are not "ante portas"! They are already in town. That’s what we could see in the last days and weeks. But what it means if there are other criminal groups? What really should frighten us is the suspicion whether the leading Maoists can still control every part of their fighting troops. Who gives a guarantee that the fighters scattered in various parts of the country would agree to a peaceful solution? At least in this point everyone should see clearly the need for negotiations and furthermore the need for international help!

Finally, to finish on a more optimistic note, let’s go back to G.B. Shaw: "Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will."

The author is a Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Nepal, intern -Ed.

White or Whitish: Violence is Skin Deep

By Bindu Chaudhary, USA

There is no developed nation as far as violence against women and children are concerned. Talk of injustice, exploitation, victimization, violence and abuse against women and children, and it exists all around, in all the nooks and corners of the globe, though it seems to be confined to the third world countries that present the scenario of a horrific world crisis of exponential proportions. Subjects like domestic violence, wife battering, physical and sexual abuse and exploitation generally conjures up images of poor, illiterate women unaware of their rights or of a backward society where women are treated as inferior sex. Take the undeveloped country like Nepal, or the developing country like India, or the ‘most’ developed nation of the United States, domestic violence and violence against women and children remains intact, making it a global problem.

Domestic Violence and Homicide:

Excuse me while I shudder. Did you know that murder is the leading cause of death among pregnant women in U.S.? You would say, this is crazy, how can it be possible when the leading cause of death of pregnant women in Nepal and India or other South Asian countries are due to complications from pregnancy and childbirth; inadequate maternal, neonatal and postpartum care; unsafe abortion; and the reasons like inaccessibility and unaffordability- but not because you do not want to father the child you impregnated! This is sick!

There are evidences which prove that significant proportion of homicide is inflicted upon by their intimate partners. Instead of the joyful celebration of the news of pregnancy, many face a violent death. It eats my heart out to think about how gruesome and selfish a relationship can be.

Did you know that in America a woman is physically abused by her intimate partner every nine seconds (UNICEF 1997)? According to US Department of Justice, domestic violence occurs in one half of all American homes at least once a year, and that only one in 100 battered women ever report the abuse.

According to Childhelp USA, each day in the United States, more than three children die as a result of child abuse in the home. Of these, 84.5 percent were under the age of six; 41 percent were under the age of one. It is true; homicide is the leading cause of injury deaths among infants (under one year of age). The perpetrators are typically the mother, father or the stepfather. According to studies, 50 percent of all homeless women and children are on the streets because of violence in home.

Look at the situation in Nepal and India, and the situation pricks equally. According to one study in Nepal, 50 percent of the respondents said that they know someone who was the victim of domestic violence. In another survey, respondents listed the perpetrators of violence in 77 percent of incidents as family members, and 58 percent reported of it being a daily occurrence.

In India, according to UNICEF, nearly 45 percent of married men acknowledged physically abusing their wives. Similarly, a synthesis paper presented by ‘Promoting Women in Development’ in 2000 mentioned that 40 percent of the women reported experiencing at least one form of physical abuse, of which 65 percent reported severe physical abuse, including being kicked, hit or beaten. In addition in India, there are estimates of more than 5,000 women being killed each year over dowries, and 400 infant girls killed annually.

Sexual Assault:

Commonwealth Fund Survey 1998 figures that one in five women had been raped or assaulted in her lifetime in the United States. Nine percent of women report being raped in their lifetime, with low income women being at higher risk of being raped or assaulted. Another calculation by ‘Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network’ statistics claims that every 90 seconds, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted.

Coming to childhood abuse, Commonwealth Fund Survey finds that childhood abuse affected one of six women- sixteen percent women in U.S. experienced physical and/or sexual abuse during childhood. Furthermore, according to Childhelp USA, convicted rape and sexual assault offenders serving time in U.S. state prisons report that two-thirds of their victims were under the age of 18. One of every seven victims of sexual assault reported to law enforcement agencies were under age six; and frequently, the child molesters are children themselves- 40 percent of the offenders who sexually assaulted children under age 6 were juveniles.

