There is countless number of
people who are deprived of formal education in my country. A few of my friends
absconded school in class 7 and went to join guerilla war. They were 14 years
old when they lifted rifles ‘to kill.’ Around fourteen thousands of those
aspiring youths were killed and the innumerable are still nowhere to be found.
Friends and brothers stood against each other taking different sides. Either
way Nepalese people died. Further, I recall the instances when we all-students
and teachers alike- had to flee from the school fearing those armed strange
faces that came pounding boots from jungle saying they were to organize some
stage programs. Many schools were staged for their programs, or used for the
shelter. And at one time when rebels were residing, my school was the victim of
crossfire and shelling.
One evening an armed group of
four came in our home and left at midnight. That very night the leader of our
village was decapitated by repeated slashing of a blunt cleaver. The inhumane
murder created a sensational wave to the people that everybody was packing and
fleeing from home. Consequently, there was rumor that they would kidnap youths
and train them “to fight and kill.” There cannot be any pathetic situation in
human life when a man has to fear from another man, suspicious of being robbed,
kidnapped or murdered.
That was then, and what is now?
After the civil war was over, expectation crawled over our faces. People could
live in their own homes, reconstructing it out of rubble, though their family
was shattered. Childless parents regained their hope, orphaned children
accumulated courage to live, and widowed women consoled their hearts. Eight years
passed, all those hopes and expectations have remained unfulfilled. Then the
youths were engaged in war, now they have gone to work abroad and rest are all queuing
up an eight-hour line in the front of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for the passports.
Many lives have returned from abroad in pieces—only to bring tears to the
family, packed in coffins. If elder brother got killed, the younger brother
would go. Nothing is going to stop the ever-growing diaspora, so it seems.
Additionally, we have voted twice for the membership of constituent assembly
since the peace process was started in 2006. Now for us Nepalese, the mirage it
had become—the constitution. The more we seem to have it; it just receded away
until finally it came out in the open but only to unleash dissatisfaction. We
have heard democracy has brought about great changes in many countries, but for
us it has only brought bitter experiences.
A dream that I have! My little
brothers and sisters ought no longer to have to see AK-47 coming in their home
with uninvited strangers. Educational institution shall not be staged at any
cost for obtaining political objectives. Schools could not be used as the
battlefield of warfare. Children’s vulnerability should not be of an advantage
to any group, sect, religion or political party whatsoever. Everyone has a
dream to work in his/her own country, Nepalese are not moving abroad in their
whims or wishes. Had there been suitable working environment, employment
opportunities, social security, no one would go in the wilderness of world to
sell their labors risking their lives. I have a dream of no one Nepalese going
to work abroad, for there weren’t a need to.
I have a dream that we no longer
had to go casting votes for the new constitution. In my dream development and
education were not affected by politics. There were hydro-power projects
sufficient enough to sell the electricity to all other south Asian nations.
There were electric trains, trolley bus channels and well developed
industrialization zones. The major economy of our nation was back- boned not by
remittance like now, it was by industries, tourism and agriculture.
I have a dream and in my dream
all people were happy to be Nepali.
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