It’s the advent of a new dawn in Nepal. The “Kingdom of Nepal” is now the “Republic of Nepal”. Gone is the hierarchy and with it the name of one more of the kingdoms of the world, though it took a long time to occur. It’s the modern era of 21st century and is hard to believe that even in this industrial era we had (still have some) kingdoms prevailing over the earth.
It’s a welcome sign for the people of Nepal that they are part of a democracy now. It’s a hard earned fruit that they have got for themselves after so much of the struggle. The end of a 239 years old hierarchy is not a joke in anyway. It took so much of the pain and so much of the red fluid out of the people of Nepal which got them this democracy. I admit that I don’t know much about the history of the nation but whatever I know about kingdom and democracy, it really is a welcome sign for people of Nepal to get for themselves a head of the nation elected by them only.
For so long the struggle for the democracy was on among the people of Nepal that took a fierce face in the realm Raja Gyanendra after the massacre of the family of his elder brother Raja Birendra in 2001 who happened to be the king that time. He had a good name and fame amongst his subjects. He was a foreseeing ruler and gave way for democracy to come up in Nepal in his rule itself. He had laid the foundation of a democracy with the start of panchayati raj in Nepal. But, in early 90s he had to withdraw this rule and again the monarchy came above all. He was assassinated by his own son Deependra along with other members of the family. The reason behind the assassination was given that Deependra was not allowed to marry the girl of his choice (the girl was speculated to be one of the family of the ruler Scindias of India). Deependra also shot himself dead the same night leaving behind the throne for the raja’s younger brother Gyanendra. Some authorities also see Gyanendra play some role in the infamous assassination though the actual truth may be anything. Gyanendra took over the throne and since then Nepal was burning in the struggle for democracy led by the brutal Maoists.
In between so many times the parliament was constituted and again reconstituted. Finally, this year the parliament was constituted once more and the path for democracy to arrive in the nation was laid. A bill was passed by the interim government which snatched all the power of the king and left him just as another citizen of the country. The king was given the ultimatum to leave the Narayanhiti palace occupied by their kin for so long. Finally, yesterday the king left his palace forever and is given the Nagarjuna palace to spend rest of his life. The Narayanhiti palace is proposed to be developed as a museum related to the king and the kingdom of Nepal. It must be a day of great grief for the king and his family and they must have left their palace with wet eyes.
Anyway, every evil has an end. The Nepal govt. should be taking it as a new beginning- a renaissance- the rebirth of Nepal. A lot of things have been done to reach till here and even more things are to be done. Democracy is hard to earn, even harder is to maintain it. Nepal has to get back to peace which has gone far away. The people of Nepal have to respect the ethics of democracy. Its hard to changeover overnightly from kingdom to democracy. It’s the mindset of the people that has to be changed and for that it takes much time. The government and the people both have to get together and move forwards. They have a bright future waiting ahead and they may make it even brighter with their hardwork, intelligence, peace and harmony. GOOD LUCK to the newest member of the democracies of the world!!!
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