Now coming to the Nepal and India figure, according to CWIN, 5 percent of street children are exploited by foreign pedophiles. WHO/SEARO found that 43 percent of 165 rape victims seeking treatment in Kathmandu’s Maternity Hospital in Nepal during 1994-1997 were below 19 years old.

In India, according to WHO 2002 and another study in 1996, 1.9 percent of women over 16 said they were sexually assaulted in the previous five years. A study of college girls in the 15-17 year age group in India (undated) found that 15 percent of the respondents were victims of sexual abuse, including rape, and 31 percent were less than 10 years old when the incident occurred.

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of children and women:

Including other South Asian nations, Nepal and India have given a bad account as far as trafficking of humans for sexual purposes and the commercial sexual exploitation of children and women are concerned.

According to ILO-IPEC, there are estimated 25,000 female commercial sex workers in Nepal, 20 percent of who are children below the age of 16. There are about 200,000 commercial sex workers outside the country, out of which 60,000 are children under the age of 18. According to ‘Campaign Against Child Trafficking’, there are around 400,000 child prostitutes in India, and that about 200 girls and women enter prostitution daily.

Women and children are not trampled under feet in poor nations alone, and the disadvantaged do not speak the language of silence in Nepal and India alone. According to a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency report, an estimated 50,000 women and children from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe are trafficked into the United States every year (in lure of jobs and educational opportunities), only to be forced into prostitution, or bondage. The findings of the three-year study titled "The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S., Canada and Mexico" are bewildering. The study revealed that between 300,000 and 400,000 American children are victims of some type of sexual exploitation every year. Seventy five percent of the children are from middle class backgrounds; the majority of these children trade sex for money, more expensive clothes or other consumer goods. Twenty five percent of exploiters of children are other children. Most of the ‘customers’ of these children are members of their own junior and senior high school peer groups.

It is in deed a shame that children and women become the victims of comfort and pastime to the animal instinct of the exploiters, who are everywhere- in the poverty stricken Nepal or in the abundance of America. It is true, the development of a country does not necessarily develop humanity or morality of its citizens, for a country is ranked more by its economic power or military strength, or by its splendor capital cities and the sky-rocketing buildings, more than the inherent possessions of its people like the values, their morals, their respect and worth for other human beings, or their inclination towards peace and non-violence.

(The author is a social worker, presently a freelance journalist in the USA)

Nepal's Business Magnate: Mohan Gopal Khetan

I was born in 2003 BS in Bhedasingh, Kathmandu, in the old house where Nepal Bank Ltd. used to have its office. Then on an auspicious day we entered our new house at Makhan. I was extremely happy when on that auspicious day I walked to our house in my new set of clothes. I was five years old then. I don’t remember much before that time, but I clearly remember feeling elated walking in my new set of clothes through the alley of Makhan, and our house. People did not walk that alley much as they do now, the market there was also very small because the population of Kathmandu was hardly 50,000.

Kathmandu was divided thus: west of Tundikhel were the Newars, businessmen and shopkeepers. From Indrachowk to Khichapokhari were Marwaris. On the other side of Tundikhel, i.e. the east, were courtiers and people who worked in the palace. There weren’t anyone else here. The fish market that you see today was the settlement of the newly rich after 2036 BS. One had to produce clarifications in order to go to Singhadurbar or any other palace on the other side of Tundikhel. General Chandrabahadur used to scrutinize those clarifications. My father, the present Kahila Saheb, Bhagawati Prasad Singh – these three people were allowed to go in one row up to the Gaddhi Baithak of Singha durbar.

