By Krishna Poudel

At this moment of time, I wish I were in Nepal being part of those thousands of people on the street defying the curfew orders of the royal government, asking the military to open fire if they could, and caring nothing but the absolute democracy. The puppets of Royal regime have warned of heavier crackdown on the peace demonstration but they are oblivious of the fact that this time people have taken to the street because the atrocities of the royal regime have taken their toll and the Nepalis have it enough living in fear and deadlocks. Thanks to the ‘Giris and Thapas”, absolute democracy is not at distance now!

Bullets may work against hundreds of, even thousands, party cadres, but it never works when millions of common people with nothing but their open arms decide to march. History is witness, in Nepal, and elsewhere in the world, when such a mass of everyday people decides, authoritarian regimes reigning centuries have fallen apart in days, fences, however big they are, are brought down and the will of these common people prevails. Nepalis, it’s evident, have already made up their mind when they defied the ‘shoot at sight’ curfew orders.

Please try to control the ones who might be tempted for some vandalism and watch out for those infiltrators trying to taint the movement giving it a violent turn. Non violence is the ultimate weapon of the freedom fighters.
Ironically, for better or worse, when the nation is burning in fire, the peaceful demonstrators are being gunned down, and the blood of democracy fighters is marking the roads and crossroads, King Gyanendra is taking a pleasure trip, offering “sacred water” in temples. I recall here one lesson that my grandpa often reminded me. There are three types of people in this world, those who see the fire and its potential strength and take care of it in time, others who realize the power of the fire when they feel the heat and the others who don’t get it until they are engulfed by the fire and turned to ashes.

Street vendors from Terai, eminent personalities of the civil society (like renowned doctors, lawyers, journalists, professors) college students from Palpa, housewives of Mangalbazaar, Tharus of Bardia, farmers of Chitwan and the likes are taking to street in the valley and all over the nation. Yes, they are the new faces, yes they are the weakest of the weak, yes they have only open arms, but now they make up this fire for democracy. It’s up to King Gyanendra and his sycophants to gauge the strength of this fire. Rest history itself will tell.

In the mean time, we would like to appeal the international community, as you did support the people’s movement in 1990, Nepalis are seeking it one more time. They are in decisive mood now; the moral support of all the ‘democracy and freedom loving people around the globe’ will give them the vigor they need more than ever. It may not be ruled out that royal regime might opt for the mass murder of the peaceful demonstrators, so it’s also the responsibility of the international community to warn against any such action and of its consequences.

Also, there is a request for those front runners and other democracy fighters, please try to control the ones who might be tempted for some vandalism and watch out for those infiltrators trying to taint the movement giving it a violent turn. Non violence is the ultimate weapon of the freedom fighters.

On the part of all Nepalis around the world who care for democracy, “Hats off to democracy fighters, you are writing a history of new Nepal now”

(The author is a fellow at Cornell University, New York Please send your comments/suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected])

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