Education and Relations

My friends were all local boys. As soon as the sun rose, we would play ‘Khopi’ etc., relax in the sun for an hour or so; then I would be called up for a lunch of ‘daal-bhaat’. Then I would go to the ‘Gurukul’ in Bhedasingh to study with Marwari Pandits. For snacks, from 10 bottles of milk, we had to take 2 bottles put ‘Julebi’ in it and eat. That is why my body is still sustaining itself to some degree to this day. For our afternoon tea, we would get one ‘Laddoo’ and ‘Swari’; then we would go to Tundikhel. It was not a systematic lifestyle. The sons of the rich would get enrolled in St. Xavier’s or go to boarding schools in India to study. My father did not like that at all. Our bathing, changing of clothes etc. were all conducted under the supervision of our father.

After learning the alphabets at the ‘Gurukul’ they wanted to put me in a school. I was admitted to a school in Mahaboudha. After three months, I did not want to study there anymore. I used to leave the house for school and would go to Lainchaur to roam about. I was later enrolled at Shantikunja. I changed three or four schools and my mind was still not stable. My mind would go towards useless things. The hangout of kids in Kathmandu was Indrachowk, whether they be Newars, Bahuns or Marwaris. During that time, if anyone wore new clothes to school, we would say, "Look at that person trying to show off!" We would be jealous because we did not get much money to spend. If we had one rupee, it would make a king-size feast. Then, B.L. Sharma’s elder brother Nathmal Sharma would tell us in the afternoon that we could eat as much as we wanted for free.

Bad Habit

When at the age of nine I first started smoking, there were nine of us together – no one was to tell anyone else, all nine of us had to smoke. We are all still smokers – all of us Marwari kids. Our leader was Mangal Tikadewal, who has already passed away. He used to be very strict. So much so that once when we went to Nagpokhari to swim, when he said "Jump", we had to jump. I nearly died during that time; they got me out before that could happen.

During my childhood, I did all that a normal poor middle class boy would do and things a spoilt child from a rich family would do. Since I spoke Newari, was acquainted with their food habits and went to their feasts, I could adapt myself very easily to the typical Kathmandu society.

Later, I had to go to Birgunj where I stayed for six months. I behaved the same way there too. I would go from Amlekhgunj to Raxaul hanging on to train carriages so that I would not have to pay anything and would walk back. I went for the first time to meet my grandfather from my mother’s side at a place called Naugadh near Gorakhpur in India. I was with my mom and we had gone there for the arrangement of the marriage of my sister. At that time, they had carried us from Thankot. We camped at Bhimphedi. We caught a bus from there to Amlekhgunj from where we took the train.

My grandfather’s shop in Naugadh sold sweets. They would leave me in charge when they went for their afternoon siesta. I did all sorts of work. It later showed in life. It seems how a person views life is set at an early age by the happy or difficult times that he spends, whether he earns money, whether he indulges in social or religious works etc. I also went to Ayodhya, Haridwar and Brindavana at that time. I haven’t been to these places after that. It’s enough to go to one place once in a lifetime! It is not necessary to go every year just to make a show of it. For example, I have been to Muktinath once, and that is enough. I was 11 during that time.

It was a very difficult matter, the arrangement of the marriage of my sister. They would not marry Nepalese girls, more so those from Kathmandu. Therefore we had to stay in Birgunj. It took our father six months to find a suitable match. At last the marriage was finalized.

Unsuccessful

My studies were not stable anywhere I went. We were all the same, whether it was Chiranjivi Sarawagi, or whether it was the present chief of protocol of the Foreign Ministry Thakur Bishwakarma. We had no interest in studies.

After my sister’s marriage, my father talked to the teacher and enrolled us in the J.P. School. The school was pretty strict and the studies were pretty tough. I passed the ninth standard. Then I passed the test which comes after the tenth standard. Some of the friends from that time became government secretaries, some have retired, and some like Sudan Pokhrel and Pashupati Maharjan are still working in the royal palace. All of them were my school mates at one time or another.

Ramesh Nath Pandey, Dibya Nidhi Bista from the Nepal Rastra Bank, retired secretary Dwarika Dhungel etc. were all my friends. Thus I grew up with a totally Nepalese culture. This developed in me a concept of ‘my country’.

There were two cars during that time. One was with Ram Kumar and the other was with my father. They were both renowned gamblers. The cars were 108 model Austins. There was only one factory. The cars were garaged in the house of Punya Bikram Rana in Tebahal. The driver would be in Lazimpat. When message was sent to the drivers to come at a certain time in the morning, they would bring the cars. Then we would be off to watch a movie in Phohara Durbar or to the ‘British Living Room’ in Singhadurbar or to the household of one of the Ranas! The Marwaris had high reaches among the Ranas, but we did not care. We would watch movies, feel delighted, that was it. Nothing was too serious for us.

After passing the test in the tenth standard, I was confident of passing the SLC. After giving my exams I left with my father for Amritsar in India for the wedding of one of my cousins. We stayed with an uncle there. Then I went to Bombay. There was no shortage of money, so we had a lot of fun. I have now realized how a kid can get spoiled if there is really no lack of money and no economic worries in the family.

Life’s Dilemma

I had two choices with regards to how I wanted to lead my life. Become a hooligan, take smacks and other drugs or become what I am now. I got the news that I had failed in the SLC exams while I was still in India. I was so scared, I did not return. I stayed for three months in Bihar with my uncle. Later, he brought me to Kathmandu.

I gave the compartmental SLC exams. I failed in that as well. My younger brother Hari also failed. My father was angry and said that we were not capable to continue our studies. But my uncles from my mom’s side persuaded my father to give us a chance citing that I was just thirteen years old and there was no hurry. My father consented. We then had teachers teaching us four subjects. Bishnu Raj Jha taught us English. We went to Ramkrishna Manandhar’s place to study Mathematics and History. There was a priest who taught us Sanskrit. Only after these teachers taught us was I able to pass the SLC examinations. I passed with a 3rd division while my brother passed with a 2nd division. My brother was congratulated for his efforts and my dad told him that he should become a doctor. On the other hand, he told me that I was not cut out to be a good student so I should look after the business (Gaddi) but I told him that I wanted to become a pilot.

Entry into Business

All work was done by my father. He would go to Sardar Bishnumani from 12 noon to 4-5 pm.

When 2017 BS Poush 1st came, we were studying. I found out what weight a royal declaration carried during that time. When His Majesty spoke about the different mistakes made in the past, I realized that I had to study the past history of the country. Then I started reading a lot of books from the National Library. Business caste, eldest son, 15-16 years old, I did not have to work at all. In 2018 BS, Sardar Bishnumani told my father not to let the children be as they were but to make them work. We had started a petrol pump in Tripureshwor. That was how our business started. My father did not believe that we would be able to work, but we would go to the petrol pump as early as 6 o’clock in the morning.

Rebirth and Ambition

After passing the SLC examinations, I joined college. After college, handle the business (Gaddi) and prepare ‘Tamakhu’ etc. for my father.

Slowly, my life started to change. I was sick once. I heard names during this time which I had never heard before. I was sick for nine months and all sorts of people came to visit me. "Golcha….Dugar….Madan Lal….Chirinjivi Lal.…!" Each one got connected to one of the politicians, Golcha to Surya Bahadur Thapa, Madan Lal – Chiranjivi Lal to Bhupal Man Singh Karki, Tularam Dugar to Kirtinidhi Bista, as if apart from these three, we were not Marwaris at all. We were looked down upon as if we were street vendors. They had just entered Nepal from Calcutta then.

When I was sick during that time, Dr. Mrigendra Raj Pandey used to get angry at me for not stopping to work and continuing to analyze my files. I was 17 when I got sick and I was kept at Shanta Bhawan. I have made Shanta Bhawan my home because I was reborn there. I have great love for this house because I stayed here while I was sick. We had installed a water tank for the general public in Shanta Bhawan, which is destroyed now. Milk and fruits came from General Nir Shumsher’s place. We did not have a car to bring all these from home. The Sajha Bus Service had just started and one came every hour.

I had to miss college for the nine months I was sick. After having gone through all sorts of sufferings, through college I found out that I should also earn some money. I was first enrolled in the Public Commerce College and then at Tri-Chandra College. Both these colleges were at the same place, the teachers were the same - Ishwori Lal Pradhananga, Heet Singh, Gehendra Bahadur Rajbhandari etc. Gehendra Bahadur Rajbhandari used to come to college on a motorbike while the other walked. Kirtinidhi Bista used to teach at the Saraswati Sadan. Later he suddenly became the Assistant Minister for Education.

Due to the efforts of Ishwori Lal, I started to realize that I should study hard. I attained Board Second in my I.Com. examinations. My father gave me a prize for the first time, a fountain pen. My brother also did well in his I.Sc. examinations. There was no tradition of giving cash prizes. If I had received a cash prize, I’m sure I would have taken another track - smacks and other bad habits. My family was very strict about giving money to youngsters. There was money though for small expenses. First there was a group of nine and later there was another group. In our college, Sudan, Pashupati Maharjan, Mohan Bahadur Pandey were considered the intelligencia of Nepal. When I was studying M.Com., the leaders at the campus were Navaraj Suvedi, Sher Bahadur Deuba etc. I used to cycle to Tirpureshwar to study M.Com. in the afternoon and law in the evening.

Although this helped in instilling in us the feeling that we should study, it also raised a few questions - why only these three Marwaris? What happened to all those Marwaris in Kathmandu and Birgunj? Luckily Banwarilal Mittal earned some money in a contract. Now there was a general feeling that if we used our wit anyone could earn some money.

When I was 19, I went to Bangkok as part of a nine man business delegation to participate in the 1st Asian Trade Fair. I stayed there for 15 days and then went on to Hong Kong. The present day millionaires of Hong Kong, in those days used to pack our luggage for a mere HK$ 25 . Jatia, Sharraf etc. Packed each carton for HK$ 25.

I used to go to Hong Kong and bring back goods. A parcel company was opened here in Nepal. Surya Bahadur Thapa played a clever hand. Although he favored those from Biratnagar, he randomly distributed licenses for the steel and textile industries, but behind this act were the wishes of King Mahendra. We did not involve ourselves with that, we were involved in trading.

Marriage

My marriage was fixed when I was in Hong Kong and I was asked to come back immediately. When I came back, they showed me a photograph of the girl and that was it. Everything had been arranged in Birgunj. A tea party had been organized in the presence of influential politicians like Tanka Prasad Acharya, Mahendra Narayan Nidhi and Matrika Prasad Koirala. Even these big shot politicians lived very simple lives back then; their dress up and food habits were very simple. They even spoke the Marwari language. There was a different sort of intimacy among us back then.

After my marriage, I again went abroad; this time to Japan. Nagendra Prasad Rijal was a minister then. He would give us priority as soon as we made a call. After coming back from Japan, I started to do business in Khasa. I used to take truckloads of goods. They loved me there, at the Chinese embassy. However strong their belief in communism, they loved cashew nuts. If they were presented with cashew nuts imported from Bombay, they would make arrangements in whatever price we wanted. Later, the news would get out and a huge number of cars would line up at the embassy, but the people at the embassy would not give them anything.

I would not be the Mohan Gopal Khetan I am today if I had not gone through these ups and downs. These ups and downs taught me to be independent. I started doing business in an early age, and an education level of M.Com./ Law was a big thing back then. Ishwori Lal Shrestha, Chudanath Upreti etc. were my teachers. Due to this circle, I had started being regarded as a capable child. I applied to the East West Center in order to fulfill my dream of becoming a pilot. I was even selected when my father told me to let it be. He told me that I should look after the family business and that no one would do it for us if I didn’t. That is why slowly I ended up doing business. During my time, I went to different countries in delegations. (Continues)

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